The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1897-05-13
TWO GIRLS LYNCHED.
Mollie Smith and Amanda Franklin
Hanged for Using Poison.
One OF Them Confessed But tho Other
Stoutly Denied Her Guilt.

Birmingham, Ala, May l3-Moilie
smith and Amanda Franklin, two young
negro women, were found at daybreak
yesterday morning, swinging from tree
on the road between JEFF and Huntsville
In Madison county. The 90 men who had
lynched them had disappeared. The girls
paid the penalty OF death for poisoning
the family OF Joshua q Kelly, "a promi-
nent citizen of jeff. Several attempts
have been made To poison the Kelly
family. The first was made two months
ago. Mr.. Kelly and his family, consist
ing OF III persons, arose from tho supper
table one night suffering from terrible
pains, and the next day Mr.. Kelly died
IN great agony. lt Was ascertained that
arsenic had got into the coffee, but 1t
was thought thcn that IL was an accident.
Eleven persons sat'up with the body OF
Mr.. Kelley the night after his death.
Toward midnight they partook of some
sausage, and at once became i'll. Fortu-
nately there was physician in attend
ance and no fatality resulted. Last
Friday all the members of the family
arose from the breakfast table with ter
rible cramps in the stomach. Although
none has yet died, several are still in dan
gerous condition. This time IL developed
that the poison was In the bread
Suspicion was then directed TO Mollie
Smith, young negro girl, VINO had
formerly worked In the family, ana "a
search Of her house was made Mollie had
anticipated the visit and had started 10
Tennessee on foot. Amanda Franklin,
Mollie's successor in tho Kelly homo, was
also suspected. Twenty men gathered at
night. Some of them started out 10 cap
ture Mollic whom they overlook some
ten milos away. The franklin girl was
found ~ her own home. ili bed. She was
told to get up and dress, and go with the
posse, which she did. The Franklin girl
gave way when she was cross ques-
toned, and finally made a clean breast
of the whole affair. She confessed TO tho
last poisoning, but said Mollie Smith bad
put the poison in the coffee and sausages,
and had persuaded her 70 poison the
bread, which she did whilclcarrying the
flour of which IL was made from the pan
try to the kitchen.
The Smith girl denied everything, even
when faced with the Franklin girl and
the latters confession. The posse satisfied
of tho guilt OF the two girls, carried them
&C the woods, n short distance from Mollie
Smiths house and, deaf TO tears, prayers
and screams, tied ropes about their necks
and hanged them To a tree, waiting quietly
until 1t was evident they were dead
Without word they then stole away in
the darkness. There will probably never
be clew TO their identity.
Jennie Barwell. another negress. Is in
custody. She has cool.y avowed that she
knew the Kellys were TO be poisoned, but
did not care to reveal the facts The in.
stigator of the crime is believed to have
been a negro man, who, short while
ago before the first poisoning had been
discharged by Mr.. Kelly for impudence.
Report has it that he, too, was captured
and lynched. 1t is certain that all of the
participants in the crime will meet the
samo fate. SO greatly are the people
aroused that the law is powerless.