During its' boom days as a lumber town, Whitmer was wide open. A friend of mine, as passionate about local history as me called Whitmer the roughest town in the east. All boom towns had their fair share of fights, beatings, rapes and murders. Whitmer was the sight of a sloppy lynching. I think Doug was right in his assessment of Whitmer. Joe Brown was a big man, and he loved trouble. He caused trouble when he was drunk. Brown had a reputation in the Dry Fork valley and other places. It was said that he had done time in Virginia and West Virginia for murder. In 1904, just outside of Whitmer, Brown beat a 70-year old man nearly to death. The town was in an uproar. An eighteen man posse chased him down. When called on to surrender, Brown refused and someone fired a shot. The bullet creased his temple. No one took credit for the shot, but Brown swore it was Scott White, the sheriff. Brown went to prison for four years.
After serving his time, Brown came back to Whitmer for revenge. After drinking most of the day, he went looking for White.
Everyone in town was afraid of White, including Scott White. He could have done the whole town a favor and shot Brown in the back when he had the chance. Instead, he stood up to Brown. Brown shot White in the face. The town went wild again. With White's ghastly wound, it was believed he would not live. This time, a fifteen man posse, ordered by the justice of the peace, headed for the hills to hunt down Joe Brown. He was found hiding in the brush, shot in the arm and hauled back to town.
It was an ugly scene in Whitmer that night. The members of the posse and other men in town spent the afternoon drinking and celebrating capturing Brown. Bolstered by cheap whiskey and whipped into a frenzy, the broke into the town jail, pulled Brown into the street and lynched him. The drunken mob did a sloppy-drunk job. The noose was against Brown's face. He lived for hours hanging in the street. A sock was stuffed into his mouth some hours later when it was discovered he was still alive. Evenworse, as he hung there, his pants began to fall down, so he grabbed his pants and held them up with his good arm. He eventually died of slow suffocation. The public was outraged...the public outside of Whitmer, that is. The Governor tried to prevent sale of the picture of Joe Brown hanging in the street with a sock stuffed in his mouth, holding up his pants. It must not have worked, for I saw that picture some years back. It is a pitiful scene
No one was brought to trial for the lynching. Three men were indicted, but there was not enough evidence, so the whole thing was dropped. Whitmer was glad to get rid of Brown. Anyone who knew the lynchers kept quite. The lynching was just what the dry movement needed. Two months after that sloppy murder, Randolph County was voted dry. Coming in from Maryland by rail, beer and whiskey still flowed in Whitmer. Whiter's ills were not solved, at least, Joe Brown was gone.
Scott White recovered from his face wound. He had trouble with one eye the rest of his life.
After serving his time, Brown came back to Whitmer for revenge. After drinking most of the day, he went looking for White.
Everyone in town was afraid of White, including Scott White. He could have done the whole town a favor and shot Brown in the back when he had the chance. Instead, he stood up to Brown. Brown shot White in the face. The town went wild again. With White's ghastly wound, it was believed he would not live. This time, a fifteen man posse, ordered by the justice of the peace, headed for the hills to hunt down Joe Brown. He was found hiding in the brush, shot in the arm and hauled back to town.
It was an ugly scene in Whitmer that night. The members of the posse and other men in town spent the afternoon drinking and celebrating capturing Brown. Bolstered by cheap whiskey and whipped into a frenzy, the broke into the town jail, pulled Brown into the street and lynched him. The drunken mob did a sloppy-drunk job. The noose was against Brown's face. He lived for hours hanging in the street. A sock was stuffed into his mouth some hours later when it was discovered he was still alive. Evenworse, as he hung there, his pants began to fall down, so he grabbed his pants and held them up with his good arm. He eventually died of slow suffocation. The public was outraged...the public outside of Whitmer, that is. The Governor tried to prevent sale of the picture of Joe Brown hanging in the street with a sock stuffed in his mouth, holding up his pants. It must not have worked, for I saw that picture some years back. It is a pitiful scene
No one was brought to trial for the lynching. Three men were indicted, but there was not enough evidence, so the whole thing was dropped. Whitmer was glad to get rid of Brown. Anyone who knew the lynchers kept quite. The lynching was just what the dry movement needed. Two months after that sloppy murder, Randolph County was voted dry. Coming in from Maryland by rail, beer and whiskey still flowed in Whitmer. Whiter's ills were not solved, at least, Joe Brown was gone.
Scott White recovered from his face wound. He had trouble with one eye the rest of his life.
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