The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1897-07-27

A Negro in Georgia Pays eUsua Penalty
for y Fiebdish Assault ON q Sit Year Old
White Girl

Macon, Ga, July pa special to
The Telegraph from Griffin, Ga. says:
Oscar Williams, the negro who assault
ed little Jewel Campbell, the 6 year
old daughter of A. G. Campbell. in
Henry county, Saturday afternoon,
July 10th, was taken from the Central
railroad passenger train, en- route from
Macon to Atlanta and lynched on the
outskirts of this city at Z o'clock this
morning. The body was swung to a
red oak limb and was literally torn to
pieces with pistol, shotgun and rifle.
When the work had been completed
n of the men in the mob took an en-
back of it and wrote the following in
scriptiOn which was pinned to the dead
mans shirt: ITO he mayor of Pike,
from Spaulding: This was h rebuke
of the lynchers to Mayor Huguelly. of
GAINESVILLE, who called out the nilitia
Of that town to protect Williams a
week ago"
By 10 o'clock this morning the little
clump of trees where the body hung
was surrounded by a crowd that had
come from the country for many
miles around. Among the thousands
who viewed the body was the father
Of the girl victim. Il have but one re-
greet" Mr.. Campbell said to a Tele-
graph reporter, land that is 1 was not
here to take part in giving the villain
his deserts. / know he is the right
man and am satisfied with his death.
l was at work at LOvejoy, fourteen
miles away, but as soon as l heard of
the lynching 1 jumped into a buggy and
hurried to the scene"
Coroner Jesse Williams empaneled
a jury at 1920 o'clock this morning,
and after a few minutes a verdict of
death at the hands of parties unknown
vas reached. Not a single witness was
examined. Il have looked all over the
town and can't find a sol who knows
anything about the case,'' said the cor
oner, land so the verdict was formu-
lated"
The negro's body was taken from the
scene Of the lynching late this after
noon by a crowd ~ostensibly 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 pos
itively known where the body is or
where it will be incinerated.
The following is the crime for which
Williams suffered: On Saturday, July
10th, Williams was blowing in a field
several hundred yards from the Camp
bell home. 1t was a very hot day and
No1llpoOL oChI ICI I " LIZ
daughter, Ernest and Jewel, to carry
some water to the negro. When the
children arrived at the place where
Williams was at work, he complained
of a headache and asked the little boy
to hold his mule while Jewel wen with
him to a spring not far distant to pour
some water OF his head. The little girl
ran along merrily toward the woods,
little dreaming of the cruel fate hat
was in store for her. A few minutes
later the little roy, who is only 8 years
old, heard his sister scream Terribly
frightened, he fastened toward home
to inform his mother that something
was wrong. On the way he met a
neighbours boy and the two went two
miles to summon A. G. Campbell. In
the meantime the negro had given up
his purpose. He hurried back to the
field, took the mule to the house, where
he got his coat and hat n fled. In a
short time the little girl, bleeding and
bruised, appeared to tell her mother of
the assault. Medical attention was at
once secured tor the child and though
for a time her life was despaired of,
she was soon pronounced out of danger
and now bids fair to entirely ecOver.