The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-04-24

Severed Fingers Passed Around as Sou
venirs- Coy. Atkinson in Vain Pleads
to Let the Law Take It's
Course-Two Thousand APP
plaud the Crime.

avoid an assault on the Jail and pos
sible bloodshed, he turned the negro
over to the waiting crowd. A process
sion was quickly formed and the
doomed negro marched at its head
through several streets of the town.
Soon the public square was reacneu,
Here eX-Gov. Atkinson of Georgia, VINO
lives in Newman, came hurriedly upon
the scene, and standing in buggy, inn
portuned the mob to let the law take
| its course.
Gov. Atkinson said: my fellow-citi-
zens and friends: l beseech you to let
this affair go no further. You are
hurrying this negro on to death with
out an Identification Mrs. Crawford,
whom. it is said he assaulted, and
whose husband he is said to have
killed is sick in bed and unable to be
here to say whether this is her assail-
ant. The law will take its course, and
, l promise you it will do so quickly and
effectually. Do not stain the honor of
the state with a crime such as you are
about to performl"
Judge A. D. Freeman of Newman
spoke in a similar strain, and prayed
the mob to return the prisoner to the
custody of the sheriff and go home.
The assemblage heard the words of
the two speakers in silence, but the
instant their voices had died away,
think of his crime, arose, and the
march was resumed. Mrs. Crawford
mother and sister are residents of New
nan. The mob was heased in the di-
rection of their house, and in a short
time reached the NcElroy home. The
negro was marched through the gate
and Mrs. McElroy was called TO the
front door. She Immediately identified
the African, and her verdict was agreed
to by her daughter, who had often seen
Hose about the Crawford place. ITO the
stake" was again the cry, and several
men wanted to burn the negro in Mrs
McElroy's yard. To this she objected
strenuously, and the mob, complying
with her wish, started for Palmetto.
Just as they were leaving Nawnan
news was brought that the 1 o'clock
train from Atlanta would bring 1000
people from Atlanta. This was taken to
be a regiment of soldiers, and the mob
decided to burn the prisoner at the first
favorable place rather than be COM
PEELED to shoot him when the militia
appeared. Leaving the little town,
whose Sunday quiet had been so rude
ly disturbed, the mob, which now num-
bered nearly 1900 people, started on the
road to Palmetto. A line of buggies
and vehicles of all kinds, their drivers
fighting for position in line, followed
the procession, at the head of which,
One and half miles out of Newman,
place believed to be favorable to the
burning was reached. A little to the
side of the road was 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. 1 killed Alfred Crawford, but was
paid to do it. Lige Strickland, the ne
gro preacher at Palmetto, gave me $l2
to kill him.
At this a roar went up from the
crowd. The intelligence impaired 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 1
can identify them. Give me time for
that"
The mob would hear no more The
clothes were torn from the negro in
an instant. A heavy chain was pro-
duced and wound around his badly.
He said not a word to this proceeding,
but at the sight of three or four knives
flashing in the hands of several men,
bers of the crowd about him, which
seemed to forecast the terrible ordeal
to which he was about to be put, he
sent up a yell which could be heard a
mile. Instantly a hand grasping a
knife shot out, and one of the negroes
ears dropped into another hand ready
to receive it. He pleaded pitifully for
mercy and begged his tormenters to
let him die. His cries went unheeded.
The second ear went the way Of the
first.
Hardly had he been deprived of his
organs of hearing than his fingers one
by one, were taken from his hands
and passed among the members of the
/ Yelling and now thoroughly mad
dened crowd. The shrieking negro
was quickly deprived of other portions
of his anatomy and the words, Come
on with the oil!" brought a huge can
of kerosene to the foot of the tree
where the negro, his body covered with
4 blood from head to foot, was striving
and Juggling at his chains.
The can was lifted over Hoses head
/ by three or four men and its contents
1 poured over him. BY this time a good
supply of brush, pieces Of fence rail
and other firewood had been placed
about the negros feet. This was thor
oughly saturated and match applied.
A flame shot upward and spread quick
/ ly over the pile OF wood. As II licked
| the Negroes limbs he shrieked once and
began Juggling at his chains. As the
flames crept higher and the smoke en-
| tered his eyes and mouth Hose put the
stumps Of his hands to the tree back
of him and, with terrific plunge for
ward Of his body, severed the upper
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