The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-12-07
SURROUNDED By SHEET Of FLAMES
A BLACK MURDERER MEETS DEATH
As the Blaze EncTGs the Tortured Wretch the Savage Mob
Adds Fuel TO the Fire.

Immediately up Second street through the
central portion of the city to the hill fol-
lowed by fully 5000 of the citizens of this
city and county.
All was done that was possible by the
sheriff and s1is guard to prevent lynch
ing; but in the face of such mob of peo-
PIE, irrespective of color, it was useless to
attempt to do anything, and the negro was
delivered up. The mob grabbed him and
threw a rope over his head and took him
up above tine city. The wretch could be
heard above the cries of the mob plead
Ing for his life, but the mob only heard the
cries of Mrs Lashbrook.
The mob carried Coleman to small hol-
low near the railroad tracks, where they
bound him tightly to young sappling.
Then they heaped a huge pile of brush
wood and timber around him and fired the
stack. Before the roasting began Coleman
was almost dead. The rope had torn and
laeerated his neck and his face was ter
ribly beaten up.
The prisoner was strapped against the
tree, facing the husband of the victim.
Large quantities of dry brusalwood and
larger bits of wood had been piled around
him while he was praying for speedy
death. James Iashbrook the husband of
the victim, applied the first match to the
brushwood brother of the victim struck
THE second match. Some one with a knife
was violently slashing at the prisoners
chest. By a sort of cruel concurrence of
action on the part of the mob not a single
shot was fired. The purpose seemed to be
to give the wretch the greatest possible
amount of dura ton and of torture. fatal
shot would have been merciful, and there
was no mercy in the crowd surrounding
Richard Coleman.
Horrible Sight
As the flames arose his horrors increased
and he made vain efforts to withdraw his
limbs from the encroacding fire, his eyes
rolling in frenzy of suffering. The ropes
securing him to the tree We're burned and
his body finally fell forward ON the burn
ing pile.
Even then. although 1t was not certain
whether he was living or dead, the venge-
ful purpose of the crowd led them to use
rails and long poles to push his body back
into the flames. 1t is not certain how long
life lasted. During the process while his
voice could be heard he begged for a drink
of water his tongue protruded and his eye
balls fairly started from his head At the
end of three hours the body was practically
cremated
During all that time members of the
family of Mrs. Lashbrook had remained to
keep up the fire and keep the body in posi-
tion where 1t would continue to burn. At
that time nephew of Mrs. Lashbrook was
pushing the body onto the burned embers
while curious crowd of several thousand
persons fingered the scene 1t Is said
that on the march through the city the pris-
oner's eyes had been burned by acid thrown
in an egg shell.
All the thousands who constituted the
mob say there was not a single effort to
disguise or conceal identity. No man wore
a mask. All the leaders of the mob are
well known and there are hundreds of wit
nesses who can testify to their partcipa-
ton in this tragedy They are leading citi-
zens in all lines of business and members
of churches.
Word and rumor coming that the governor
proposes to offer a reward for the appre-
hension of members of the mob does not
excite much fear that the reward will be
claimed. While there is a wide difference
of opinion among residents of the city who
were not connected with the mob, yet there
is strong feeling that no punishment will
result from this tragedy.
Coleman was burned near the spot where
Charles Collins was hanged forty years ago
for similar offense. The place was Sc
lected weeks ago and all details of todays
programme were arranged at the same
time.