Salt Lake Tribune | 1909-05-30 | Page 24 | Saves His Hide with His Heels

Negro, Pursued by an Angry Mob, Makes Record-Breaking Sprint. FIGHT WITH WHITE MAN CAUSE OP THE TROUBLE Flcetness of Foot Prevents Son of Ham From Being Roughly Handled. The fact that he was fleet of foot, is all that saved an unknown negro from beiug roughly handled, or lynched, by a mob of nearly T.00 whilo men on Main stroet early Saturday afternoon. Tho negro was seen beating an elderly white, man over the head with a club, and tho cry "Lynch Iho nigger," was soon j heard on all sides. Followed I13- tho mob, tho negro speeded down Second South street, aud mado his escape among the buildings just east of the Grand theater. Tho name of neither of the principals is known. About l:"0 p. m. tho colored col-ored man was seen to approach Iho whilo man.iu front of tho Mehcscv fur store, LOG South Main street, ana nsk him for a sum of money, which he said was coining lo him. The whilo man had in his hand a stick and with the first solicitation it is said that he struck tho negro over the head. The blow was repeated re-peated twice, when tho negro bccauio enraged and grabbed the club from tho hands of Iho whilo man. Tho colored man then si ruck his adversary a heavy blow on the lop of the head, hut it did not fell him. At this junction some one in the crowd raised tho cry "Kill tho nigger." The cry was taken up by many and tho quarrel of tho two mou was forgotten as' ihc negro mado a break for Second South street and the while man in the opposite direction. Tho mob gavo chaso to tho negro and increased its number as Iho race proceeded. pro-ceeded. Tho negro was a good sprinter and succeeded iu outdistancing his pursuers pur-suers by a hundred yards in running 1 from Main to Stato street on First South strool. There is a negro colony in the vicinity of the Grand theater and it was among those houses that the hunted man was lost. An investigation made by the police department failed to find tho colored man or Jearn moro particulars of the assault.