The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1898-01-10
BURNED IN CHAINS
Terrible Vengeance of a Mob on the
Oklahoma Border.
A SEMINOLE UPRISING IMMINENT

They May Declare war on the whites
who Fastened Two Manaclcd Indian
Murderers to Tree and Lyuched
Them by Fire.
Fort Smith, Ark, Jan. 10.-Justice I'm
q more horrible form than that meted
out to Henry Smith at Paris, Tex, was
administered by a mob on the okla
homa border last Friday night to j.
Markus McGeisey and Palmer Simpson,
two Seminole Indians. They were
charged with murder, their victim be-
ing Mrs James Simmons, a respectable
farmers wife, living in oklahoma. The
crime was a most revolving one, and the
criminals were punished in a most re-
voting manner. Mrs. Simmons was
outraged and murdered. The body
was horribly mutiated,
The entire populace turned out TO
hunt them down and punish the guilty
parties, and they We're found at the
home of McGeisey near Maud. a small
town on the Seminole nation. After
securing their prisoners the mob set
fire to McGeisey's house and barn, and
did not leave until they saw all of his
earthly possessions reduced to ashes.
The prisoners were then carried back
across the line into Oklahoma Terri
tory, and near the scene Of their crime
they were burned at the stake. The
Indians met their doom with the usual
stoicsm of their race.
Charred and burned beyond all sem
blance of human beings, the frames of
the two Indians are still reclining i'm
chains against the blackened trunk OF
the oak tree where they met their
death. The flesh is burned from the
bones, and fingers and hands are burn
ed from the frames, and the CHASTITY
skeletons, bereft of feet and ankle,
stand on blackened bones i'm the ashes
on the ground. The scene has a fas
cination for the curious and has been
visited by many people since Saturday
morning.
Additional details of the horrible work
of the mob were received today. AC-
cOrding to this information the mob s
work is not yet finished, and will be
completed only when four more Indians
have been dealt with in the same man
ner as MCGeisey and Simpson. The citi-
zens' posse was securing the country
for the four men when the messenger
left Maud, and it is probable that at
least part of the quartette have by this
time paid the penalty deCreed by the
mad populace.
The crime which led to the burning
of the two men was committed on last
Thursday. Markus McGeisy was the
owner of some property. On his land
lived a white family named Simmons
During the absence of the husband OF
Thursday McGeisey went to the Sim.
mons cabin and asked for a drink OF
water. Mrs. Simmons was at hom,
with her four small children. The In,
dian was given the water, and he ther
asked for a saddle. On being refused
the saddle McGeisey grabbed the wo.
man, who had her baby in her arms
and dragged her out of the house
When the woman attempted to run
away the Indian seized a Winchester
rifle and dealt her a blow on the head
crushing the skull. The woman died in
| stantly.
The murdered woman's husband die
not return home Thursday evening
and the children were unable to NOV,
the body into the house from whor,
it had fallen in the yard. The litt'
ones stayed up and watched thc'
mothers corpse until the bitter cole
compelled them to relax their vigil anC
seek shelter from the weather in tn,
cabin. During the night the body wa!
almost devoured by hogs.
The news of the murder spread
rapidly, and the whole popuace for 2
miles around was aroused. About =
Indians were arrested. The oldest chiI,
told the crowd that McGeisey was tn
guilty man, and a posse Of 20 meI
arrested him and Simpson. Both con
fessed to the crime and named fou
others, who they declared We're equal
ly guilty 1t developed that the In
dans desired to get rid of certain whit
settlers, and that McGeisey had bee1
hired to do the murder
The feeling was so bitter that tn
crowd would not be satisfied with tn
ordinary method of lynching, and |
was voted to burn them at the stake
, The victims We're accordingly chaiue
to an oak tree. Fence rails and dr.
wood was then piled high above then
and in a few minutes the Indians weT
wrapped in roaring flames, while tn
timbers cracked beneath their fee
Never a word did the Indians ute
while being roasted olive. They SAY
apparently that they were powerles.
and endured their lots like stoics.
The crowd was composed of not owe
80 men, and the work was done in
quiet but thorough manner The gen
tleman bringing this information state
that there are grave fears of an out
. break among the Indians, and that h
believes blOodshed is certain to follow