Birmingham state herald. (Birmingham, Ala.) 1895-1897, 1897-07-23
NOT A WITNESS EXAMINED
No One Could Be Found Who.
Knew About It.
A RAPlST PAYS PENALTY
For His Crime by Dangling From the Limb
of d Tree.
THE ENRAGED FATHERS ONLY REGRET
Was That He Was Unable to Help Lynch
the Negro Brute-Lynchers Left Mes
sage on Corpse-Will Be
Incinerated.
He ENRAGeD FATHERS ONLY REGRET

Macon, Ca, July PA special to the
Telegraph from Griffin, Ca, says: Oscar
Williams, the negro brute who assaulted
little Pearl Campbell, the 6-year-o d
daughter of A Campbell, in Henry cum
ty Saturday, July 10, was taken from the
Central railroad passenger train en- route
from Macon to Atlanta ard lynch,d by
an infuriated mob in the outskirts of this
city at o'clock this morning.
/ The body was swung to a red oak limb
and was literally torn to pieces with
pistol, shot gun and rifle wounds
When the work had become complete
one of the men in the mob took an en-
velope from his pocket. tore off the back
of it, and wrote the following inscript on,
which was pinned to the dead mans
shirt:
ITO the Mayor of Pike, From Spaldlng:
This was the rebube of the lynchers
to Mayor Hugely, of GAINESVILLE who
called out the military of that town to
protect Williams week ago."
By 10 O'clock this morning the little
ctump of tree where the body hung sus-
pended was surrounded by big crowd
that had come from the country many
miles around. Among the thousands who
viewed the body was the father of the
victim of the brute.
II have but one regret to make of this
affair."" Mr.. Campbell said to a reporter,
land that is / was not here to take part
in giving the villain his deserts.
know he is the right man and am salts
fled with his death. I was at work at
Lovejoy, fourteen miles away but as
soon as heard of the lynching jumped
into a buggy and hurried to tha spot"
Coroner Jesse Williams empannelled a
jury at 1890 o'clock this morning and
after few minutes, a verdict of death
at the hands of parties unknown" was
reached Not a single witness was ex-
amined.
"I have looked all over town and cam
not find soul who knows anything about
the case" said the coroner, land SO the
verdict was formulated"
The dead negro's body was taken from
the scene of the lynching late this after
neon and borne away by a crowd osten-
sibly for burial, but rumor is rife that it
will be burned at midnight by a large
crowd of people from adjoining counties.
1t is not positively known where che body
is or when it will be incinerated. =
The crime for which Williams suffered
death at the hands of the mob is as fol-
lows:
On July 10 Williams was blowing in a
field several hundred yards from the
Campbell home. nj was a very hot day
and Mrs. Campbell seri. her little son
and daughter, Ernest and Jewel, to car
ny some water to the negro. When the
ch1lQren arrived at the p1ace WHere VIII
liauns was at work he complained of a
heada che and asked th,a little boy to hold
his mule while Jewel wenl. with him to a
spring -neil far distant % pour some wa
ter on his head The Fttle girl ran along
merrily towards the woods little dream
ing of thu cruel fate that was in store for
her. A few minutes later he little boy
who is only eight years old. heard her
scream mort piteously and, terribly
frightened, he hastened toward home to
inform his mother that something was
wrong. On the way he met a neighbor's
boy and the Two vert two miles off
TO summon A. Campbell. In the mean
tima the negro had given up his fiendsh
purpose. He hurried back to the field,
took the mule to the house, where he got
his coat and hat and fed. In a short
time the little girl, bles ding and bruised,
appeared to tell har mother of the horrf-
bic assault Medical attention was at
once secured for the child and, though
for time her life was despaired of, she
was soon pronounced out of danger and
now bids f1ir to completely recover