The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-07-26

Especial to The Post.)
Atlanta. Ca, July 25.-The vengeance
exacted for the assault on Mrs. j. L..
Oeletree at Saffold. on Thursday night has
been terrible Ever since the crime was
reported in cambridge, posses and mobs
acting independently of each other have
been in pursuit OF the two negroes charged
with the outrage. Last Saturday after
noon Louis Sammins. a dissoute negro. APP
preached Tom Lonsay, another negro living
in the country near Brinsop and asked for
shelter. saying he was guilty of murder
and was fleeing from justice. Linsay sus-
pected that Sammins was one of the ogle-
tree assailants, and after showing him
where he could rest in safety" hurried
to Crimson and gave the alarm. Shortly
afterward Sammins was taken while
asleep and rushed through the country to
Saffold, where he was positively identi-
fed by Mrs. ogletree and her husband
The mob, which had by this time grown
to enormous proportions. clamored for
immediate vengeance. Frightened almost
into hysteria, Sammins confessed his
crime, duplicating Robert Sanod as the
principal and six other negroes who broke
jail at Augusta TWO weeks ago as Access
sorles. An element OF the mob demanded
that Sammins he burned at the stake,
and went so far az TO prepare fagots.
He pleaded piteously that ne be hanged,
and the more conservative citi1cns advo-
cate this method, If the frenzied men
were bent on lynching.
As compromise, the half dead wretch
was chained up 10 tree. Different
members OF the mob then produced
knives and frightfully mutilated vital
portions of his body. He screamed ut
Sam Hose. did not evince an insensi-
bility to pain.
This torture continued for several min
utes, and finally. The mob growing tired
of this means of bringing death. adjusted
a rope around Sammins' neck, holsted
him slowly off the ground and filled his
writhing body with pistol and Winchester
bullets. A few carried away bits OF flesh
as souvenirs.
Early Sunday morning the bodies of two
more negroes we're discovered on ran
road embanlsnent near this place They
answered the description given by sam
Minis, and there Is no doubt that they
were hanged and their corpses laid on
the track to throw the authorities off the
scent. Inc jury u NS4
diet of death by accident
1t is known that Ave men named by
Sunmins have taken refuge In cabin
near Pinckard. Ala. heavily armed, and
a bloody battle is expected when the mob
closes in In the improvised fort. Tho
story which Sammins told was that he
with seven others, escaped from the au-
gusta jail a little over two weeks ago,
and, meeting In the river bottoms about
t\yn m al a
assault, made compact to live without
working. A number of burglaries We're
planned, and even murder was included
in the catalogue OF crimes by Which the
negroes were to enrich themselves
The Snffold robbery was the first event
on the programme. and the assault was
an afterthought. Saffoid and Sammins
went to the Ogletree home, and after rob-
bling the station agent, forced him 10 take
them to his wife's room in the hope OF Sc
curing more booty The six other mem
bers of the gang were In hiding around
the premises. to be In readiness should
their services be needed Sammlns and
Saifold, seeing that the couple were in
undated. acted roughly. and Saifold pro-
posed the assault to which Sammlns CON
sented
Saifold first assaulted the woman ana
then Sammins dragged the half dead crea-
ture to the floor and assaulted her
And now the other one has paid the
penalty. Saffold was caught today. and
after being identified. was taken 10 big
oak tree near the Ogletree home, on when
Sammins was killed, and strung up. AS
his feet left the ground hundreds OF shots
from the mob We're fred into his body.
After he was dead he was taken down
and his body cut up into small pleces ana
divided among the mob, which numbered
200 or 800.