The Irish standard., 1901-03-02
VENGEANCE OF A MOB.
Negro Taken from Jail and Lynched
at Terre Haute, Ind.
de Had Confessed to the Murder of
Young Lady-Drngged Through
the Streets, Hanged and His
Body Burned.

swift and terrible, was melted out
out Tuesday to George Ward, the ne
gro who murdered Miss Ida Finkel-
stein, the school teacher. by shooting
her with shotgun and cutting her
throat Monday afternoon. In a few
hours after his arrest an angry mob
battered down the doors of the Jail.
dragged the miserable prisoner to the
Wabash bridge. several squares away,
and hanged him to the bridge draw.
Not content with the hanging. the
crowd cut the corpse down and, lay
ing it on a sand bar under the bridge,
kindled fire and cremated the re-
mains. 1t was the first lynching that
ever occurred in Terre Haute, and the
day abounded in exciting incidents.
Confessed His Crime.
10 Ward was arrested at ten o'clock at
the car works. where he was en-
ployed as a laborer. and after being
fully identified by two citizens. made
confession. His only excuse for the
murder was that Miss Finkelstein
called him ''dirty niger" and slapped
him in the face. Sheriff Fasig COM
municated with Gov. Durbin, but the
mob accomplished its work before the
militia could be ordered out. Being ad-
vised of the threatening situation, the
governor wired to Capt. Thomas. of
company 3, to place his company fully
armed in a position to be immediate
ready for duty in response to call
from the sheriff. Before the sheriff
could call on the militia. the prisoner
was in the hands of the mob and was
dead even before being taken to the
place arranged for hanging.
Hanged from a Bridge.
Face downward he was dragged
through the street to the bridge and
across the rough planking of the
driveway to the drawbridge. Many
are of the opinion that the fellow
was dead before the scene of the
hanging was reached. However, the
rope was thrown over one of the up
per beams and the body drawn up.
It had been swinging in that posi-
ton but q short time when some
suggested burning at the stake as
the nearest approach to a proper ex-
piation of the awful crime.
Body L. Burned.
The suggestion was adopted unani-
mously and fire was quickly kindled
on the bank of the river just south of
the west end of the bridge. Into the
fire the body, bearing no sign of life.
was thrown and faggots were piled
upon it. The stake was omitted. The
body was in horizontal position, the
feet protruding at one end, the head
at the other. The fire had barely been
started when man arrived with q
can of turpentine, which was fed to the
eager flames. After that combustible
oils seemed to flow spontaneously to-
ward the fire, and the flames leaped
high, while the body of the wretched
murderer was rapidly consumed. The
certainty that the wretch was dead did
not appease the anger of the mob.
With grim determination they fed the
flames and watched the flesh shrivel to
cinders and the bones crumble and
burn.
Ward was ~ years old and leaves
widow and two children. He came here
five years ago from Circleville, o. The
insane asylum is denied by his wife.
He served Jail sentence in 1889 for
larceny.
The leaders of the mob are unknown,
and as public sentiment upholds the
lynching no prosecutions are expected.
The Negroes Crime. :
The crime for which the negro suf-
fered the awful penalty was the rob-
berry, murder and assault of Ida
Finkelstein, aged Fl, a teacher in a
school near this city. 1t occurred late
Monday afternoon as she was coming
from her school on road through the
woods. She was taken to the hospital,
where she died at IL: 80 o'clock Monday
night.
By writing when her throat was
bleeding too much to talk, and by talk
ing when she could, Miss Finkelstein
told the story of her terrible expert
ence. She saw the negro off to one side
of the road, and he called to her to
stop, but she hurried on, and when he
called the second time she ran. Then
he fired one charge from his shotgun,
and she says some of the shot struck
her in the back of her head. but they
made no serious wounds. At that she
stopped and he came up to her, de-
handing her money. She handed him a
purse containing three dollars and
started to run, but he caught her. She
struggled to free herself, but he threw
her down. Still she tried to get free,
and he became enraged and cut her
throat. It is long cash, but need not
have been fatal if she had received
prompt treatment. After the negro
left her she walked half mile to a
house, and fell fainting at the door. 1t
was more than an hour afterward be-
fore doctor arrived. It was three
hours after the outrage before the po-
lice were put on the case.
Penalty for Kidnapers. -.
Indianapolis, Ind, Feb. 27.-The
house of representatives passed, with
out dissenting vote, the bill intro
duced by Mr.. Bishop, placing a pen
Il atty of imprisonment at from ten
Tyears to life term on kidnapers for
ransom convicted in the state. The
bill has been urged by petitions from
all parts of the state.
Tug Sunk in Philippines.
Manila, Feb. 27.-The steamer
Newark, of the quar,ermaster's de-
partment, VI ooahly small tug recent
~ purchased at cost of $4,000, has