Monday, September 8, 2014

September 8, 1930: George Grant

Today's journey to the past is brought to us from The Roswell Daily Record (Roswell, N. M.) on September 8, 1930:

NEGRO KILLER LYNCHED TODAY BY GEORGIA MOB

Darien, Ga., Sept. 8—(AP)—In the face of machine guns mounted in the streets, an armed band of men forced its way into the McIntosh county jail today and lynched George Grant, 40 year old negro accused of killing one officer and wounding three other persons in an early morning gun battle.

The men disregarded the pleas of Col. Roy Neal, of the national guard and holding county officers outside the jail at bay with shot guns, crashed into the building.

Grant was shot to death in his cell while Colonel Neal pleaded with the men to "Let this negro live until we catch the other one."

The other negro who took part in the gun battle was surrounded in a nearby marshland by several hundred men and his capture was expected momentarily.

Early this morning R. Anderson, Darien policeman, was wounded as he sought to arrest two negroes who aroused his suspicions as they approached a  bank. A posse trailed them into the swamp near the city and Robert Freeman, chief of Glynn county police, was killed and others were wounded as the negroes opened fire on their pursuers.

Others in the posse continued the search and arrested Grant some time later.

A few minutes later after Grant had been placed in the cell, an erroneous report was received from a Brunswick hospital that Deputy Sheriff J. H. Dollins had died of wounds.

The angered crowd, brandishing shotguns, began an immediate march toward the jail, --rashed into the structure, and shot Grant to death.

Soon after the jail shooting, officers and men of the 118th field artillery, George [sic] national guard, were dispatched to Darien and threw up a military guard about the streets and the jail.

Meanwhile the group that had swarmed the jail and killed Grant, took up a stand along the banks of Altamaha river. Opposite were members of the national guard with machine guns mounted for action. 

No comments:

Post a Comment

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.