The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-10-03
NEGRO BURNED
AT THE STAKE
lN4ALABAMA..
Charged With an Attempt to Assault
o Married Woman, Whose
Husband was Absent.
ALL OF THE BUSlNESSHOUSES
Shut Down-Blood-H Hounds Brought
Into service-Favored Death
ut the Stake.

WETUMPKA. Ala, Oct. 2.-wlndeld
Townsend, alias Floyd, q negro. wus
burned at the stake in the little town Of
Eclectic, fifteen miles from this place, o
half hour after midnight this norning.
The crime with which he was charged
was an attempted assault upon Airs.
Bonnie Harrington, whose husband set
fire to the brands which reduced Town
sends body to ashes, yesterday after
noon about o'clock. The negro Is q
nephew OF the negro Floyd, who waa
hung in the wetumpka Jail week before
fore last for attempted assault.
on Mrs. Harrington. Mr.. Hap-
rington was engaged at q cotton gin 10
Eclectic and lives one mile out Of town.
The negro came to the house and told
Mrs. Harrington that her husband had
sent him to get twenty cents from her.
She told him she had no change. Then
the negro left but returned In about tun
minutes. i
Saw the Negro Escape.
The woman's screams were heard b.
Bob Nichols. another negro, who was
passing along the road at the time. He
ran TO the house In time to see the me-
gro escaped. As soon us Mrs. Harring-
ton was brought back to consciousness,
Nichols gave the alarm.
The news spread rapidly. AL tho
stores In Eclectric were closed, all the
gins and saw mills shut down; the peo-
pie left their wagons in the road and
their plows In the field and gathered for
pursuit OF the negro. The crowd de
vided and secured the woods near the
scene of the crime, and others went to
the penitentiary for bloodhounds. Tho
dogs were not brought to the scene un-
til nearly dark. They were taken to
where the negros tracks disappeared
and an exciting chase ensued. The
dogs stopped finally ut q tree in front Of
Odion's store on the outskirts OF the
town. The crowd coming up soon, dis
covered the negro sitting on limb. He
was brought down at once and taken to
the scene OF his crime. There he was
confronted by his victim, who positively
identified him.
Word Was Sent Out.
Word was sent to the other searching
parties that the negro had been found
and about II o'clock a crowd of several
hundred was in the little village. The
negro was then taken to the edge OF tho
village and surrounded by the mob, hs
shivered with fear. The preparations
for death were quickly made. A rope
was flung over the limb Of big oal,
and a hundred stood ready to lend q
hand at the rope.
Then halt was called and the man.
ner Of death discussed by the mob. To
decide the matter vote was taken and
the balloting showed n majority OF tho
crowd to favor death at the stake.
The stake was prepared and the negro
was bound with chains. Pine knots
were piled about him and the flames
were fired by the husband Of the negro's
victim. AS they leaped to the wretch's
flesh his wild cries upon God for mercy
and help could be heard for miles. Tho
crowd looked on deaf to his cries and In
an hour the negro was reduced to ashes,
Townsend. before being bound. con-
fessed to the crime. and said he was
also Implicated with Air1ander Floyd.
who was hung couple Of weeks ago
for an attempted assault on Miss Kato
Pearson, In the attempt at that time.
He said he and Floyd had planned for
other crimes OF like character. but thes
Floyd being hanged put stop to them