Richmond planet., 1899-10-14


After the capture Wilkes told his
story. He said that his trouble began
with Mr.. Crawford week before. He
said that be had word that his mother
was much worse at home, and that he
wanted to 60 home to visit his mother.
he told Mr.. Crawford and asked for
some money. Crawford refused to pay
Wilkes. and that provoked hard words
Crawford was known to be q man OF
quick te mper. but nothing more oc-
Cured that day. The next day Gran
ford borrowed q revolver and said that
il Sam Ptarted any more trouble he
would kill him.
Sam, continuing his story. said that
on the day Cranfoxd was killed he
(Sam) was out in the yard cutting up
wood that Crawford came out into the
yard, and that he and Crawford began
talking about the subject of their form-
er trouble that Crawford became en-
ragged and drew his gun to shoot, and
then Sam threw the AK at Crawford
aud ran. At the time of the encouut-
er in the yard, Sam said that Mre.
Crawford wss in the house, and that
after he threw the AK at Crawford he
never saw Mre. OrAnsford, for he ina.
mediately went TO the woods aud kept
in hiding until he reached the vicinity
OF his mothers home, where he Was
captured. During all the time Sam
was on the train going to the scene Of
the burning. Sam is said by all talk
ed with TO have been tree from excite
ment or terror. He told his story in q
straightforward way, said he was sorry
he had killed CraRford and always de-
MED that he had attacked Mrs. Gran
ford.
MRS. CRAWFORD WAS NOT ASSAULTED.
did not see Mrs. Crawford. She
was still suff sring from the awful
shock. As soon as her husband was
killed she ran to the home OF his faith
er and told him that Sam had killed
her husband. She did not then say
that Sam had assaulted her. She was
completely overcome and was soon un-
eonscious and remained so for most OF
the next two days. So that at the
time when the story was started that
Sam had added the crime of outrage
to murder, Mre. Crawford, the only one
who could have told about it, was ly-
ing either unconscious or delirious st
the home Of her father-in-law. q. Z.
Crawford
The burning OF Wilkes was fully pre-
meditsted. It WAS no sudden out
burst of furious, maddened mob. II
was known long before Wilkes was
caught that ne would be burned. The
Cranfords ara en- old wealthy and aris-
tocratic family, and it was intended TO
make an example OF the Negro who
killed him What evaporation the
killing lacked was supplied by the re-
port of the alleged attack on Mrs
Crawford. And It was not the ire
sponsible rAbble that urged the burn
( ing, for il was openly advocated by
some of the leading men OF Palmetto.
E. d. Sharkey, Superintendent Allan
/ ta Bagging Mills, was one OF the most
persistent advocates or the burning.
He claimed that he saw Mrs. Crawford
the day after the killing and that she
| told him that she was assaulted. As g
matter OF fact, Mrs. Crawford was un.
conscious st that time. He persistent-
ly told the story and urged the burn
ing OF Sam as soon as caught.
"THE BEST PEOPLE" GUILTY.
John Haas, President of the Capito
Bank, was particularly prominent In
advocating the burning. People doinS
business NJ his bank. and coming from
Newman and Griffith, were urged &C
make an example Of Sam by burning
him.
W. A. Hemphin, President aud busi
ness manager, and CLARK Howell, edi-
tor Of the Atlanta Constitution, con.
tributed more TO the burning than sny
other men AID all other forces in Geor
5gia. Through the columns of theii
paper, they exaggerated every detail
Of the killing, invented and published
inf ammatery descriptions of q crime
that Was never committed, and By
clicking head Lines continually suggest