The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-16
NEGRO STAMh tDTO DEATH.
MON TREIKS Fragrance IN WEST
POINT, TENN, dsEh MURDERER.

-YiE
Anthony Williams taul [ lrtrr a Two Da,ss
search ana Killed u hAthe streets or tho
vtIhEe-isniict shl Iute TITS Body arre-
the TranpiinE-rhY dy Is Then nurncd.
FLORENCE, Ala, Jul! 1 Adn Tuesday after.
noon Miss Rene Wit.,yIs, IL years old,
was found brutally NO. red In the woods
near her home. in W.. Point, Tenn. This
afternoon at 2 O'CLOCK hnthony Williams,
her murderer, was c. I'D near Pruitton.
In this county, and a : o'clock he expiatai
his crime in tho st"s,tt OF West Point
In the presence OF ~ At % hundred peo-
pie. wllliams's body was rfidled with bullets
and burned TO ashes in the streets Of west
Point. Before a sht' was fired the negro was
knocked down lar LA-s of the crowd. and the
man was then ST. .,srI to death. After this the
crowd fell back. saE hose who had pistols fred
voley after volE "A! he body. The crowd then
gathered wood ! quilt a fire, on which tho
corpse was bursHEf''
For Two day. ed nights 500 armed mnn
secured the CONT" for miles for Williams. Sew
eral times Dossse 20 within shooting distance
OF him, but evefItto. Q he escaped. When he vnr
captured 1t was,tlSlin sixteen miles Of tho scene
OF his crime. a man named Clark. to whom he
applied for tobat suspected and held him for
the crowd.
rcr hours an he mutilated body of Miss
Williams was Sc ID there was no clue to the
murderer. Fl SIS suspicion fell upon VII
liams. and tina s.,,picion later became a car
tainty. In a sho;t time the whole country
around West 1 oinGwas up in arms and search
ing for him. IFS FIST was traced to Iron City,
where 1t was earned that he had traded the
young woman d. ct to a negro woman at whose
house he had srs-A the night. He was later
seen at Pruittci nd the mob there got within
shooting distanpssof him. He escaped. and trace
Of him was lott until this afternoon. when q
party Of the seaAdhers came upon him unexpeet-
edly at Clark khouse, three miles south Of
Pruitton. He Ia been in tho woods without
FOOD for moro thSq two days, and running most
OF the time, sSthat he was in no condition to
OFFER resistanceHT The crowd quickly decided to
take him back b. DE scene Of his crime. ito him
to the same treed1 which he had tied his vic.
tim when he asas'.lted her, and there give him
a torturing deatt,i
The mob that 81 ed Williams was composed
OF the best know zen of that region. Seventy.
I'VE men went g. Florence to see the Job well
done. The vict of Williams was q very at
t~ractive girl. ana Gas shortly to have been mar
ried to q youngistA in Nashville. Her intended
hgpfees9sAsFsySaSyn from Nashville to-day and
Tfs!sI fssS hlHlh. meet the crowd OF avengers
at 80 :. Yin Saling out vengencc.
Nnek the. crowd reached West Point they
went at once to carry out the programme they
had decided upon. The negro was too much
frightened and too much exhausted to offer even
q feeble resistance. He was stamped to death,
dozens of men jumping on his body.
Miss Williams left her home early on Tuesday
morning to pick a few berries. When she did
not return at dinner time her friends went In
search of her. She was found 200 yards from
her home, dead, and tied to a sapling with .
leather strap. around her neck. One of her eyes
had been gouged out. and in her tightly clutched
hands were leaves and grass. The ground
showed that a terrible struggle had taken place
between the girl and her assailant.
When the negro was captured his face and
arms were terribly scratched and torn, showing
that he had met with much resistance in accom-
plishing his design.
The original intention of the mob was TO take
Williams to the scene of his crime and there
wrcak vengeance. but the distance was too great
and the mob too impatient.