The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1900-11-17
BURNED AT TBE STAKE
TERRIBLE PENALTY Is PAID FOR
THE MURDER OF LOUISE
FROST
FlTHEs APPLIED TIE TORCH
FEARFUL VENGEANCE METED OUT
To PRESTON PORTER FOR
HIS CRIME
ACT OF THE TRAGEDY
ExecutfOners of Colorado Lynch
Law Carried Out Their Purpose
to the End in Grim
Silence.

| LIMON, Col, Nov 16-Chafned to a
| railroad rail, set firmly in the ground
! on the exact spot where hfs feQd1sh
| crime was committed, Preston Porter
| Jr., or, as he was Familiarity known,
| John Porter, this evening pafd tefrI-
| BILE penalty for his deed It was 6:23
| o'clock when the father of the murdered
| girl touched the match to the fuel Which
| had been piled around the negro, and
| twenty minutes later a IMt convulNve
| shudder told that life was extinct What
agony the doomed boy suffered while
| the flames shriVeled his flesh could
| only be guessed from the terrible con-
lotions and the cries he gave.
The executioners. who numbered about
300 citizens of Lincoln county, had not
| the least sembance OF o ordinary
| mob. Their every act was deliberate
| and during all the preparations, as well
as Throughout the sufferings OF the ne
| gro, hardly an unnecessary word was
spoken Grimly they stood In circle
about the fire until the body was parity
| consumed, and then quietly they took
their way back to Limon, whence they
departed for their homes shortly after
ward. .
Preston Porter did not seem to real
ize the awful punishment that he was
destined to undergo AS he had exhie-
|
crime, so he seemed to lack all under
standing Of its terrible consequences.
CHAINED TO A RAIL
For more than an hour, while prepa-
rations for his execution were in prog
ress he stood mute and sullen among
| the avengers. When everything was
ready he walked to the stake with
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 a dozen men
| wound chains about his body and limbs.
Kerosene was applied to the wood and
| after q brief pause Frost, the
father of little Louise Frost whose cru
| ely mutilated body was found one week
| ago on that very spot, applied a match.
For a moment but little fiickering
| flame arose. Then the oil blazed up,
| sparks flew into the air and the wood
l began to cracllle Almost instantly the
! negroes trousers caught fire Even
| though the flesh must have been
scOrched he didnot utterasound. The
flames crept slowly upward on his cloth
ing, the sparks flew Up in a cloud of
| pale smoke. Porter turned his head aud
a frigEtful expression changed his face.
With sudden convulsive tugging he
| stretched his head as far from the rap
idly increasing flames as possible and
"Oh, my God, let me go, men. I've
got something to tell you. Please let me
go. o, my God. my Cod
In terrible screadhes these words, the
| first he had uttered aloud came from tie
| negro
BEGGED TO BE SHOT.
terrible tugging of the chains,
succession of awful groans and screams,
the negroes agony was at last breaking
/ 20 +.
| escaped him but he begged and pleaded
| to be shot. Suddenly, the rope holding
| his hands burned through The arms,
| head and shoulders slipped through the
chains. For an instant the body stood
! erect. the arms were raised in supplica-
ton while burning pieces of clothing
| dropped from them. The body fell away
from the fire, the head lower than the
| feet, still fastened to the rail. This was
| not expected and for few minutes those
! stOlid men were disconnected, fearing
that the only remaining chain would give
way. If this had occurred the partly
| burned human being would have dashed
| among them in his blazing garments
and not many would have cared TO cap
ture him again. But the chain held
fast. The cries of the wretch were re-
doubled and he again begged to he snot
Some wanted to throw him over to the
fire, others tried to dash oil upon him.
Boards were carried and a large pile
made over the PROSTATE body They
soon were ignited and the terrible heat
quickly rendered the victim unconscious
bringing death a few moments later.
This ceremony out on the rolling prairie
concluded the second tragedy upon that
! spot-the avenging of the first.
EXECUTIONERs SILENT.
Through the entire affair but little
was said. AS they had calmly prepared
10 nf bo
eastern part of the state carried out their
plan cody and deliberately. There was
not hitch in the entire proceeding. Not
weapon was drawn, there was no angry
discussion. After the fire had burned
low the men bade each other good night
and went home. They did not stop to
discuss the affair.
The train bearing the negro, in custody
of Sheriff Freeman and his deputies, ar
rived in Limon at 3:45 m. The cars
were crowded with newspaper reporters
and persons who were curious to see the
negro executed. The murdered girls
father was one of the passengers When
e-e train stopped sixteen men, who had
been selected by the vigilance committee
entered tne train and demanded the pris-
Oner from the sheriff. The officer pro-
tested in the name of the state
and asked the men to allow him to take
his prisoner to the county jail at Hugo
carried rope. A hangman's moose was
slipped over the negro's nsck 1t was at
first announced that the boy was to be
executed by hanging. Many, including the
father of the negro's victim, urged tlat
such death would be too easy, and it
was finally decided to leave the
method of death to be Sc
lected by the outraged father He
decided upon burning at the stake 'rhe
train was then allowed to proceed. and at
Lake station about three miles from Lii
mon, and near the scene of the negro's
crime, tn party left the train and began
preparations for the deed of avenging
Suggestions of mutilation were made
but Frost declared against such action
Wagons We're dispatched for wood and
upon their return a score of men as
sisted in making ready for the fire
When the preparations were made a
further delay was made because many
persons were en- route from Hugo aud
other parts of the country to take PAL t
in the affair. 1t had been announced
that 5:30 o'clock should be the hour for
starting the fire, but it was nearly an
hour later when the word was finally
! given.