One Of The Most Daring And Revolting Crimes in Walker County History
"More than one hundred of the best men in Walker county are on the trail and are as determined a set of men as ever set out on a search."
My love for vintage newspaper articles is no secret to my regular readers. This report from 1898 caught my attention for a few reasons.
Hounds On His Trail
Posse Pursuing A Brute In North Georgia
Chattanooga, TN - News reached the city this morning at an early hour from Rock Spring, near Chickamauga, of one of the most daring and revolting crimes ever committed in Walker county.
Miss Mamie, the beautiful twenty-two year old daughter of Reece M. Jones, a prominent and prosperous farmer residing two miles east of Rock Spring, was held up by a white man with a huge knife, and under penalty of death, was cruelly assaulted[raped] within one hundred yards of her home.
The crime was committed in broad daylight this morning and within ten steps of one of the principal roads in Walker county. The news of the horrible affair spread throughout the county like wildfire and reached this city almost immediately. Chief Hill was wired for the bloodhounds and in a short while city detective Will Smith. who is a relative of the girl, and Perry Phipps were en route to the scene.
The brute who committed the crime is unknown to his victim but she states she can Identify him if caught. Tonight the entire country is being scoured for the brute and if he is caught he will never get to jail.
More than one hundred of the best men In Walker county are on the trail and are as determined a set of men as ever set out on a search. It Is believed the man was a tramp[hobo, drifter]. The dogs are trailing the criminal toward Dalton and it is confidently believed he will be caught before morning.
Already the arrangements have been made and the plan of his execution has been made. The arrangement completed is that If caught by the posse he Is to be hanged to the most convenient limb and then his body riddled with bullets. After this is accomplished it is determined by the posse to cut the body down and drag it behind a horse until the scene of the diabolical crime is reached when the remains of the brute will be burned on a pile of fence rails.
“That's the way we treat such vermin in Georgia, black or white.” said a prominent farmer after the plan had been fixed.
Supposed He Took a Freight.
Tunnel Hill. Ga. - Special- The posse pursuing the fiend who assaulted[raped] the young lady in Walker count arrived here tonight. The dogs trailed the man to the railroad. It Is supposed he boarded a freight train.
As a history buff, I've read many instances of mob justice in the United States. I always find it interesting how much elaborate detail the participants put into what will happen once they get their catch. Surprisingly, unlike most mobs, this one had more designs for their victim's corpse than for him while he was still alive.
I don't know how this episode ended; but, it's significant to note that the lynch mob's need for blood was not satisfied that evening. The criminal was not found by the mob or authorities on that night. But arrests were later made. Mobs gathered outside the county jail twice again, each time with the intention of hanging the individual who had been arrested. They were both spared because the victim did not recognize them as her attacker. The press coverage isn't outstanding since this occurrence occurred at the start of a highly frantic and busy period in Walker and Northwest Georgia history(Camp Thomas Chaos) which rightly required attention. If anybody knows the conclusion, please share.