The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-04-04
DEATH AT A MoB'S HANDS.
ALLEN BROOKS HANGED TO AN OAK
TREE NEAR BLOOMINGDALE.

Hanged and RfddIed with BHIIets.
His Neck Broken and 500 Holes an
His Body-Mrs. Hart Identified Him
Long Before He Would Confess-He
Tried to Implicate AuOther-His
Body Lying on the Ground, "A Food
for Buzzards.
Allen Brooks, the negro who assaulted
Mrs. f. w. Hart, near the little town
of Bloomingdale, Monday afternoon, was
captured by the husband of the woman
he had wronged early yesterday morning
and two hours past noon he paid the
dreadful penalty of his crime.
The body of the negro, with the neck
broken, ridded with bullets SO that d
hand cannot be placed anywhere upon it
without covering half a dozen holes, lies
upon the ground three miles from Bloom
ingdale, beneath an oak tree, from
limb of which Brooks was hanged The
locality is deserted, few have been to view
the body, and it has been left food
for the buzzards that are the only visit
ors to the spot
All OF Monday night the parties of man
hunters continued their search for the
fugitive negro. The country for twenty
miles about had been aroused and the men
engaged in the hunt for Brooks covered
every available avenue of escape. From
the first it seemed impossible that the ne
gro could evade the fearful fate that
awaited him when he was caught, and
later events justified the correctness of
this conclusion. Every little while some
news of the direction in which the negro
was running and every suCh bit of in
formation inspired the party to renewed
efforts Every man was anxious that the
vengeance TO be melted out TO the violator
of a womans honor should be swift as
well as certain.
In the early morning f. w Hart, the
husband of Brooks victim, who had been
travelling the woods constantly, with one
companion, found Brooks sleeping near a
little place called EXley. Brooks had with
him negro named James Murc hison.
whom he afterwards accused of being i'm
plicated with him in the assault upon Mrs
Hart Brooks was too much surprised to
resist arrest, and Murchison submitted
readily enough. As to Murchison. Brooks
said that the scheme to assault Mrs. Hart
had been Matched up between them and
one had lain in wait on one side of her
home and one on the other. Her Ia visher
the direction from which she returned
to her home. This was later. however. for
when he was arrested and for some hours
afterwards, Brooks claimed to be innocent
This story Murchison stoutly denied. He
said that he had met Brooks while the
latter was running through the woods and
that Brooks had said that a plot. was be-
ing formed among the whites to kin them
both. Momentarily terrified by this an
Eouncement Murchison had consented to
accompany Brooks in his flight, and had
continued with him until ne came to
fxley. Here he refused to go farther,
saying that he expected to get work from
the manager of the mill near that place
As this story was afterwards corrobor-
ated by other evidence, Murchison was
released and told to get out of the country
s RAPIDLY as he could. He lost no time in
star ting.
In the meantime the party carried
Brooks to house near the spot where he
was captured and here he was held close
ly and tightly bound and guarded until
dayhght. The news of his capture had
Deen communicated to the various parties
OF hunters with the same rapidity with
which the news of the assault he had COM
mltted had been spread and the party that
gathered around Brooks within an hour
or two numbered nearly hundred men.
To this additions were made until the very
moment that he met his death
During all of this time Brooks had main
tanned a stolid indifference of demeauor
that nothing could shake and continued TO
protest, though calmly enough his jnuo-
cence of the crime. Mrs. Hart had been no.
tilted of his capture and as the party art
ed in the direction of the scene of the
crime she was brought out. She ideuti-
ned Brooks at once as the man who had
assaulted her
By this time the morning had passed.
ALL
crowd, but the negro would not confess,
even under the strain engendered by these.
The crowd surged about the prisoner and
clamored for an even more fearful form
of vengeance than hanging, but it had
been determined by the more moderate
that no act of barbarism should accom-
pany the execution. Though ii was to be
illegal, it was to be conducted with de-
ceny and in order.
The negro was dragged through the
woods 20 dense copse that had been
selected for his execution, some quarter
of mile or more from the scene of the
crime Here, in the presence of the
crowd. he owned that he was guilty, but
still gave no sign of fear
The limb from which he was hanged
is hardly ten feet above the ground. This
was bent over by the weight of a dozen
men and a short rope noosed over Brooks
head. The tension upon the limb was
Strung anu WHeH, dN the slBildi, those VINO
had been holding the limb released il, the
body of Brooks was shot into the air
for the fun length of the rope. His
neck was broken instantly.
Hardly had the body ceased to swing TO
and fro when the crowd began firing.
Every man in the party made a point of
emptying the weapon with which he was
armed and it is estimated that there are
900 bullet holes, from every description of
rife and revolver in the body of the negro.
TITS gruesome ceremony concluded the
party dispersed, leaving the body sus-
pended on the tree.
Sheriff Sweeny reached the spot about
two hours after the hanging, and found
nothing but the dead body. In the mean
time 1t had been cut down from the limb
and the rope carried away. There was not
a soul in the vicinity and no one whom
the sheriff saw az the station or any
where throughout the country could be
Induced to confess any knowledge OF the
manner In which Brooks had met his
death II Is understood that the entire
party agreed that nothing shall be said.
and each man seems to be keeping well
10 his promise