[2] On October 16, 1933, a 71-year-old woman named Mary Denston was assaulted walking home from the post office in Princess Anne by a young black man.
[1] Judge Robert F. Duer and State's Attorney John Robins assured Governor Albert Ritchie that if George Armwood were to return to the Eastern Shore of Maryland, his safety would be guaranteed.
[1] Maryland State Police Captain Edward McKim Johnson was fearful that mob violence would erupt and requested that Armwood be again removed from Princess Anne.
[3] Governor Ritchie consulted with Maryland Attorney General William Preston Lane, Jr. to determine if the state could overrule Robins and remove Armwood.
[3] Sheriff's Deputy Norman Dryden was concerned about the potential for violence on the afternoon of October 17, and he approached Edward Young, commander of the Princess Anne chapter of the American Legion asking that legionnaires be made available to help preserve order.
[1] Although state police officers personally identified nine men as acting leaders of the mob, a local grand jury declined to indict anyone for Armwood's murder.