The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1895-10-30
ROASTED TO DEATH.
Most Horrible Lynching of
the Most Horrible
Wretch on
Record.
MRS. BELLS M~UTlLATION
Terrible Scenes at Tyler, Texas
Ladies and Children
Look On.
MRS. BELLS MUTILATION

LduleS duu Oullul0u
Look On.
TYLER, Texas, Oct. 30, 1S95.-For the
second time in the history of the Lone
Star State a negro has paid the penalty
of his brutal passion towards white wom-
en- by being burned to death at the stake.
Last Sunday evening Mrs. Leonard
Bell, the 19-year-old wife of a pros
porous farmer LIVING near Kilgore, visit
ed her mother, and about dusk started
to walk home along a lonely road. On
the way she passed a cotton gin, where
a number of negroes were at work. Soon
afterwards her mutilated body was found
at the side of the public road.
There was every evidence of a terrible
Struggle having taken place, as her
assaulting her, had cut her throat from
ear to ear and completely disemboweled
her.
The alarm was quickly given and neigh
oring farmers began assembling at the
scene of the outrage. The officials OF
Tyler were asked to lend assistance in
capturing the villain and a special train
was chartered on the Cotton Belt road
and a record breaking run was made
to Rusk Penitentiary, forty-f1ve miles
distant
There a pack of ~bloodhounds were Sc
sured and the return m trip vas M mace
large body OF men left for Kilgore upon
its arrival, and early Monday morning
they Joined the farmers in the chase.
lost the trail. They. crossed and recross-
again. picked up the trail and at four
o'clock yesterday morning they stopped
in front Of a cotton pen, three miles
Thev began to bay. thus %signifying they
had run their victim to earth. Oficers
entered and found a negro asleep. He
was awakened. but offered no resistance
and was securely hand-cuffed.
Just as the authorities were leaving
the pen with their prisoner a MOB OF
two hundred persons came up. Each
man was heavily armed, and although
the demand for the negro was not az
t tosY would take the prisoner Wherever
Inc mob then left for the scene. of
| spread through the surrounding country
| and each little hamlet gave it's quota to
the crowd of man hunters. The mob
was composed of determined men and
they soon chose a committee from the
most deliberate and prominent citizens to
investigate the identity of the prisoner;
~interrogated, the result being that his
identity was clearly established. While
this was taking place the officers were
ing their prisoner and thanked by hun
dreds of well armed men.
When they began descending the hill
which leads to the city. they were met
by a committee who reported the result
of the Investigation and demanded that
| officers demurred at first, but the posse
would brock no delay and the three
hundred armed men quickly overpower-
ed the guards.
They secured the prisoner who had
been identified as Henry Hilllard, a local
negro, who was married and lived all
lsr 49, in H. In hSc rin E II n
was brought before the committee and
trembling in every limb stammered out a
confession of his guilt, which in sub
g was coming down the road and saw
Of me, am knew t tnisd if + I p passedf b her
then. kill her. / cut her throat and cut
| her in the body and left"
After his confession and thorough iden-
LITIGATION, a vote was taken as to the
mode of punishment. It was unanimous
that he should suffer his penalty on the
public square of Tyler. The crowd
g gI,ie e f thf result IN lin wit beb fhseT the ca and
mitteeand prisoner began the march to
the city.
sons were il the procession that repre-
| scented every. shade of humanity and
every condition of life from highest to
lowest.
The procession wound along the road
in s~emi-military style and shortly after
four o'clock the advance guard entered
the main plaza in the center Of the city.
This was filled to. overdowing. by an
expectant crowd. which had waited sew
eral hours in the broiling sun. Immense
crowds of ladies and children were con-
gregated and awnings, carriages, trees
and adjacent buildings were converted
into grand stands,
AT 4:3O a scaffold was erected in the
centre of the square and wagons laden
with kindling wood, coal oil and straw
position wsaf an'se The = negro was was then a gwen gwen an
opportunity to speak but his words were
inaudible. He looked around over the
Grew p IN an aPPea naIer. way and ms color
The crowd began to grow impatient for
the torture to begin, and the trembling
some inarticulate words at first. but
towards the close his voice became
stronger and his appeals to God for
After he had finished his prayer. four
men ,r stepp ped, f Tory ed+s snd laf shgdo him tho to
the murdered woman, was in front Of
preparations with eager anticipation:
When the negro had been securely bound
by iron bales.
Mr.. Bell applied the match to the flu
neral pyre which had been built and the
flames shot upward e~nveloping the vic.
tim in sheets of fire. He begged for
mercy, 9ul MS appeais mgaS tnal ny VI -
burn at once. The fire was frequently
quenched, and after a lapse of a few
moments was started again.
From the time the match. was applied
until death ended his sufferings was ex-
actly fifty minutes. Each time the
flames were e~xtinguished it was evident
the victim thought his torture at an end.
and he begged to be released, but in
answer to his appeals q man would
runforward and again apply the torch.
Whenever this was done those near the
funeral pyre would cheer.
The international and Great Northern
~southbound train was crowded with peo-
pie from the towns north. Hundreds
of negroes witnessed the execution and
representative negroes expressed their n
dorsment of the punishment.
The officers were powerless n the
Sheriff wired the Governor, but his mes
sage was too late. All the business
houses were closed and all the factories
suspended work, and he big Cotton Belt
chcnc WARE dpSartpd