Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1895-10-17
TORTURED FOULFIEND
A Negro Brute LynChed After
Being MutiIated in a
Horrible Manner.
EARS CUT FROM HIS HEAD
His Fingers Cut Off and Dis
trIbuted Among the Mob.
STRUNG UP TOA TELEGRAPH POLE
Afterwards Lowered and His
Head Hacked Off.
THEN HAULED UP AGAIN BY THE. FEET
EARS CUT FROM HIS HEAD
His Fingers Cut Off and Dis
trIbuted Among the Mob.
STRUNG UP TOA TELEGRAPH POLE
Afterwards Lowered and His
Head Hacked Off.
THEN HAULED UP AGAIN BY THE FEET

A Warming OF Death TO Any Man who
Cuts the Body Down Before 0 O'Clock
This Evsning-Ghastiy Sight for Passen-
gers on Passing Railroad Trains = The
Wretch's Cory Head to lie Sent tn the
Family OF One OF his yictims-The Grimes
of the Villain Thus Fiendlshiy Put TO
Death.
Associated Pros Dlspatch oy sosutai Wires
Memphis, Tenn, Oct. 16. Jefferson
Ellis was hanged to telegraph pole
this morning by $50 men, within 200
yards of the scene of his crime. Before
hanging the negro, the mob cut off his
ears and all of his fingers and mutilated
him in horrible manner
The mob with their prisoner reached
the home of his victim, Miss Prater,
soon after midnight. The young woman
identified him as her assailant.
As soon as this was done an armed
squad of men took Ellis from Constable
Farrow and started with him for the
pike where the public road crosses tho
Louisville & Nashville railroad. A big
fire had been built at the place and
around 1T the mob gathered id a circle.
The handcuffed negro was made to
knee before the fire. The leaders of
the mob told Ellis to pray, but he only
looked at them in stupid manner.
Being told that he was about to die, he
raised his voice in negro hymn.
BY the time he finished the fiercest
element were in complete control of the
mob. Cries CT "burn him" were heard
on all Sides Even this fearful fate
would probably have been mercy to
the negro, as subsequent events proved.
Amid the shouts of the mob man
jumped to the negroes side with a
drawn knife in hand his.
"Cut off his ears, they cried.
"Giye me finger" shouted one
man.
II want thumb" cried another.
The better element in the crowd
drew off at this time, and said they
were not in favor of doing anything
but hanging the negro. Their protests
we're not noticed. Being urged on by
the fiercest in the crowd, the man with
the knife cut off the negro'a right ear
and held up the bleeding trophy in full
view Of the crowd.
The negro screamed, but his other
ear was cut off few moments later.
The mob became madden at the sight
of this work and those who were mutt
lating the negro found ample encourage
ment. They next cut off all his fingers,
and tearing away part of his clothing,
they mutilated him in horrible man
ner t-af 20
The negro was covered with blood
and his head looked as if it had been
scalped. The mob was not even then
willing to end the negro's agony. They
made him stand up so all the crowd
could see him. Finally, fully So
minutes after the torture of the negro
began, the rope was put around his
neck.
The telegraph pole was rs feet away.
The rope was very long one. The
free end was taken by a man who
quickly climbed the telegraph pole and
threw it over the cross arm. The crowd
ierked the negro to the foot OF the pole
and while the mob shouted the bleed
ing and mutilated form of the wretch
was swung to the cross arm.
The negro was lowered to the ground
and his head was cut from his body
with pocket knives. The moose was
then put over the feet and the headless
! body was again swung up. 1t is in
tended to send the head to the family
of the little girl the negro attempted
to assault last Saturday in Mississippi.
A placard was put on the negro's body
bearing these words:
''Death to the man who cuts him
down before 80 this evening""
No doubt the injunction of the mob
will be obeyed to the letter and the
passengers on the Louisville & Nashville
trains to-day may see the horrible
sight. The point where the lynching
occurred ia the Cross road called Cliff
ton Summit. The mob dispersed after
doingsits work.
jeff Ellis, on the afternoon of Octo-
Der 9th, criminally assaulted Miss
Bette Prater in the presence of ths
lat,er's two little sisters. He escaped
from mob which had gathered to
lynch him that night, but he was pur-
sued unremittingly until he was cap
tured Monday, near Mount Pleasant,
Miss. He confessed to the assault upon
Miss Prater to the outrage and MUIR
der of Mrs. Wilcox of the same
neighborhood two years ago, and to an
attempted assault upon little girl in
Mississippi while he was trying to
aa0nna From, ba Wi,