Missouri Valley times. [volume] (Missouri Valley, Iowa) 1874-1931, 1901-01-17
FRED ALEXANDER IS
BURNED At THE STAKE
About 5000 Leavenworth People
See the Terrible Punish
ment Melted Out.
OIL WAS POURED OVER HIS BODY
Father of One of !Alcrandcr's Alleged Vic
Tins Applies the Torch-Thc Man
Declares His Innocence to
the Very Last.
OIL WAS POURED OVER HIS BODY

DeClarCS innocence 10
the Very Last.
Leavenworth. Kan, Jan. 17.--Fred
Alexander. the negro who Saturday
evening attempted to assault Miss Eva
Roth, and who was supposed to have
assaulted and killed Pearl Forbes in
this city in November last. was yester-
day afternoon taken from the Sheriff S
scene of his crimes. half dozen
blocks from the center of the city
Probably 5000 people Witnessed the
lynching.
Alexander was brought to the city
from the penitentiary at Lansing at
40 o'clock yesterday afternoon and
placed in the county Jail The citizens
gathered in great Numbers. and. find
ing peaceabie entrance TO the Jail in
possible, armed themselves With rail-
read irons. Inc jan doors We're bat
tered down and Alexander was
dragged To tre scene OF ms crime, to-
lowed by hunurecs of hownng, tren
Z;ed men and boys.
arrived at the scene, u railroad rail
NefS 9NAsh iliSO Nl!S oullU lIlG III
gro was fastened to it With chains.
The coal oil was poured over his
body and set on fire. The wretch pro-
tested his innocence to the last.
Girls Father Applies the Torch.
Before the match was applied John
Forces, the father of the murdered
girl, stepped up to Alexander and said:
Are You guilty OF numbering my
Il don't know what you have me
here for said the doomed man.
Forbes replied: For killing my girl
on this very spot
Mr.. Forbes, if that's YOU name,
You have the wrong man"
Burn Kim. burn him. cried the
crowd.
Gentlemen, you've got lots of time"
said Alexander. You're burning an
innocent man. You took advantage
of me. You gave me no show. Cam L
see my mother"
man in the crowd called for the
mother, but she was not in the crowd.
He then said: "Will you let me shake
hands with all my 3fliends?"
You have no friends in this crowd.
You damned beast. said one of the
men in charge of the negro. IF you
have anything to say do so i'm hurry.
said to Alexander: Make your peace
With your God, Niger for you will
surely die.
Coal oil was then applied for the
second time, and while 1t was being
done Alexander called TO his friends
IN the crowd and told them goodby.
He did not seem to realize that he
was to be burned at the stake, and
talked nationally until John Forbes,
the fla f6ar nj ba 1ara r;,1l
ed the match Again Alexander was
asked to make confession, but he
replied that he had nothing to say AS
the flames leaped about him Alexander
turned CHASTITY pale. and for the first
Vine realized that his death was near.
He clasped his hands together and be-
gan to swing TO and fro while the
crowd yelled
In less than five minutes he was
hanging limp Mi lifeless by the chains
that bound him. As soon as the crowd
saw that life was extinct 1t began to
slowly disperse. There were hundreds
of the morbid, howaser, who stayed
to the last.
Men kept plling on wood all the time
uht'l about O'Clock, when the flames
We're allowed to die down. From 6 To
o'clock there was continuous
stream of people going TO the scene of
the burning
When the fire had t:ied down sutn-
GENTLY to allow the crowd to approaci,
what remained of Alexander, there
was wild scramble to obtain relics.
bits of charred flesh. pieces of chain.
scraps of Misunderstanding that could
possibly serve as a souvenir was seized
on with morbid eagerness
.alcxandcr's Crime.
Fred Alexander was arrested on the
cIlHrEn of
Eva Roth on Saturday night last. and
lie was also charged With the assault
and murder, November 6, of Pearl
Forbes.
Alexander followed Miss Roth sew
eral blocks and when near her home
seized her around the throat and bore
her TO the ground. In falling his iin-
gers slipped from her threat long
enough To enable her to cry for help
and the negro fled. Alexander was
soon captured and taken to the police
station; thence to the state pe,liten-
tiary at Lansing
sunday, at Il secre: meeting. attend
ed by people OF al classes. a Vigilance
committee was formed. Its aynvnd
he should be brought back To I.eave,,-
worth for trial, and to rid the city of
the dozens of suspicious characters
that had oTerrun ii during the past
month or SO.
Monday morning mob began TO
gather about the penitentiary door. 10
prevent the prisoners being Spirited
away, guards We're placed at the diff
ferent entrances Many of the Grove,
remained about the prison wallis all
night. and yesterday their numbers
sWelled With each hour Later, when
1t became known that Sheriff Ever
hardy OF Leayenworth had come for
Inc prisoner. the mob increased i'm size
rapidly and became so formidable that
Governor Stanley, in response to
telegram from Warden Tomlinson. or
dered two companies Of militia to be
In readiness to start for Leavenworth
at moments notice.
The governor seemed very anxious
to preserve the name of Kansas from
any mob disgrace. 1t was UNDERSTAND lo,l
that In the morning he instructed
Warden Tonllinson to refuse to deliver
Alexander to the sheriff, but to afford
him proper protection.
Just before the party left the pcniton-
tiary for the Jail. the warden was given
q receipt for the delivery of Alexander.
signed by Sheriff Everhardy. who prom
ised to protect the negro.
About o'clock the coroner and two
policemen went and got tho remains,
taking them to an undertaker's estab-
lishment. The remains We're viewed by
thousands, and up to the time they were
taken away carriages and vehicles wero
pressions of regret or pity are heard
from any source
l3lames tho shorir.
:, Topeka, Kan. Jan, 16-Governor w. Z.
Stanley Is very indignant at the lynching
at Leavenworth He says 1t will result