Salt Lake Tribune | 1917-01-11 | Page 1 | Threatened to Hand Judge and Attorney

THREATENED TO M judge mwm Kentucky Mob Succeeds in Forcing Trial of Negro Accused of Murder. MURRAY, Ky., Jan. 10. An in- " furiated mob, composed of hun-vireds hun-vireds of men, negroes as well as whites, at 10 o'clock tonight surrounded sur-rounded a hotel hero and threatened threat-ened to dynamite the building ' unless un-less Circuit Judge Charles Bush and Commonwealth's Attorney Danny Smith agreed to send the sheriff after Lube Martin, a ne---9rcv who is charged with having murdered Guthrie. Buiduid, a policeman. po-liceman. The men said they intended to lynch the negro. PAHtTCAH, Ky., Jan. 10. To escape es-cape lynching at the hauds of a mob, Circuit Judge Charles Bush and Commonwealth's Com-monwealth's Attorney Denny Smith at Murray, Ky.,' today agrreed to try Lube Martin, a negro, charged with murder, tomorrow, instead of at the next term of court, according to reports reaching here tonight. Martin has been held at Tlopkins-ville, Tlopkins-ville, Ky., for safekeeping and was taken to Murray last night. Because of a fear of mob violence he was held in the courthouse all night, guarded by a large force of deputy sheriffs. This morning when his ease was called for trial counsel who had been accepted to defend him asked for a continuance .because of the discovery of new evidence, which there had not been an opportunity to develop. This was granted and the negro was started back to Hopkinsville, his departure being be-ing kept secret for a time. When persons in the courtroom learned of the con ti nuance granted Martin and of his removal, according to the reports reaching here, a large crowd immediately surrounded the judge and commonwealth s attorney, demanding that the negro be brought hack fou trial immediately, threatening if this was not done to lynch both. Attorneys At-torneys on both sides are said to have agreed, in the face of the situation which threatened, to have the negro brought back here in the morning and placed on trial.