Muscogee County GaArchives News.....Lynching in Columbus - August 1912 August 13 1912 ************************************************ Copyright. All rights reserved. http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm http://www.usgwarchives.net/ga/gafiles.htm ************************************************ File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by: Carla Miles cmhistory@mchsi.com February 9, 2004, 3:30 pm The Butler Herald The Butler Herald Tuesday, August 13, 1912 Page Five Lynching This Morning In Columbus Columbus, Aug. 13 – Within five minutes from the time that Judge Gilbert had pronounced a three year sentence upon T.Z. McElhenny, alias Cotton, a negro boy of 17 years, for the slaying of a little white boy outside this city a month ago, thirty or more unmasked persons swarmed about the officers, put up a hand to hand battle in the courtroom with the deputies, took the prisoner from them and in another ten minutes the negro boy’s body lay face downward in a ditch some distance from the scene, the body being riddled with bullets. The victim of the crime a month ago was 12 years old, Cedron Land, a son of W.L. Land, a member of a prominent Muscogee family and planter. The negro was tried on the charge of murder. He was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the commission of an unlawful act and sentenced to three years in the penitentiary. Judge Gilbert has passed into the street and was some distance away when he heard of the trouble. Judge Gilbert had not anticipated any trouble and was shocked and greatly surprised when told of the lynching. The Butler Herald Tuesday, August 20, 1912 Page Four Negro Mere Incident In The Lynching Case Judge Gilbert Calls Upon The Grand Jury To Do Its Work Columbus, Aug. 15 – Declaring that jury trials are at the foundation of our system of government and that the safety of the person and property is dependant upon the enforcement of the law, without fear or favor, Judge S.P. Gilbert of the Superior Court, today gave a special charge to the grand jury, in which he urged that body to make a thorough and exhaustive investigation of the lynching of T.Z. McElhaney, a negro boy, Tuesday afternoon. The negro was charged with having killed a young white boy by the name of Cedron Land. He had been tried and convicted of manslaughter and given the limit in the way of a sentence, three years. As the sheriff’s officers were leaving the courtroom with the prisoner they were set upon by a small crowd, who took the negro by force and carried him to outskirts of the city and shot him to death. Judge Gilbert’s charge to the grand jury this morning was quiet and dignified, but it was an intensely earnest one. “It is provided that the jurors shall be upright and intelligent” said the judge, “but an upright and intelligent jury would be a farce if it could not be independently, with fear or favor, return conscientious verdicts.” Judge Gilbert said that he was fully aware that the investigation would be seized upon by some to turn into a partisan convention that it is for the protection of the negro. “But those who say so are fired upon by passion or are willfully misstating the fact. The negro is an incident in the circumstances. The question is whether any body of men may take a man from the confines of the courthouse and visit a death sentence upon him, when a jury of their peers have said that such was not justice and right.” There was a large crowd in the courtroom when the charge was delivered and all seemed pleased with it. The Butler Herald Tuesday, September 10, 1912 Page Nine Muscogee Grand Jury Criticises Sheriff It Recommends the Removal of three Deputies Because of Lynching Columbus, Ga., Sept. 5 – In general presentments the grand jury of Muscogee County this afternoon created something of a sensation. It deplored the recent lynching of a negro boy, T.Z. McElhaney, who was taken from officers in the courthouse and shot to death after he had been convicted and sentenced for killing young Cedron Land and severely criticized Sheriff Beard and his deputies for not being afraid and prepared to protect persons as they should have done. The jury deplores the fact that the sheriff did not know his responsibility of the prisoner; instead he left him to deputy; that Bailiff Darby, who had prisoner in charge released him with little resistance; that Bailiff Behan seemed indifferent, while Bailiff Willis made an effort to protect the prisoner. The jury recommended that the sheriff relieve the first two bailiffs named of further duties and that Deputy Sheriff Gibson also be discharged. The sheriff is criticized for not making more of an effort to get evidence against the lynchers. At today’s session the grand jury returned indictments against W.L. Land, father of Cedron Land, who was killed by McElhaney, charging murder in connection with lynching. R.E. Land, A.B. Land and Lee Lynn were indicted one week ago, but no arrests have been made. This file has been created by a form at http://www.poppet.org/gafiles/ File size: 5.1 Kb