The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-10-08
NEGRO IS BURNED
At THE STAKE

| wetumpka. Ala. October 2-Winfeld
| Townsend, alias Floyd, negro, was
burned at the stake at Eclectic. small
| town I'm this county about 1880 o'clock
this morning for an attempted criminal
| assault on Mrs. Lonnie Harrington. wife
! of one of the best citizens of the neigh
| borhood.
Yesterday, about 1 o'clock in the after
noon. a negro named Winfield Townsend,
who Is n nephew of the Floyd who was
hanged I'm the Wetumpka Jail week be-
| fore last for attempted assault, at
| tempted to outrage Mrs. Harrington. the
wife OF Lonnie Harrington. whose home
is situated about one mile east of Ec-
lectic.
Mr.. Harrington was engaged at gin
| I'm Eclectic.
The negro came to the house and told
Mrs. Harrington that her husband had
sent him to get 20 cents from her. She
told him that she had no change. Then
the negro left, but returned In about ten
minutes. According to her story, he told
her his purpose and grabbed her by the
throat, at the same time throwing her
violently to the floor. She gave one
scream. which was heard by Bob Nichols.
who was passing along the road at the
moment. He rushed to the house just In
time to save Mrs. Harrington from the
assault
The negro saw him coming and rushed
out of the house and away. Mr.. Nichols
found Mrs. Harrington unconscious with
the blood streaming out of her mouth
and nose from the clutch of the negro,
and instead of pursuing the negro at
once gave his attention toward restoring
IlnTrinywfOn ROnGGtOllSnRSS. n
soon as she recovered he gave the
alarm.
The news spread rapidly All the dozen
stores at Eclectic were closed; the gin
neries and sawmills stopped; the people
left their wagons in the road, their plows
I'm the field and gathered for pursuit
of the negro. The crowd divided, some
securing the woods near the scene of the
crime while others went to the peniten-
tiary for the bloodhounds.
The dogs were taken to where the
negroes tracks disappeared and a most
exciting chase ensued. The dogs stop
ped at a tree in front of Odions store
on the north outskirts of this city and
the crowd coming up discovered the ne
gro sitting on limb He was brought
down at once and carried to the scene
of his crime. There he was confronted
by his victim, who positively identified
MN as the Elllly itdn ! ne preparations
for death were quickly made. rope
was flung over the limb of Il big oak
and a hundred men stood ready and anx-
iouS to snatch the brute into eternity.
Then vote was taken as to how he
should die and by an almost unanimous
vote of the hundreds on the ground Ii
was decided to burn him. The stake was
prepared and the negro was bound to 1t
with chains. Pine knots were piled about
him and the flames, started by the nus
band of the Negroes victim. quickly leap
Oh ha fAne nf "a hlnn1
with wild cries upon God for mercy and
help the brute paid the penalty of his
crime. The crowd looked on deaf TO his
cries.
The burned negro. before being bound,
confessed to the crime and said that he
was also implicated with Alex Floyd,
who was hanged couple of weeks ago
for an attempted assault on Miss kate
Pearson in the attempt at that time. lie
said that he and Floyd had planned for
other crimes of like character but that
Floyd being hare2d put stop 10
them.
Implicated Other Negroes.
Montgomery Ala, October 2.-The ne
gro Townsend burned in Gilmore county
this morning made confession implicat-
ing seven other negroes in his crime
As this is the second white woman as
saulted there within the month, it is now
believed by the people of that section
that there is n conspiracy among the
ID
I'm the confession OF Townsend was in
Jail at Wetumpka charged with bur
glary, and as threats of lynchinS were
made. the negro. Virgil Miller, was
brought here tonight and placed I'm the
Montgomery county Jail. The deputy
sheriff had wild drive of fourteen mileI
through the country and had he been
thirty minutes later in reaching here
crowd of men who came by train would
have Intercepted him. After reaching
mere two other negroes alleged to be i'm
p.icated in the crime We're arrested Dy
the deputy They are Frank Floyd ana
Jake Floyd brother of the negro Zeb
Floyd. who was lynched near Wetumpka
On September 9Th
\ singular coincidence is that Mrs
Harrington, who was assaulted yesterday,
is "A kinswoman OF Miss Pearson. who
was assaulted on September 81, for which
Deb Floyd was lynchcd. IL is beleVSd
thc conspiracy is directed against the
members of a white family. Three ne
groes are now in jail In Montgomery ana
more trouble may arise.