Jelks Pardons Lynchers

Title

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

Demopolis Express

Publication Place

Demopolis, AL

Publication Date

06/12/1902

Transcript

JELKS PARDONS LYNCHERS., Were Convicted of Taking Life of Robert White, Colored. Montgomery, Ala. - Gov. Jelks, has pardoned George Howard, Martin Fuller and John Strength, three of the four white men convicted in Elmore county of lynching a negro, Robin White, and sentenced to ten years in the penitentiary. The negro and John Thomas had an altercation in which no harm was done, and the theory of the people in Elmore is that Thomas grossly misrepresented the affair to his neighbors, and by this means raised the mob, that did the lynching. They have sent in petitions with 3000 or 4000 names on them asking the pardon of the three men, and many deglegations have besieged the capital. John Thomas, the principel in the mob, was convicted and appealed to the Supreme court which affirmed the case last week. Gov. Jelks had decided that he would take up the applications as soon as the Supreme court acted in the Thomas case, and, as he only returned Saturday night, he went into the matter on Sunday. There is no application for Thomas' pardon and the people of the county lay the blame to him. The three men pardoned had been in prison a year. The case is famous as the only instance in Alabama where a white man has been convicted of lynching a negro.

Sources for

See all items with this value Abram White

See all items with this value Robin White Jr.