The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1893-07-31
EAGER FOR DEATH.

his dAiAlo NGiG blCNA dLNA nO Nuo b0Ah W
mount the scaffold, which he did hurried
ly, and with apparent gladness, as if to
get sure ease from suffering 1t was
found that the platform was not high
enough, so he was ordered down until
it was rearranged, after which the boy
again scrambled up in haste. The moose
was put over his neck and the hangman
asked, Boys, is that all right" Tie
the knot down on his ear and see what he
has to say,' replied the crowd. The boy
was asked if he was guilty and he replied;
Eyes, sir, me and Tom Preston and Handy
Kaigler." Some one told him to not in
clude the others if they were, not guilty,
and he replied Before God they were
with me and they was in it,"
LET DOWN TO srRANGLE.
One by one the ties were removed and
the boy let gradually down, so that there
would be no necl-breaking, and that he
could hang there and strangle. Thomp-
son made efforts to seize the rope, and he
finally clutched it with one hand. We
don't want his neck broken" shouted the
crowd, and the boy swung there several
minutes, slowly strangling. The shoot
ing party, consisting of about forty per-
sons, armed with guns, and about thirty
with pistols, then ranged themselves in
line about forty feet from the body, while
those of the spectators who were not to
shoot, drew further back.
FILLED WITH BULLETS.
Seightler was given the first shot, and
he sent bullet crashing into the swing
ing body. 1t was three minutes past 8
o'clock as he shot. This was followed by
shower of bullets until the body was
puctured at every square inch. About
$50 shots were fired, and several thousand
leaden pellets must have gone into
the body, for, in some
cases, the farmers had as many as
thirty-five buckshot in each barrel. They
used breech-loaders and reloaded half a
dozen times. The last shot cut the rope
| and the body fell to the ground. The
Columbia crowd then rushed for the
train and in few minutes they came
past the spot only to find that the body
had been tied up again in semi-nude
condition, while Seightlef was still firing
into it.
SECOND ACT OF THE HORROR.
The second act in the lynching was
completed this afternoon at 1:30 o'clock
when Tom Peston, who Thompson i'm
plicated in the crime, was hung and
shot.
After hanging Thompson the crowd be-
came even more savage. The whole coun-
try was secured and about o'clock Pres
| ton was captured five miles from the
scene of the Mornings lynching.
He vsss tsken to Castor and
the same brutal treatment
was accorded him before he was finally
killed. Preston denied his guilt, but that
had no effect. He was stripped and
stretched across log and a hundred
lashes with buggy trace were laid upon
his person. He yelled and screamed at a
terrific rate and piteously begged former
cy, but the more he begged the harder the
lashes were laid upon him.
HUNG BESIDE THOMPSON.
At last, he was taken to the same tree
upon which the bloody bullet-riddled
body of Thompson still hung. A plat
form of crossties was made and the rope
was put around the same limb. The plat
form was pushed away by degrees, and
the wretch was slowly strangled.
The crowd did not shoot until he had
hung several minutes. His body was
! then riddled with a thousand bullets,
more than was given Thompson, for he
was afflicted with a disease. The two
| chastity hodies were left hanging while
the mob proceeded to arrange for the
lynching of the third man in the Jail at
! Lexington G. II.