Bridgeton pioneer. (Bridgeton, N.J.) 1884-1919, 1900-06-07
GETS TAR AND FEATHERS.
Smith Afford the Victim of Tar
and Feathers.


the skin, pleading for mercy, coated
with tar paint and sprinkled with
feathers. was the fate of Smith Al
ford, Friday night.
Where did it happen?
Right here in Bridgeton. Just
after people had quietly returned
from prayer meeting. Long before
midnight.
By whom?
That's. the question: There were
twelve quiet, determined men. They
effectually concealed their identify by
careful disguise, and masks, but they
knew their business and did it well.
An outrage?
1t may be but not in the Second
ward is there man, woman or child
! who will say SO, unless it be Afford
himself. He takes it all philosophi-
cally.
The story must be told this way:
In the papers Friday was this
notice under the head of deaths:
ia,
of Smith T. Afford, aged 50 years.
Thousands of people read it, knew
not the woman, probably never heard
of the man. A score or more, perhaps
hundred persons, knew all about
the matter. These people were the
neighbors, the folks who lived about
the unpretentious house at the corner
of South Pine and Garfield avenue.
These people are unanimous in de-
claring that Afford is low down
character. They declare that his
treatment of his invalid wife has been
nothing less than crime. She, with
two little girls have constituted the
family. Afford is a box maker but
he didn't work. He spent his time
in diselute way, SO tbs said. and
other women, women of the most
vicious character obtained the :most
of his attentions. Neglected: the
poor wife went to her death. Physi-
clans were not called until day or
two before death came, and they
could do nothing. They won't say
anything about the case.. If they did
newspaper could not print it. So
fragrant has the abuse of the poor
woman become, that the neighbors
have appealed to the authorities, and
it was this complaint that finally
brought physician even if it was
too late.
Afford don't deny any of these allie
cations, awful as they are, he simply
Sneers and threatens.
Last night, about half-past nine
O'Clock Afford was at home With
his little girls was Mrs. Peterson,
who came in to do what she could in
neighborly way. Afford was nearly
ready to go to bed. He was sitting
in the house in his bare feet and
coatless. A knock was heard upon
the door. Afford responded. He
found himself confronted by dozen
stalwart men. all of whom were wear
ing masks. Without word several
of these men seized Alvord and
dragged him from his home. The
children screamed, and Mrs. Peterson
was greatly frightened. Afford re-
- sisted as best he could but those
twelve big fellows handled him easily.
They didn't wait for Afford to get
coat or shoes or hat. They probably
thought he would soon have no partic-
ular use for them.
The commotion awakened the
neighbors and there was considerable
excitement but nobody interferred.
1t would probably have been fatal to
somebody if there had been interfer-
ence. Revolvers were carried by the
masked men and the shining barrels
glistened under the electric lights.
1t was soon apparent to Afford and
the crowd of onlookers what those
masked men were going to do. One
of the big fellows carried large ket-
tlee- 1t was filled to the brim with
black tar. Another fellow carried a
four inch brush to which was at
tached long handle. Another fell
low had a bag. There were feathers
in the bag.
Nobody seemed to want to follow
the crowd to be safe. Silently, deter
minedly the men with their victim
went down to the back road to Fair
ton, and they didn't stop until they
were more than mile from the city
limits.
In the meantime the excited neigh
bors were getting the police down in
that vicinity, but when the three
blue coats arrived there was nothing
to indicate where the men had gone.
1t is a dark sort of place, and there
was no possible way for the officers to
have tracked the men. Anyway they
didn't try. Nobody down there
seemed anxious for them to.