Salt Lake Telegram | 1940-02-14 | Page 2 | Maryland Police Battle Mob to Rescue Negress, Daughter

Maryland Police Battle Mob To Rescue Negress, Daughter STOCKTON, Md., Feb. 14 (UP) Two state troopers and several farmers were injured today In a furious half-hour battle between 23 troopers and 300 members of a mob that had taken a negro woman wom-an and her daughter from tht Snow Hill jail. Statt police said Sergeant W. H. Weber and Trooper Charles Disney Dis-ney were Injured during a hand-to-hand battle in which clubs, stones and bottles were wielded. The mob dispersed after tht battle, taking its wounded with it. Sergeant Homer R. Baker aald several members of the mob were hurt One member of the mob was reported shot In the leg, but Baker said he heard no shots. Most of the mob members, estimated esti-mated at "between 300 and 500," were armed, Baker aaid. The battle occurred on a road near here where tht troopers overtook the mob after a 12-mlle automobile chase from Snow Hill. The negroes were identified by Baker as Marcit Blakt Collick. 3-year-old common law wife of Dave Collick. sought for a slaying, slay-ing, and their daughter, Virginia, Vir-ginia, 14. The negroes were being held In the Jail for "investigation" in the slaying of Pinchard and the critical criti-cal wounding of his wife at their farm home Sunday night, Baker said. Collick is believed hiding in a swamp near here. "I arrived here after the fight had started," Baker said. 'The police and mobsters were milling around in the street. Some of the mobsters were throwing stones and others were wielding bottles and clubs. "I waded In to try and help the other troopers get the women out of the mob automobile, around which tht fight was centered. The women were screaming and there was a lot of shouting and cursing. "Weber was knocked down by someone with a club and was being cuffed around. He was trying to get the women from the mob automobile au-tomobile to one of ours, and the mob was swinging on him. "Disney was knocked down by someone who swung a club on his head. While he was down, the mob started kicking him and every : time he tried to get up they knocked him down again. "I saw several guns in the hands of mobsters, but no one fired any shots so far as I know. I think they were carrying rifles or revolvers. re-volvers. "Weber finally got the women to his car and drove away. Some of the mob started to follow, but wt stopped that. They began to break up then." Baker said the mob did not Injure In-jure the negroes and that he did not believe It intended to lynch them. "They were after Information Informa-tion as to where Collick might be hiding," he said. I Police said at least two negroes entered Harvey Pilchard's home Sunday night and ' demanded monev. After It was given them one of the men shot Pilchard, critically wounded and assaulted . his wife, police reported. She climbed to the root of their home and attracted tht attention of neighbors. Mrs. Pilchard Identified Collick as ont of the men who entered the home, but was unable to identify iden-tify the other. Collick is believed to be cornered in dense Dunn's awamp by more than 1000 farmers and police. Bloodhounds were taken to the swamp, but were useless in tht thickly matted underbrush, briars and bog, police aaid. Tht possemen have surrounded the swamp of several thousand acres and escape I la believed Impossible. State police at Salisbury and Baltimore declined to reveal where the negro women were taken.