The herald., 1897-05-01
By a Mob Of Men Of Their
Own Race
six WRETcHED CRIMINALS
MEET THE FATE THHY RICHLY
DES1RvBD
The Seventh Has Disappsarsd and No
Fear Il Fslt That He Nay
Come Back
Associated Press Special Wire.

HOUSTON, Tex, April 30.-For the
murder Of an old man In his dotage, a
child In its homage and 1 woman In the
first flush Of young woinanhood. the raw
.ishment Of two girls. the burning Of the
home, of, their victims. the two bodies
being consumed In the flames. six young
negroes were last night sent to their
doom by . mob OF infuriated negroes.
the victims also being negroes. at Sum-
nyside, Walter county.
Last fall. gentleman from Brennan,
was robbed Of $65. Suspicion pointed to
the four Thomas boys, and they confess
ed to having committed the theft, say
ing they had given $40 Of the money to
Henry Daniels. Daniels spent the mon
ey and on Sunday evening last the four
Thomas boys. according to their con-
fession, decided to either collect their
$50 or kill Daniels. They carried out the
latter part Of the program.
Henry Daniels. an old negro, lived
there in a small hut with his stepdaugh-
ter, Marie, and 7-year-old child. On
Wednesday night the house was broken
open. Marie Daniels and the 7-year-old
child were ravished and old man Dan.
iels clubbed to death while trying to pro-
tect those in his charge. Then old man
Daniels and his stepdaughter were
thrown into the house and the child was
thrown into a we'll. The house was set
on fire and the devils capable of such a
crime left, thinking that they had COW
cred their inhuman deed from the sight
of the world. The fire had not attracted
much attention, but when Daniels and
his people did not appear, the charred re-
mains of the house were searched and
the terrible truth was soon only too
plain. The burned remains Of human
bodies left no doubt in one direction,
while the blood stains about the prem
ises ,indioated the coppmission Of MUIR
der. The 1oc4l officers went to work with
q will and were ably assisted by the best
hounds from Steele's plantation were
secured and they were not long in find
ing the right track. Before night they
went straight into the place where the
Thomas boys resided and, one by one,
they were secured. Fayette Rhone, 81
years old; VIII Gates, 35 years; Louis
Thomas. 20 years old: Aaron Thomas. 13
years old; Jim Thomas, IA years old;
Benny Thomas. IL years old, were placed
under arrest The last four are brothers
Later on William Williams was captur-
ed When taken they were smeared with
blood and bloody shirt was found hid
den In Richmond's house The blood
hounds worked splendidly, and after the
boys were confronted with the evidence
they acknowledged the crime and laid
the killing on Louis, the oldest. All the
seven prisoners were under guard last
night. At IL o'clock the guards were ov-
empowered by a strong body Of men and
the prisoners taken towards the Brazos
bottoms north Of here. A little later
forty or fifty shots were fired and all was
quiet. This morning, dangling from the
limbs Of large oak tree were found the
bodies Of six negroes, limp and lifeless.
Hundreds Of people from all over the
country are surging back and forth, but
always with one tree as the center OF at
traction. The bodies Of all Of the negro
f1ends are there except that of Williams.
and he is not to be found, but the shots
explained the absence.
At late hour this evening the bodies
are still hanging from the trees. AS far
as can be learned the mob was composed
Of white and black men, with the color
ed element largely predominating. To-
night there is a calm after the storm,
and the opinion Is almost universal that
IL the right parties were apprehended'n no
harm has been done.