Later the evening the local authorities, failing to find the brother, arrested the sister, who was taking by a mob at 4 o'clock in the morning and lynched. From his hiding place the brother, who is 21 years old, could hear his sisters cry for help, but he was powerless to aid her. The three Negroes were riding in a buggy when they passed the girl. One of the men made a remark to the white girl, at which she took offense. She reported the encounter to a group of white men who quickly caught up with the blacks, lynched the men, beat the woman and ordered her out of the state.
Reports concerning the nature of the allegedly insulting remark are conflicting.
Below we give verbatim a letter written to the National Association of Colored People by a reputable citizen of Paris, Texas, where the lynching occurred. Doubtless, you have long since gotten the details, if not I will give you the facts as I witnessed them. Herman and Irvin Author, Negroes with their parents were tenants on Hodges Farm. They were working on halves, a system whereby the landlord furnished his tenants and at harvest time takes halve the crop and the amount with interest which he furnished his tenants during the year. Against the usual custom here, Hodges wanted them to work all day every Saturday.