September 22, 1907: Mose Dossett

Today's journey is brought to us through the writings of The Washington Post (Washington, D. C.) printed on September 23, 1907:

LYNCHED BY MASKED MEN

Assailant of 90-year-old Woman Taken from Officers.

Negro in Alabama Hanged to Tree Which Had Been Scaffold of Two Others Within Year.

Pritchard Station, Ala. Sept. 22.—Mose Dossett, a negro, was lynched here to-day for an attempted criminal assault upon Mrs. J. Breeder, a white woman, ninety years old. Dossett was hanged to the same tree from which two negroes, Jim Robinson and Will Thompson, were lynched almost exactly one year ago for assaults upon small white girls.

Dossett's alleged assault was committed last night in Whistler, Ala.

Mrs. Breeder identified him as her assailant, and he was then spirited away from Whistler by two deputy sheriffs in a wagon en route for Mobile for safe keeping. About 2 o'clock this morning in a downpour of rain, while the wagon was passing through some woods, masked and armed men sprang out on all sides commanding the deputies to give up the prisoner.

No resistance was made. Dossett confessed the crime, and was immediately hanged, and one shot was fired to hasten his death.

The lynching of Thompson and Robinson last year was very similar, both being en route to Mobile for safe keeping. In their case the cunning of the officers guarding them saved their lives for nearly twenty-four hours against attempts of several mobs. Pritchard Station is within six miles of Mobile.

It all seems very cut and dry, but I'd like us to take another stop on our journey, through the pages of the Belvidere Daily Republican (Belvidere, Illinois) on the date of October 1, 1907:

AFTER NEGRO WITH HOUNDS.

Brute Seizes Woman at Whistler, Ala., and Is Pursued.

Mobile, Ala., Oct, 1.—Sheriff Casalas and a posse have gone to Whistler to begin pursuit of an unknown negro who seized Mrs. Johnson at her front gate early Monday night. She screamed and the negro fled. A neighbor shot at him several times as he ran. The negro is said to have purchased a ticket and boarded a north-bound train. The sheriff took blood hounds with him. This is the place where an attempt was made on Mrs. Breeder two weeks ago, for which one negro, Mose Dossett, was lynched.

Thank you for traveling through history with me, and as always I hope I have given you something to ponder.