The lynching of George Briscoe,
colored, in the Third district, on Wed-
nesday morning last, by a party of
masked men, of which particulars
were given in the CAPITAL of yester-
day, may be condemned by some, yet
under all the circumstances, it was,
perhaps, the only way to rid a com-
munity of so a desperate a character as
this negro had proved himself to be.
He had been ordered by the residents
of the neighborhood to take his de-
parture or abide the consequences, but
he defied their threats, and persisted
in making his presence a terror to the
female inhabitants of the neighborhood
and a feeling of general insecurity
amond the inhabitants of that ection.
While we do not approve of lynch
law, yet there are some instances
where it is justifable. Justice Thos.
S. Jacobs, before whom Briscoe had
the hearing Wednesday afternoon
which resulted in his committment to
the Annapolis jail, stated that Bris-
coe's manner and language were in-
sulting to himself and all who were
present. The man was full of bra-
vado at all times. Justice Jacobs
explained to him that he was no be-
ing tried for burglary, but simple hav-
ing a hearing preliminary to his ap-
pearance at a higher court, but the
man objected to the magistrate's pro-
ceedings and to Deputy Sheriffs Graf-
ton Boon and Tip Wells as escorts
to Annapolis. It was necessary to
bind him in order to get him safely
to jail. This was done with leather
hame strings. The deputies left Ja-
cobsville with this prisoner at 7:30
p.m. They had passed over New
Bridge, which spans the head of
Magothy river, and had gotten about
half way up the hill, on the south
side, when more than a score of men
swarmed into the road from the woods
and stopped his team. He was com-
manded to leave the carriage and
make quick time from the neighbor-
hood. Seeing that he hesitated, the
lynchers, all of whom were masked,
told him he would certainly come to
grief if he resisted. Wells was un-
ceremoniously dragged out of the
carriage and told to "git." Boone
then alighted and left the place. Dur-
ing the brief time the above events
were transpiring, Briscoe sat calm
and unmoved. One of the lynchers
said to him: "You'ra an innocent
looking sone of a gun, ain't you?"
    "I don't know whether I am or
not," replied he.
    These were the last and only words
Boone heard Briscoe utter.
    This is the second case of lynching
that has occurred in Anne Arundel
county within the past ten years, the
former case being that of a colored
man named Simms, who was taken
from our jail at night by a party of
masked men and hanged to a tree
near Best's gate, about half a mile
from town. Simms was committed
to jail for an assault on a white girl
in the Fourth district, and was await-
ing trial.

The Evening Capital, 29 November 1884.