The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-03-19
BURNED AT H A
How Charlie Binney Was Tor
tured by Youthful Companions.
They "Played Indian with Him" by Ty.
ing Him to a Post and Building a
Fire at His Feet.

PHILADELPHIA, March 1s.-Charlie Bin
ney. the twelve-year-old white boy who
was tied to a stake in Camden, n. j.. last
Monday and almost burned to death. is in
a critical condition and may not recover.
Last night the physicians at the hospital
stated that his chances Of living were
growing very slim.
Charlie. whose home is at No. Ills Broad
way. Camden, is a victim Of a number Of
his companions who were playing Indian
with him on a big vacant lot. Johnnie
Deegan. white, and Frank Eldridge and
Thomas Brown, colored, all about thirteen
years old. are locked up in a cell at the
Camden City Hall, charged with being 1.-The
Indians"
The lot where Binney was burned at the
stake stretches from Sixth street to the
West Jersey railroad and fronts on Me-
chanic street. There is a big factory on the
opposite corner. and the proprietor of this
factory utiliZes the lot TO dry his bags. For
this purpose he has put IN hundreds of
posts and placed pieces Of three-by-four-
inch hemlock across the tops of the posts.
To these cross pieces are attached ropes
which are used to tie up the bags when
they are hung out to dry. When there are
no bags drying the children of the neigh
~ use lit pAdCC " d pld
and make swings of the ropes.
Binney and several other white boys and
a number of colored lads were swinging on
the ropes about IL o'clock Monday morn
chums Joined them. Deegan had two live
mice. He tied a string to their tails and
let them loose among the other boys. The
mice didn't scare them, so one OF the boys
suggested that they play wild West"
Deegan took TO the idea, for he had been to
the wild West show and had q deep de-
sire 70 he a cowboy They caught Frank
Eldridge and tied him up to one of the
posts. but he soon wiggled out. Eldridge
then caught young Binney, and taking him
to the post where he had been tied began
winding the rope about him. Binney did
not resist. He thought it was all fun, and
laughed while the colored captor was MAX
ing him fast. After Eldridge had tied Bin
ney so he could not move either his arms
or his legs he stepped back and gazed upon
free himself. but he could not loosen the
ropes.
Then he began to dance around Binney
and give what he called the war whoop.
Some of the other boys turned in with him.
and they had a mimic war dance, while
the boy at the stake laughed at their an
tics.
Build a fire; We'll burn i'm at the stake"
one of the boys cried.
The war dance stopped almost instantly.
Eldrfdge is said to have asked for a match.
That's where Johnnie DeeGan came in. He
produced what he called "a stump of a
I-dlCH. u he says he never lnOuRnC OI
burning the boy, as it was all in fun"
Tom Brown. or "Tom-Tit,' as he is called
by his companions, and Eldridge gathered
some papers and placed them near young
Binney's feet. This began to look serious,
and Binney stopped laughing and called
upon his c, tors to liberate him. No at
tention was paid TO his cries, and with the
boys yelling like young hyenaS the match
was struck and applied to the paper.
1t did not take long for the flames TO
reach the boys clothing. and almost before
his tormentors could realize it the rope
" with whlcn he was bound caught fire and
Inc boy wrfthed in pain and his. .shTill
screams were, pitiful. Deegan, Eldridge
and the other boys were appalled,. The pine
pest TO Whith the boy was tied was the
next thing to catch fire, and it looked as
off thei- coats and tried to beat the fire
out: All the while the burning boy was
Dy linelmlna Geos, a colored woman, who
was sitting at the window of her house
on Meehanic street ssWlng: She looked
the boy burning at the stake.
Sam, Sam, for Gods sake rum There's
cried to her uncle, Samuel Coulter. He was
lying down in another room and he jumped
up and started across the lot with VIII
By the time they reached the place the
ropes were burned. and although Blnney
Still blazing. Coulter seized the carpet,
M yn'aT5e6 it It around the the lad and tried to
/ oiiiOIUeG II am 1NlS ulQ EOI seem TO
have the desired effect, SO Coulter pulled
out his knife and cut the burning clothes
from him This was not such an easy
task. for as he tried TO remove the clothes
the skin would peel off. The child had
suffered so terribly that he did not seem
70 C3oI mind the me skin Leaving the body with his
made an outcry. Coulter wrapped him in
a piece Of carpet and led him over to his
house. He sent his niece for an officer,
and told Binney that he would send him to
the hospital to have his wounds dressed.
Il don't want to go to a hospital" said
the boy, who was bearing up bravely. I'll
GO home TO my mother; she will take care
Coulter again threw the carpet around
little Binney and turned him over to his
~playmates. who helped him home. He
walked four squares and never whimpered.
His mother was greatly shocked when she
saw her child and almost tainted. She re-
covered. though. and sent one of the chill
as the doctor examined the burns he pro-
nounced them very serious and said he
pitai. He quickly dressed the wounds,
which extended from the ankles to the
face, and by the time he was through
the patrol was waiting at the door to take
the lad to the Homeopathic Hospital.
DR.; Eaton then said he did not think
however, very serious. From the ankle
to the knee of each leg the outer layer of
skin has peeled off: The thigh of each leg
the right. 1t looked to me Sas though the
left thigh is burned to the bone. His hands
oila as - oALICu Il Ie
skin of the left hand is destroyed entirely.
The flesh of the left hand was like so
much leather. L think it may be necessary
to amputate that hand His body and bis
neck are badly blistered. 1 have never
seen a case that affected me as this one
did. For g. moment it sickened me. Then,
too. :! felt sorry for the boy: for If he lives
he will be MANNED for life"
Did he inhale any OF the fame?'
mo. L think not. No vital part Of the
boy was burned, and the only thing we
have to fear is the shock to his nervous
system. 1t will probably be three or four
days before we can tell whether ii will
be necessary to amputate the left hand"
In the meantime, Deegan, Eldridge and
| Brown had run off and were hiding in the
swamp near the railroad. officer Whelen
saw them there about 3 o'clock in, the
afternoon, and he arrested them. At the
station house Deegan and Brown told the
sergeant that Eldridge had set fire to Bin
ney. DeeSan admitted that he had fur
niShed the match, but he said Eldridge used
it.. Eldridge denied this. Ha said the only
thing he had to do with il was to tie the
boy to the post and get the paper.