The daily morning journal and courier., 1899-04-24
NEGRO BURNED AT THE STAKE
fl GEORGIA MOB'S AWFUL YEN
 CHANCE ON 4 MURDERER.

I by Onc-Confessed His Crimc and 1m-
 Was Captured and at Midnight Put on Trial for His Life.
 Newman, Ga.y April 23.--In the pres ence of nearly two thousand people, who sent aloft yells of defiance and shouts of joy, Sam Hose, a negro, who com
 perpetrated in this state, was burned at the stake in a public road
 one and one-half miles from here this afternoon. Before the torch was ap- piled to the pyre the negro was deprived
 of his ears, fingers and other portions
 of his body. The negro pleaded pitiful- ly for his life while the mutilation was
 going on, but stood the ordeal of fire
 with surprising fortitude. Before the
 body was cool 1t was cut to pieces, the
 bones were crushed in small bits and
 even the tree upon which the wretch
 met his fate was torn up and disposed
 of as souvenirs. The negro's heart was
 cut in several pieces, as was also his
 liver. Those unable to obtain the ghast-
 ly relics direct paid their more fortu-
 nate possessors eXtravagant sums for
 them. Small pieces of bone went for
 twenty-five cents and a bit of the liver
 crisply cooked sold for ten cents. As
 soon as the negro was seen to be dead
 there was a tremendous struggle among
 the crowd which had witnessed his trag-
 ic 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 produced and soon the body was
 dismembered. One of the men who lift
 ed a can of kerosene to the negros
 head is said to be native of Pennsyl-
 vania. His name is known to those who were with him. The mob was com
 posed of citizens of Newman, Griffin,
 Palmetto and other little towns.
 Hon. w. Y. Atkinson, former gover-
 nor of Georgia, met the mob as he was
 returning from church and he appealed
 to them to let the law takes it's course
 In addressing the mob he used these words: My fellow citizens and friends: beseech you to let this affair go no further You are hurrying this negro on to death without an Identification. Mrs
 Cranford, whom he is said to have as- saulted and whose husband he is said to have killed, is sick in bed and unable to be hereto say whether this is her assailant. Let this negro be returned to iail The law will take it's course and I 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 perform"
 Judge A. D. Freeman of Newman spoke in 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 shouts of lon to Palmetto, burn him, think of his crime and the march was resumed.
 Sam Hose killed Alfred Cranford, a white farmer, near Palmetto, and it is said outraged his wife, ten days ago. Since that time business in this part of the sta.e has been suspended, the entire population turning out in an ef- fort to capture Hose. He successfully eluded pursuit until discovered near Macon. Word was sent to Mrs. Cram ford at Palmetto that it was believed | that Hose was under arrest and that | her presence was necessary in Newman to make sure of his identification. In | some way the news of his arrest leak ed out and as the town has been on the alert for nearly two weeks the intel | ligence spread rapidly. From every house in the little city came it's occu- | pants and good sized crowd had soon | gathered about the jail. Sheriff Brown was importuned to give up the prisoner and finally in order to avoid an assault | on the jail and possible bloodshed he turned the negro over to the waiting crowd. A procession was quickly form ed and the doomed negro was marched at it's head through several streets of the town.
 Mrs. Cranford's mother and sister are of Newman The mob was headed in the direction of their house and in short time reached the McEl- 'oy home. The negro was marched through the gate and Mrs. McElroy was ,aled to the front door. She inlme- Hate identified the African and her yer lict was agreed to by her daughter, who had often seen Hose about the cranford place. "To the stake" was again the cry, and several men wanted Q burn the negro in Mrs. McElroy's yard. To this she objected strenuously md the mob, complying with her wish, started for Palmetto. Just as they were eaving Newman news was brought hat the 1 o'clock train from Atlanta would bring 1000 people from Atlanta. This was taken to be a regiment of sol Hers and the mob decided to burn the prisoner at the first favorable place, ather than be compelled to shoot him when the militia put in an appearance.
 Leaving the little town whose Sunday uiet had been so rudely disturbed, the nob, which now numbered nearly 1.500 people, started on the road to Palmetto. \ line of buggies and vehicles of all .inds, their drivers fighting for position n line, followed the procession at the ead of which, safely guarded, marched he negro One and a half miles out of Newman, place believed to be favor ble to the burning, was reached. In q title lot by the road stood strong pine rec Up to this the negro was marched