Telegram-herald., 1891-10-28
BURNED HIN To DEATH
AfEocious ACT Of . Nadly Infur-
lated lob in Texas.
! ERRIDLE REygsGE on 4 MURDERER
haiasd . Tree His Ptntsned Limbs
srs Surrounded " tth FACETS AID
ix.it~a sad Ne 10 Literally
Roasted ts Death.


negro, Lee Green. who murdered the
wife aud ealld of Farmer Law,
miles from this place, on Saturday. was
on Monday burned al the stake IN
sight of the scene OF his double crime.
Before he died he confessed the muir
ders and said that he committed the
crime for the money. SO. wa.ch he OBJ
tanned
Green was captured Sunday night by
posse and taken 10 the jail at Linden.
tie was caught near Kildare after some
resistance. but when he found he was
TO 60 TO jail accompanied the officers
without making any trouble Monday
morning at o'clock crowd appeared
about the jail and demanded the keys
The jailer's wife refused at first to
give them up. but yielded finally to
the threats of the determined men
Green was hastily taken from his cell
and put ON q horse aud closely guarded
as he was conveyed To the house of
Farmer Law. No attempt to harm
him was made as the men seemed de-
termined to make no possible mistake.
Upon the arrival OF the crowd and
the negro at the house of the farmer
the negro was turned over to Mr.. Law
and the crowd drew back, recognizing
the right of the bereaved TO take his re-
venge. Green was led by Law to the
side OF the we'll in which had been
found the bodies of the woman and
her daughter. The heart broken man
asked the negro If he had committed
the crime and Green confessed it. He
said that he approached Mrs. Green
as she was bending over a washtub and
strhck her over the head with heavy
stick which he carried He had
not at first intended to kill her
but fearing he had done SO took up the
body to throw it into the well when
the 7-year-old daughter of the woman
began to scream. He threw the body
of the mother down the hole and then
beat out the brains of the child and
dropped the second body as he had the
first.
A little 4-year-old boy ran up from
the yard and began to cry as ne discov-
cred that his mother was missing. In
desperation and determined to leave
20 possible chance for discovery, the
young negro graspsd the boy and
dropping him into the we'll threw the
tubs and washboard after him. expect
ing that the child would be killed by
them. Green then robbed the house,
securing $50, and started to escape,
stealing horse from neighbour.
When the confession had been made
Mr.. Law turned the negro over to the
guards and retired into the house and
entered into consultation with his
ueighbors, who made up the principal
portion of the crowd. They did not
constitute all of it, however. for all
day long there had been arriving at the
plantation groups of men, white and
black. from all parts of this and adjoin.
ing counties
Shortly after noon Mr.. Law told the
leaders of the mob to take Green ont
and lynch him. They in turn yielded
to the strong solicitations of the col.
ored men who made up n great por-
ton Of the party ana told the latter
that they could wreak on him fitting
punishment. The consultation be-
tween them was not protracted. There
was little need of it, and at 2:3O o'clock
Green was led out to the side of the
road and placed against tree and a
log-chain twisted about his neck and
body to hold him in an erect position.
Immediately forty-six negro men
began to pile about the tree mass of
fagots. The young fiend saw that his
fate was at hand and began to beg for
mercy aud yell with terror. A number
of aged ncgresses had collected and
their chants, mingled with the stronger
ones of the men who were construct
ing the funeral pyre. made q wierd
scene. One, an iteneran. preacher, be-
gan to pray, but his VIC was lost in
the din, he could not make himself
heard and the young ruffian who stared
death in the face received no consola-
ton from the duplication. Suddenly an
old negress walked out of the throng
which had drawn back as the pile
had been completed and touched a
match to the light wood. In a moment
the smoke and flames began to arise.
The cries of the dying man. encircled
by them. became fainter and fainter.
and in few minutes his soul had
passed to eternity not 6fty-four hours
behind Those of his victims
The crowd which witnessed the
burning of the murderer numbered
about LOCO and was made up about
equally of whites and blacks. There
was no attempt to conceal the identity
of any of those engaged in the execu-
ton. all of them being friends Of Mr.
Law and having known the negro.