The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1901-02-27
NEGRO HUNGeAND BURNED.
An Indiana Mob Made Short Work Of
a Fiend.
CUT OFF TOES AND SECURED BONES
Women Elbowed Their Way to the
Scene OF the Burnina. Unmoved
by the Spectacle.

indianapolis. Ind, February ga spe-
clal 20 the sentinel from Terre Haute, Ind
says: Justice, swift and terrible. $as
mcted out today to George Ward. the ne
gro who murdered Miss ida Finkcstein,
The school tenchef, by shooting her with n
shotgun and cutting her throat Yesterday.
In few hours aftcr his arrest an angry
mob battered down the doors Of the jail.
dragged the miserable prisoner to the Wa
bash bridge, several squares away. and
hanged him 10 the bridge draw Not con
tent with the hanging the crowd cut the
corpse down and, laying it on sand hai
under the bridge. kinded q fire and GRE
mated the remains.
Ward was arrested at 10 o'clock ut the
car works where he was employed US
loborer, ana after being fuzzy identheu,
nude u confession. HIS only excuse Tor
Tho murder was thai Miss Flnkelstem
called him a dirty Niger" and slapped
Lin IN the face.
Being advised Of the threatening. sltua.
tlon. Governor Dublin wired to captain
1homas of conpHnY II 10 place his com-
Eaiy, lully armed, In a position to be I'M
incdatciy ready for duty IN response to q
call from tho sheriff. Before the sheriff
could call Oh the nilitlu the prisoner was
~ the hands of the mob and was dead,
even before being taken to the pace ar,
ranged for hanging At noon the crowd
outside the jail, numbering several nun
bred in luding men. women ana boys, bat
tered down the iron doors, but were drlv,,
en- back by Juiior o Bonncll who ured
over the heads of the mob. Deputy Sher-
/ MS Cooper, liossick and Lciorgc were
struck b. the scattering shot ana slightly
injured, but nobody in the crowd was hurt;
a detail Of police arrived at the jail ana
tried to dispense the crowd, but with poor
success,
The crowd kept on growing and the
excitement increasing and at l2:31 an.
other crowd OF Irresistible numbers at.
tackled the jail, gathering down the outer
and entering the cell room.
The cell was quickly opened and Ward
was dragged forth He realized that no
and he Fought with the desperate ferocity
of beast at bay. He was dragged ont
| to the street, stlll fighting WITH all his
strength, but blow from heavy ham
mer fcllod him to the ground. moose
! was quickly adjusted to his neck and
the mob started with, Its victim toward
| the Wabash bridge. The feeble resistance
| made by the wretched creature after that
| blow with the hammer was soon quoted
| by the savage blows Of the mob, race
| downward, he was dragged through the
| street TO the bridge and across the rough
! pl1nbing Of the driveway TO the draw
| bridge. Many are OF the opinion that the
hanging was reached. However, the rope
| was thrown over one of the upper beams
and the body drawn up. It was swing
| Ing IN that position when some one sug-
| gested burning - the stake as the near
| est approach to n proper explaton Of the
| nwful crime The suggestion was adopt-
| ed unanimously and n fire was quickly
| made on the bank OF the river, Just south
! OF the west end of the bridge, aud flag
| gots were piled upon IT, The stake was
! placed. The Loiy was In II horizontal po'
| eltiOn. the feet prntrding at one end,
| the head Mt the other The FIRE had barely
| been started when man arrived with a
/ can or turpcntinc. which was fed to the
flames. After that cOmhustihlc oil seemed
| To flow spontaneously toward the fire
and the flames lcapod high, while the body
was rapidly CONSUMED.
There was no attempt at disguise on
! the part OF any monher Of the crowd.
/ rhc souvenir ncnd was on hand In force
| and fragments Of the wrctched murderer
were scattered broadcast. One man. while
/ the foot stu protuded from the flames,
/ offered 81 for toe from the 'nlegrr 5
! foot" A Ncnturesomc youth, drawing a
! knife from his pocket made dash for
! the prize. He quickly amputated IT, dc.
! livercd II and got his money. As the
bones began to crumble and fall apart the
frnEn ants We're drawn from the lire and
| carried away At 8 o'clock there was
nothing lett of "a body except small
| section of the trunk and the hack Of the
| head. Busy hands kept the burning faGots
| piled on tho roasting segments. Women
came to tho scene by scores and clbowed
their way into the inner circle OF spec
tators unmoved Ivy the horror of the
spectacle.
widow and two chill Der. He camc here
Ave years ngo from Circlcville. Ohio.