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AIKEN, S. C„ WEDNESDAY. OCTOBER 13, 1926THE END OF THE LOWMANS**Clarence, Demon and Bertha Taken from County*Jail Friday Morning and put to Death.mn*■The trial of Clarence Lowman, Desman Lawman and Bertha Lowmancharged with the killing of SheriffHoward, which was started*on Tues-1day morning of last week came to ahalt on Friday morning, when County jail was stormed and thethree prisoners spirited away and putto death.mThe trial had continued for thretdays and there seemed to be no res*4that’s all. I do notcaused it. Nobody knows.know what »#Between 3 and I o’clock Fridaymorning Mr. Taylor, the jailer, told»n ,«r.cor oners jury,w as$by a noise outside the jail. Puttingon his bathrobe in the dark he .securedhis pistol and keys and went downstairs.unlocked a steel door mparntlng the residence section of the*jail from the jail proper and afters»»n to believe that the law would not locking the door behind him went tom* lie allowed to take its course, and theof Aiken were taken by sur-»prise when they learned that the pri*-the main entrance of the jail wherehe discovered a small group of men outside the door. They asked to bponers had been taken away from the{jail.-I The proULle CHiiac ut the mub rulewas the order of Judge* Lariham onThursday afternoon in directingaj I verdict of not guilty as to Demon. It* t*d, saying that they halt;j c**nieTor” the three Lowmans and the iail* r refused their request. In lii • ffictwhere he telephoned Sheriff Robiniftmfor help, he heard the sound of blowsagainst the jail door, which Fridayis now stated that murmurines were. heard that after noun and plans wereformulated for action that night.Between 3 and A o’clock Fridaymorning a hand of men, masked andmorningfound had been so battered as to prevent its being opened.A few minutes later Sheriff Robinson,having in the meantime notified Jesseunidentified, variously estimated asI between 25 and 50. entered the jailoverpowered the jailer and the*bheritf who had been summoned, andseized the three prisoners. From thejail thw mob, following an apparentJy well conceived plan, made its wayout of town on the Aiken-(* U 4*!two milesGeorge, chief of police, reached tinscene. He found, he said, a group ofmen gathered about the main entrance. And again as before he atpersuasion.Talk* to MobNo one feels more than I do the death of She*1H* *ay to a pine from Aiken, where tin* three Negro* were -dud to delHoward,” he told the group, but I have -worn to protect ?so men a mi I’ll do it. I am not'-rscared of hell or heaven; I am h«tirui 1 mean to protect these men. Thelitre a few minutes later Sheriff] first man who tries to get in is goingNollie Robinson, discovered the three lawny tonight.”•s, scatteri the\ had fallen.ut on the groundThe greater number of the men. «Bertha Low man’s; u hom all \verlt;* make*with vullll.tire-- had caught fire, evidently from | hamlken hiefs, with c doredthe discharge of one of t he* tmd‘-j *doths and others apparently withguns, and the sheriff extinguished tin* j false fares, the officers said—walkedawav a toward the court hlt;* eM* an !% *A ft w hundred vards from thit h e hem tft fp of pines, in whit tom ist w ith in- w ife and t* ntered the resident! 1if*a Northern door of the iail, which hein had In the rooms he -aw no oneotimi op* n.he hadpent the night, the sheriff had pa- - hi i!a h light and going to thlt;!etl lb or 20 automobiles bearing the-’door lendinig into the jail proper. inmembers lt;f the masked band back railed to Mr. Tavlor t*» admit him.to Aiken, their labors ended ami their i The jailer complied and as -oon asthe door had been unlocked membts work done.No Trouble ExpectedAt G o’clock the prisoners were removed to the iail, Clarence and De-fc | *mon to be locked in a cell on the firstof the mob appeared suddenly toseize the two officers. “They came at’or and Bertha in one of the cellus,” the jailer testified at the inquestlike a drove of blackbirds.”} in the women’s section of tin*econdStruggling in the lt;the i-hen‘ floor of the prison.ami jailer were overpowered in theSheriff Robinson and other officersinti kitchen. The sheriff m the meleeWsucceetletl in firing his pistol twice up-left the court house as soon as thecourt adjourned; there appeared tof I*VXCVv ortithem no occasion for apprehension;parentlv tlt;» damage one of the prison windows, eers were disarmed and the jailor sRVxs Md Ul lt;a.%Quickly the members of thi he .i11t i.oy^ r t hj prlt; lt;i nti • and nc \ * ■ i a! ? ' • lii, • :ru ' ’ •inn -Tgn rrf any impending rnrrtck r.nthe jail. Judge Samuel T. Lanham andmol*suspecting nothing nwrv, two men‘planned for tin* next day’s session of.-woman from the secondotn the first door and the€ind bowingi the court, which day it was expected in ■lt;» tloing an uncanny know ledge fend of the trial.the jail’s interior ami of th*.* pn on oek . Other prisoners — among themo see theI At 1 I : 15 o'clock, at which houtfew citizens in the quiet town were; Sam bowman, father of awake, one of the two main power)and Demon—-were not di-iuihe lines, leading into Aiken through the i knew nothing of w hat walb ! inamgoing, on.Horsecreek Valley section, failed they told the sheriff Frida\ morning.i *uaranteeing the uninterruption ofL«*d to Automobile*the darkness that then already held i The prisoners were led to the mithe eitv in it-*The lint* fed the \ tomobiles waiting outride an1b rcounty iail.•s'IKnerifTs hoult;\ tin* t ha s jdrrrin^r screams awalnm* *t t * 11
Newspaper Details
Aiken Journal and Review
Aiken, South Carolina, US
Wed, Oct 13, 1926
Page 1
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
GA, USA 31 Mar 2020
Other Publications Near Aiken, South Carolina
Aiken Daily Mail
Aiken County Rambler
Aiken County Register
Aiken County Journal
Aiken Standard
