The herald., 1895-10-30
THEY BURNED HIN ALIVE
Horrible Case of Lynching
in Texas
A MGR0'S F|END|SH OFFENSE
Is Followed by Swift and Awful
Punishment
THE PRISONER IDENTIFIED
And Then Makes a Full Confession of
His Crime
THE PRISONER IDENTIFIED
The Orderly AssembIage Soon Decides Upon
Dreadful Penalty
Faggots are Piled About an Iron Stake to
Which the Doomed 1an is Fastened.
The Match is Struck-The Ac-
tion of the rIob Indorsed


| hSsOclateu fress Speclal wire.
TI LER, Tex, Oct. 29-Mrs. Leonard Bell
| the 1q-year-oih wife OF a farmer, who
| had been visiting her mother, started to
walk home, half mile, at dark last
evening. On her way she passed a gin
where men were working. Soon after
her mutiIatsd body was found quartz r
of a mile from home at the side of the
| road. There was evIdence of a terrible
struggle, the body being almost nude
The fiend, after assaultins her, cut he
| throat from ear to ear, and Completel
disc boweled her. Superin tendent Ed>
son of the Cotton Belt railway sen3 a
special engine to Rusk penitentiary,
fortyfve miles distant, for bloodhounds.
Farmers began to search Immediately,
and were Joined by large posse from
this city.
The negro was CAPTURED this morning g
at about O'CLOCK, three miles from Kill
gore. Soon after the officers had him
handcuffed a mob of some 200 men,
heavily armed, arrived on the scene and
demanded the immediate surrender of
the prisoner, which was reluctantly CIV
en-. The mob started for the scene of the
murder, where they arrived this after
| non at 3 o'clock. Ihe crowd continued to
| gather at the s3ene OF the horrible
crime until nearly 1000 citi7sns of Tyler
and vicinity were there. A few moments
before the fieud was brought to the place
a meeting was held and II committee ap-
pointed to investigate his identity. Wit
nesses were summoned and closely ques-
toned. The result was thorough iden-
| tiicatiop. III few minutes an officer
| approached from over the hill followed
by 800 determined and well-armed men.
| When near the scene the officers were
, overpOwered and disarmed and the ne
gro Henry Hill ard brought before the
com mittee. He made full confession in
substance as follows:
Il was coming uown the road and saw
Mrs. Bell in the road. She was scared
of me, and | knew that if l passed her she
would say / tried to rape her and | con-
cluded that | would rape ner and then
kill her. | cut her throat and cut her
in another place and then left
He wrote note to his wife and gave
it to the sheriff. 1t reads as follows:
Il am arrested by Wig Smith. You
know Whist they will do with me. If l
don't see you any more, good by:
Alter his con fession AID full dentiiica-
ton vote was taken as to the mode of
punishment. 1t was Unanimously agreed
to burn him alive ana that he should
suffer the penalty On the public square.
The line of march was taken up toward
Tyler and at o'clock the head of the line
entered the main street, whore no less
| than 1000 people were assem- bled. Large
crowds of ladies and children were con.
gregated on the awnings surrounding the
plaza. Wagons, carriages, trees and pub
lie buildings were converted into grand
stands and were tbroneed at 4 80 A
scaffold was erected in the center of the
square. Wagons laden with Kindling
wood. coal oil and straw were driven to
the scene and placed in position. The
negro was then given an opportunity to
speak. His words were at first inaudi.
bic, but when he offered up his last
prayer his words could be heard for
several blocks. lie was then lashed TO
the iron rail that extended through the
platform. and MIR. Bell. the husband of
the murdered woman, applied the match.
The flames shot upward, enveloping the
mercy and it was meted out to him just
as he was merciiul TO the woman whose
soul he had sent to her Maker.
1t wss decided to burn him at once,
and as fast as the wood thrown around
him was consumed, it was quickly re-
plenished. From the time the match
was applied to the tim. he was inciner-
tional and Great Norther. train was
crowded with people from towns far
north. Hundreds OF negroes witnessed
the execution and representative negroes
expressed their endorsements of the
punishment.
The officers were powerless and the
sheriff wired the governor, but his mes
and the big Cotton Belt shops wers de-
serted