United States Supreme Court Defied
March 24, 1906
Summary
The lynching of a black man is considered unjustified, bringing national attention to the case and “alarming President Roosevelt.”
Transcription
United States Supreme Court Defied
Prisoner Hanged in Defiance of the Full Tribunal’s Order
Remarkable exhibition in Tennessee- a complication that involves the national Government-- President Roosevelt alarmed-- The National Put in Motion-- Machinery-- Can we Protect Citizens At Home?
Attorney General Moody took charge Wednesday of the investigation of the lynching of Edward Johnson, the colored man, at Chattanooga, Tenn., Tuesday, after the United States Supreme Court had granted a stay of execution.
Government authorities under the Department of Justice have received definite instructions how to process, and if sufficient evidence is gathered, the participants will be taken before the Supreme Court on charges of contempt.
Knoxville, Tenn., March 22-- Gen J. R. Penland, United States district attorney, today received an anonymous letter, in which he was severely criticised for saying that he thought the lynching of the colored man Johnson at Chattanooga was not justified, and that the sheriff of Hamilton county had been negligent.
The letter was mailed in this city and is well written. The district attorney is warned against proceeding in the interest of the government.
Prisoner Hanged in Defiance of the Full Tribunal’s Order
Remarkable exhibition in Tennessee- a complication that involves the national Government-- President Roosevelt alarmed-- The National Put in Motion-- Machinery-- Can we Protect Citizens At Home?
Attorney General Moody took charge Wednesday of the investigation of the lynching of Edward Johnson, the colored man, at Chattanooga, Tenn., Tuesday, after the United States Supreme Court had granted a stay of execution.
Government authorities under the Department of Justice have received definite instructions how to process, and if sufficient evidence is gathered, the participants will be taken before the Supreme Court on charges of contempt.
Knoxville, Tenn., March 22-- Gen J. R. Penland, United States district attorney, today received an anonymous letter, in which he was severely criticised for saying that he thought the lynching of the colored man Johnson at Chattanooga was not justified, and that the sheriff of Hamilton county had been negligent.
The letter was mailed in this city and is well written. The district attorney is warned against proceeding in the interest of the government.
About this article
Source
Location on Page
Upper Left Quadrant
Topic
Contributed By
Emma Roberts
Citation
“United States Supreme Court Defied,” Black Virginia: The Richmond Planet, 1894-1909, accessed January 20, 2026, https://blackvirginia.richmond.edu/items/show/411.