The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1899-04-24

of one Sam Hose
Word was sent to Mrs. Crawford at
Palmetto that it was believed Hose was
under arrest and that her presence was
necessary in Newman to make sure OF
the Identification. In some way the
news of the arrest leaked out, and as
the town has been on the alert for near
~ two weeks the intelligence spread
rapidly. From every house in the little
city came it's occupants and good
sized crowd was soon gathered about
the Jail. Sheriff Brown was impor-
tuned to give up the prisoner, and
finally in order to avoid an assault on
the Jail and possible bIoodshed he turn
ed the wretch over to the waiting crowd.
A procession was quickly formed and
the doomed negro was marched at its
head through several streets of the
town. Soon the public square was
reached. Here former Governor Atkin-
son of Georgia, who lives in Newman,
came hurriedly upon the scene, and,
standing up in buggy, importuned the
crowd to let the law take it's course.
Governor Atkinson said: My fellow
citizens and friends: 1 beseech you to
hurrying this negro on to death with
out an identification. Mrs. Crawford,
whom he is said to have 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 assailant. Let
this negro be returned to jail. The law
will take its course, and 1 promise you
it will do so quickly and e1fectually.
DO not stain the honor of the state
with such a crime as you are about to
perform.
Judge A. D. Freeman, also of New
nan, spoke in a similar strain, and i'm
plored the mob to return the prisoner
to the custody of the sheriff and go
home.
The assemhlage heard the words of
the two speakers in silence, but the in
slant their voices had died away shouts
of: ION to Palmettol Burn him! Think
of his crime!" and the march was re-
summed.
Mrs. Cranford's mother and sister are
residents of Newman. The mob was
headed in the direction of their house,
and in short time reached the Nc
Elroy home. The negro was marched
to the gate and Mrs McElroy called to
the front door. She at once identified
the African and her verdict was agreed
to by her daughter, who had often seen
Hose around the Crawford place. ITO
the stake, was again the cry and sew
eral men wanted to burn him in Mrs
strenuously, and the mob, complying
with her wishes, started for Palmetto.
Just as they We're leaving Newman
I word was brought that the l o'clock
train from Atlanta was bringing 1000
people to Palmetto. This was thought
to be regiment of militia, and the mob
at once decided to burn the prisoner at
the first favorable place, rather than
be compelled to shoot him when the mil
itia put in an appearance.
Leaving the little town whose Sunday
quiet had been so rudely disturbed the
mob, which now numbered nearly 1. 500
people, started on the road to Pal
metto. A line of buggies and vehicles
of all kinds. their drivers fighting for
position in line, followed the procession
at the head of which, closely guarded.
marched the negro
One and a half miles out of Newman
a place believed to be favorable for the
burning was reached. A little to the
side of the road was a strong pine tree
Up to this the negro was marched his
TO
to the crowd which jostIed closely about
him.
The clothes We're torn from the
wretch IN an instant. A heavy chain
was produced and wound around the
body of the terrified negro, cIasped bv
new lock with dangled at Hoses
neck: He said. not a word to this pro-
ceeding, 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 ter
r1ble ordeal he was about to be put to-
he sent up a yell which could have been
heard for mile.
Instantly knife shot out and one of
the Negroes ears dropped into a hand
ready to receive it. Hose pleaded pitt
FULLY for mercy and begged his torInen
tors to let him die. His cries went un-
needed. The second ear went the wav
of the other. Hardly had he been de-
prlved of his organs of hearing before
his fingers, one by one, were taken from
his hand and passed among the mem
bers of the yelling and now thoroughly
maddened 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 blood
from head to foot, was striving and
Juggling at his chains.
The can was lifted over the negro's
head by three or four men and it's con-
tents poured over him. BY this time a
good supply of brush. pieces of fence
rail and other firewood had been placed
about the Negroes feet. This pyre was
thoroughly saturated and a match ap-
piled.
A flame shot upward and spread
quickly over the pile OF wood. AS it
licked the Negroes legs he Shrieked once
and began Juggling at his chains. AS
the flames crept higher and the smoke
entered his eyes and mouth he put the
stumps Of his hands to the tree back of
him and with a terrific plunge forward
of his body severed the upper portion
of the chains which bound him to the
tree.
His body, held to the tree only as far
as the thighs. lunged forward. thus es-
Gaping the flames, which roared and
cracked about his feet. One of the men
nearest the burning negro quickly ran
up and. pushing him back. said:
Get back into the fire there" and
quickly coupled the disjointed links of
the chain.
The road for distance of half a mile
on each side of the burning negro was
black with conveyances and was simp-
1y impossible. The crowd surrounded
the stake on all sides, but none of those
nearer than 100 feet of the center were
able to see what was going on. Yell
after yell went up and the progress of
the flames were communicated to those
in the rear by shouts from the eye
witnesses.
The torch was applied about half
past and at o'clock the body of Sam
Hose was limp and Ifeless, his head
hanging on one side. The body was not