The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1899-04-28
NEGRO BURNED
AT THE STAKE.
Fiendish Work of a Geor-
gia Mob.
SICKENING ACTS OF BARBARISM,
That Put "a Blot of Shame Upon the Name
of Great State.-Another Negro, Ac-
cused of Being Implicated In the Crime,
Swung Up by the Frenzied Mob.

Swung Up by the FrenzieJ Mob.
NEWMAN, GA, April 23.-In the
presence of nearly 1900 people, who
sent aloft yells of defiance and
shouts of joy, Sam Hose, negro,
who committed two of the basest
acts known to crime, was burned at
the stake in public road, one and
half miles from here, this after
noon. Before the torch was applied
to the pyre, the negro was deprived
of his ears, fingers and other por-
tions of his anatomy. The negro
pleaded pitifully for his life while
the mutilatiOn was going on, but
stood the ordeal of fire with surpris-
ing fortitude. Before the body was
cool, 1T was cut to pieces, the bones
were crushed into small bits and
even the tree upon which the wretch
met his fate was torn up and dis
posed of as souvenirs. The negro's
heart was cut in several pieces, as
was also his liver. Those unable to
obtain these CHASTITY relics direct,
paid their more fortunate possessors
extravagant sums for them. Small
pieces of bone went for 20 cents, and
bit of the liver crisply cooked sold
for 10 cents. AS soon as the negro
was seen to be dead there was a
tremendous struggle among the
crowd which had witnessed his
tragic end to secure the souvenirs.
A rush was made for the stake, and
those near the body were forced
against it and had to fight for their
freedom. Knives were quickly pro-
duced and the body soon dismem-
| bered.
Hon. w. Y. Atkinson, former gov
ernor of Georgia, met the mob as he
was returning from church, and ap-
pealed to them to let the law take
its course. In addressing the mob
he used these words:
"Some of you are known to me,
and when this affair is finally set
tied in the courts, you may depend
upon 1T that / will testify against
YOU" A member of the mob was
seen to draw a revolver and level it
at Gov. Atkinson, but his arm was
seized and the pistol taken from
him. The mob was frantic at the
delays and would hear to nothing
but burning at the stake.
A little to the side of the road
stood strong pine tree. Up to this
the negro was marched, his back
placed to the tree and his face to
the crowd, which jostled closely
about him. Here for the first time
he was allowed to talk. He
said:
II am Sam Hose. I killed Alfred
Crawford, but was paid to do it.
Lige Strickland, the negro preacher
at Palmetto, gave me $l2 to kill
him."
Thereupon roar went up from
the crowd as the intelligence i'm
parted by the wretch was spread
among them. "Let him go on. Tell
all you know about it," came from
the crowd. The negro, shivering
like leaf, continued his recital. Il
did not outrage Mrs. Crawford.
Somebody else did that. l can
identify them. Give me time for
that"
The mob would hear no mora. The
clothes were torn from the wretch
in an instant. A heavy chain was
produced and wound around the
body of the terrified wretch, clasped
by a new lock, which dangled at
Hoses neck. He said not a word to
this proceeding, but at the sight of
three or four knives flashing in the
hands of several members of the
crowd about him, which seemed to
forecast the terrible ordeal he was
about to be put to, he sent up Yell
which could be heard for mile. In
stantly hand grasping knife shot
out and one of the negro's ears drop
ped into a hand ready to receive it.
, Hose pleaded pitifully for mercy
, and begged his tormentors to let
him die. His cries went unheeded
The second ear went the way of the
other. Hardly had he been depriv.
ed of his organs of hearing before
his fingers, one by one, were taken
from his hand and passed among
the members of the yelling and now
thoroughly maddened crowd.
The shrieking wretch was quickly
, deprived of other portions of his an.
atomy, and the words: Come or
with the oil" brought a huge can oI
kerosene to the foot of the tree
where the negro, his body covered
with blood from head to foot, wa:
striving and tugging at his cnains
The can was lifted over the negro.
head by three or four men and it.
} contents poured over him. The pyre
was thoroughly saturated and q
match applied. A flame shot upward
and spread quickly over the pile oi
, wood. As it licked the negro legs he
shrieked once and began tugging al
: his chains. As the flames crept high.
er and the smoke entered his eye:
and mouth, Hose put the stump,
7 of his hands 10 the tree back oI
him, and with terrific plunge for.
: ward OF his body severed the uppel
Z portion of the chains which bound
/ him to the tree. His body, held e
] the tree, only as far as the thighs
: lunged forward, thus escaping the
, flames which TOared aud cracked
about his feet. One Of the men near
est she burning negro quickly raI
! up, aud pushing him back, said
, l"Get back into the fire there" anC