San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1894-01-12
Jerked to Glory.

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This afternoon, at 2 o'clock sharp,
Ed. Nichols, the negro rapist, paid
the forfeit of his heinous crime,
with his life. The hanging was
exclusively private, the county Jail
being the scene of execution.
Only officers and press reporters
were admitted.
Ed Nichols is the negro who
raped Annie Starke, the IL year old
Bohemian girl, accounts of which
appeared in the leading papers of
the state at the time of the assault.
The account of the crime is as fol.
lows:
On Good Friday, March 81, 1898,
Annie Strake, then eleven years of
age, who was born in Bohemia, and
moved with her father and mother
to this country three and a half
years before, was brutality assault
ed by young negro in the south
ern portion of this county. In ref
erence to the history of the dast-
ardly crime, her statement in brief,
is as follows, taken from the testi-
mony of the trial:
81 had been along the Cedar
creek road from home to my I'M
cle's and was returning home
along that road between 3 and 6
o'clock in the afternoon. l didn't
stop on the road, and was met by
a colored man just after crossing
a hollow near some hills close to
the road. 1t was a lonesome
place, the sun was hid
by the hills and the
place was dark. The .colored
man said something to me, but |
didn't understand English. and |
told him q don't understand |
thought he wanted to know what
was in the bundle | was carrying
and l began to unfold it. was
very much frightened, Annie then
described the assault, and her sub.
sequent efforts to crawl home
through the brush, being too cruel
ly wounded to walk, and finally
having to cease through weakness
from loss of blood, she was found
back of the field by her father in a
pitiable condition, and for many
days was not expected to live.
A Negro named Ed. Nichols was
arrested the same evening, charged
with the crime. He had been
blowing in a field in sight of the
road over which the little girl had
gone. The officers had trailed the
guilty man from the place of assault
to water hole near by and found
where he had stopped down and
washed his hands. Ed Nichols
tracks fitted those made by the
guilty man and his shoes were
covered with mud of the same color
as that on the margin of the water
hole. Subsequently his clothing
in front was found stained with
blood. When confronted with
Nichols, the child recognized him
as her assailant. 1t was proven
that Nichols disappeared from
the field where he was blowing
when the little girl passed by. To
the sheriff Nichols stated subse-
quently that the girl had consent
ed. Nichols, aged about p years,
was indicted Immediately for this
rape. The 10Th of May he was tried
and the foregoing facts were sub
mItted. The jury found him gull
ty as charge and assessed his pun
ishment at death. The case went
up to the court of criminal appeals
and the judgment of the District
court was affirmed. Last month
the attorney for the defense filed
an application with the governor
to interfere with the execution OF
the judgment alleging that
Nichols did not have a fair trial
that the child had not identified
Nichols and that Nichols confess
sion TO the sheriff had been inn
properly admitted i'm the trial, A