Brown, Los Angeles Herald, February 6, 1902

 Kentucky Mob Lynches Negro

Takes Him From Officers and Hangs Him to Tree– The Man Had Assaulted a White Girl, Miss Delia Powell, and Being Fully Identified By Her, Was Swiftly Punished for His Awful Crime

Nicholasville, Ky., Feb. 6– Tom Brown, the negro who assaulted Miss Delia Powell yesterday, was taken from the police this afternoon and lynched. During the night the mob made repeated attempts to get the negro, but was baffled. This morning County Attorney Mitchell, Sheriff Christman and Deputy Scott removed the negro from the jail to take him to Miss Powell’s house for identification. About one hundred men accompanied the officers and prisoner. Notable among them was William Powell, brother of the girl, armed with a double-barrelled shotgun.

After the negro had been fully identified and the officers were taking him back to jail, the mob seized and lynched him in the courthouse yard before the officers could get into the jail.

Miss Powell is a student at the Jessamine Institute in this city and lives at her brother’s home, about three miles north. Last evening she started home in company with the Misses Braden, who also live out of town and attend school here.

Leaving the Braden girls at their home, Miss Powell continued on foot on her way to her brother’s, about half a mile further on, and on the way she was attacked by the negro.

After the assault Brown, aged 19, was arrested, and this morning was taken to the home of his victim, who fully identified him. To make the identification doubly sure, the negro was taken to the scene of the tragedy in charge of officers, followed by a mob of two hundred armed men, determined that the prisoner should not be transferred to Lexington. The mob followed closely behind the carriage and was reinforced by as many more on the way. When nearing the courthouse yard the carriage was surrounded and the mob dragged the negro from the authorities, who were helpless, but made a strong resistance. Brown was hurried to the courthouse yard, two blocks away, where a rope was quickly put around his neck, thrown over the limb of a tree and he was dragged up. He [was] strangled to death and made no confession or statement. The whole city turned out and all the ladies applauded at the end.