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lawyers, saying the matter "is entirely in the hands of the judiciary" and authorities
on the Eastern Shore. And any doubt over the attitude of the Worchester County
white community as a whole was dispelled when a petition against change of venue
with 5,000 signatures was delivered to the court house three weeks later. ^

Meanwhile Eastern Shore lynch fever continued to intensify. On November
23 a white mob searched county jails in four different Eastern Shore counties in a
vain attempt to find a 28-year old Black farm hand, George Davis, who had been
arrested for allegedly assaulting a white woman. The crowd, estimated to be
between 500 and 700 strong, initially gathered in Chesterton in Kent County. The
authorities there allowed a delegation from the crowd to search the jail, and one of
the delegates carried a coiled rope on his arm as he made his inspection of the
premises. Convinced that Davis was not there, the crowd split into smaller groups
and, at about midnight, headed out in different directions. A mob of about 300
arrived at the jail in Easton only a short time after Davis had been transferred to
Baltimore for his safety. The ILD immediately demanded that the leaders of the
white mob be arrested. The State Attorney General, William Lane, replied that the
State's Attorney for Kent County, Stephen R. Collins, had responsibility for such
matters. And State's Attorney remarked, The mob didn't do anything. They didn't
commit any act of violence. I have no intention of trying to prosecute them."
Fearing the publicity that more Eastern Shore white violence would bring, the state
authorities did bow to another ILD demand and promised state protection for
Bernard Ades if he returned to Snow Hill to enter a formal plea for change of
venue. A guard of 20 state police was readied, but the ILD chose to send the plea
with another representative. *

On December 4, a white Eastern Shore lynch mob was finally successful.
The victim was Matthew Williams, a 35-year old Black laborer who was accused of
the murder of his employer, white box manufacturer Daniel J. Elliot. Allegedly,
Williams shot his boss because Elliot repeatedly refused to raise Williams' 15-cent