The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1900-11-21
A NEGRO BURNED TO DEATH.
WAS NorA SOUTHERN OUTRAGE

n shocking Crime Terribly Avenged
by EiiHens OF CoIorado-Fathcr OF
the Murdered Child Applied the
Match.
John Porter, the negro who out.
ragged and murdered Louise Frost a
week before, was burned to death at
ltmOn, Colorado, on Friday night,
ION lust, toy q mob OF Infatuated citi-
Hens ON the spot where the crime was
committed.
Ihe train bearing the negro, in Gus.
touy OF Shcrttt Freeman aud his depu
tiss, arrived at LimOn at 3:45 D.. IN.
me cars were crowded with news,
paper reporters and people who were
curious To see the negro executed. II
w. ErOsts the murdered girls father.
was one Of the passengers. When the
ItHln stopped sixteen men, who had
been selected by the vigilance com
mtttcG, entered the train aud demand !
cd the prisoner from the snsritT. Their
every action was marked by calmness
ana determination. The officer pro-
tested In the namo OF tho law ana
asked the men to aliU n him TO ake his
prisoner 70 the county jail at Hugo,
DuI h!S protests We're disregarded. Ole
MAJ carried IL rope, OF which had been
formed " hnngmau's moose. This was
slipped over the negrO's neck. 1t WAS
~ lrst announced thAt the negro WAS
TO ne executed by hanging. MANY, in
Guiding M father Of the Negroes vic
Tim protested that such a death would
oc 700 easy, and II Was finally decided
10 ie"Vo inc manner Of execution with
the outraged father. lie decided upon
burning at the stake. The train WAS
then allowed to pfoce d, and st Lake
SIation, about three miles from Limon.
ana near the scene Of tho negro's
crime, the party left the train ana be-
gar preparations for the deed OF ven
scanCc. Suggestions OF m%utilation be-
lore burning were made, but MIR. Frost
declared against it.
Wagons were dispatched for wood,
ana upon their return Is score OF men
assisted In preparing it for the fire.
"hen at last the preparations were
completed q furtuer delay was made
because 1T WAS known many were on
their way from Hugo and other parts
OF the country TO take part in the af,
Ielr. II had been announced That 5:3(
O'CLOCK should be the hour for starting
me ure, but 1T was nearly an hour later
when tho word vas finally given.
J Chained TO u railroad rail set iirml,
! IN the GROUND on the exact spot where
his crime was committed, Preston
Porter, jr., or as he Was familiarl,
KNOWN, John Porter, paid u terrible
70 penalty for his deed. 1t was G:23 O'Clock
\ when the father Of the murdered gir
I touched tho match to the fuei which
0 had been piled around the negro an,
: twenty minutes later a last cOnyulsiv,
shuddCr told that his life w@s extinct
y What agony the doomed boy suffered
while tie flames shriveled up his uesI
could only be- guessed rom the terribl
contortIons OF his face and the cries b
. gave from time to time. The eXccu
Ii TONERS, who numbered about thre
G hundred citizens OF Lincoln county
K had not the least sembiarCe of the or
e binary mob. Their every act was de
5 libcrate and during all the prcpara
O lions as well as throughout the suffer
n lngS OF the negro hardly an upneues
sary word was spoken. Grimly the
5 stood in q circle about the tire until tn
n body was entirely consumed and the
II quietly took their way back to Limor
y whence they parted for their home
shortly afterwards.
Preston Porter did not seem to req
iHc the awful punishment that he wa
destined TO undergo. AS he had e,
hibited Indifference to the cnormitv {
his crime, so he seemed TO lack all III
Outstanding OF its terrible conse
quences. For more than an hou,
e While preparations for his eXccutio
u were in progress, he stood mute an
sullcn among the avengers Whe
n everything WAS ready he walked to tn
stake with u firm step, paused as h
II reached the circle OF broken boards, [
Z kneol In prayer. lie was allowed [
y take his time. He arose and place
his back TO the iron stake and half
= dozen men wound chains about hi
body and limbs. Kerosene oil was AZ
4 piled TO the wood and after "a brlc
n pause, Richard w. Frost, the father c
the little Frost girl, whose cruell
d mutilatcd body WIS found one wee
d ago on b q very spot, applied a mattel
/; sor IL moment but - little lickcriDI
: lame arose. Then the oil blazed IN
I sparks lcW into tho air ana the WOO,
began to cracklc. Almost instantl
Ihe Negroes trousers caught fire. Eve
. Ihough the flesh must have bee,
scorchcd, he did not utter a sound
nc flames crept slowly upward on hi
" clothing, the sparks dying up in a clou,
\ OF pale smoke. Porter turned his hoa,
! ana Il triBhtiul expression changed hi
lace. With q sudden ~convulsive tupp
, ing he stretched his head as far from
the rapidly increased flames as posi-
pie ana uttered q cry OF pain, con, m,
J GOu, let me go, men, I've got some
thing more to tell you. Please let me
~" OHi my ooui NY bOu,
In terrible screcchcs these words
! the first he had uttered aloud, cam,
ron the negro. a terrible Juggling al
the chains, q succession OF awful grOans
Rnd screams, the agony was at lyst
breaking down his sullcn composure.
MOI an oath escaped, but he begged
and pleaded to 20 ehut. Suddenly the
rope holding his hands burned through,
lhen arms, head ard shoulders slipped
through the chains. For an instant
the body stood erect, the arms were
raised in duplication while burning
pieces OF clothing dropped from them,
inc body then fell away from The fire,
the head lower than the feet, still fas.
tened to the rail. This was not cx-
pected, and for q few minutes those
etolld men were disconnected thew
feared that the only remaining chain
would give way. II this had occurred
the partly burned human being would
nave been dashed among them in his
blazing garments. And 10 many would
nave cared to capture him again. But
the chain held fast. The BODY was
then in such Is position that only the
legs were In the fire. The cries Of the
wretch were ~rcdoubled and be again
begged to be shot. Some wanted to
throw him into the fire, others tried to
lash oil upon him. Boards were car
rled and a. large pile made over the
PROSTATE body. They soon were ignit.
ed and the terrible heat and lack OF Air
quickly rendered the victim uncor-