Daily new dominion. [volume] (Morgantown, W. Va.) 1897-1906, 1900-11-17
MOB CREMATESA FIEND
Negro Burned at the Scene of
His Crime.
VICTIMS FATHER FIRED PYRE.
The niact Boy Sbrieked In Agony.
Begged to BE shot-reII Almost Out
of Fire aud Another Was Built Over
His PROSTATE Body.


OH the exact spot where his tendish
/ crime was committed, Preston Porter.
/ Jr., or, as he was Familiarity known.
John Porter, paid a terrible penalty
/ for the assault ana murder of 1t-year-
/ old Louise Frost. The father of The
murdered girl touched the match to
/ the fuel which had been piled around
| the negro and IN about 20 minutes
! a last convulsiye shudder told that
! life was extinct.
The executioners. who numbered
about 500 citizens of Lincoln county.
had not the least semblance OF the
ordinary mob.
Preston Porter did not seem to re-
alze The awful punishment that he
was destined to undergo. As he had
exhibited Indifference to the enormity
of his crime. so he seemed to lack all
understanding of its terrible conse-
quences. For more than an hour.
while preparations for his execution
were in progress, he stood mute and
sulien among the avengers When
everything was ready he walked to
the stake with a firm step. pausing as
! he reached the circle of broken boards,
to kneel in prayer. He was allowed
to take his time He arose and placed
his back to the iron stake and half
dozen men wound chains about his
| body and limbs. Kerosene oil was
applied to the wood and after brief
pause Richard w. Frost, the father
of little Louise Fross, whose cruelty
mutilated body was found one week
ago on that very spot, applied the
match. For n moment but q little
Pickering flame arose. Then the oil
blaZed up. sparks flew into the air and
the wood began to crackle. Almost
instantly the negroes trousers caught
fire Even though tile flesh must
have been scorched he did not utter a
sound. The flames crept slowly up
ward OH his clothing, the sparks flew
mp in n cloud of pale smoke. Porter
turned his head and a frghtful ex-
preston changed his face With
sudden convulsiye Juggling he stretch
ed his head as far from the rapidly
increasing flames as possible and ut
tered cry of pain. "Oh. my God, let
me go. men. I've got something more
/ to tell you. Please let me go. Oh.
my God, my God In terrible shrieks
these words, the first he had uttered
aloud, came from the negro. There
was terrible Juggling at the chains. a
succession of awful groans and
screams. The negro's agony was at
last breaking down his sullen com
posture. Noe an oath escaped him, but
| he begged and pleaded to be shot
/ Suddenly the rope holding his hands
| burned through. Then arms, head
and shoulders slipped through the
! chains For an instant the body stood
/ H.,
cation while burning pieces of cloths
/ dropped from them The body then
/ fell away from the fire. the head lower
than the feet, still fastened to the rail.
/ This was not expected, and for Il few
minutes those stolid men were discon-
certed They feared that the only
remaining chain would give way. If
this had occurred the partly burned
human being might have dashed
among them In his blazing garments.
Snd not many would have cared to
capture him again. Bur the chain held
! fast The body was then III such q
! position that only the legs were In
| the fire. The cries Of the wretch were
redouhled aud he again begged to be
! sho Some wanted to throw him over
! into the fire. others tried to dash oil
upon him. Boards We're carried and
! n large nile made over the PROSTATE
| body. They soon We're ignited and
! the terrible heat and lack Of air quick
| ly rendered the victim unconscious,
| bringing death few moments later
After the fire had burned low they
/ told each other good night and they
/ left the scene. apparently for their
homes. They did not stop to discuss
/ the affair
When the train hearing the negro
| in custody of Sheriff Freeman and his
deputies arrived in Limon from Den
yer the cars We're crowded with news
paper reporters and people who We're
curious to see the negro executed. r.
! w Frost the murdered girls father
was one of the passengers. When the
train stopped 16 men. who had been
selected by the vigilance committees
entered the train and demanded the
/ prisoner from the sheriff. The Off
Ger protested in the name of the law
| and asked the men to allow him to take
i his prisoner to the county jail at Hugo
but his protests were disregarded
] One man carried rope, of which had
/ been formed hangman's moose. This
was slipped over the Negroes neck
i 1t was at first announced that the
Il negro WAS 10 Dt tAcCuAeu DN HuuElIlg.
Many. including the father of the
negroes victim. protested that such a
/ death would be too easy, and it was
finally decided to leave the method of
death TO the outraged father. He de-
cided upon burning at the stake. The
train was then allowed to proceed,
and at Lake Station. about three miles
from Limon, the party left the train
and began preparations for the deed
of vengeance. Suggestions of mutila.
ton before burning were made, but
Mr.. Frost declared against them.
The negro had, since his confession,
been devoting much time to the pc
rusal of a Bible given him by the
Denver jailer. Even while waiting for
his execution he sat by bonfire read
ing from the gospel of st. Luke. Just
before he was tied to the stake. upon
a request for souvenirs, the hoy tore
the leaves of the Bible and distribut-
ed them among his executioners.