Waterbury Democrat., 1901-01-16
GOVERNOR STANLEY ANGRY.
He Offers a Reward of Five
 Hundred Dollars. --.

For the Conviction of Any Person En-
 gagged in the Lynching of Fred Alex
 ander-The Crime a Stain on the
 Fair Name of the State, He Says
 Negro Charles Lang Lynched in Col
 umbia, s. c.
 Ieavenworth, Kas, Jan 16. Fred Alexander, q young negro who was arrested on Saturday night shortly after he attempted to assault Miss Eva May Roth, and who was also suspect eu of murdering Pearl Forbes, was burned at the stake in the western part of the city at 5:3O o'clock yeSter- day, Ill the presence of fully 5000 per sons. He maintained his innocence of the murder and kept his nerve to the enu, gong so far as to ask several friends to step up and bid him good by after coal oil was thrown over him.
 Fully one-third of the crowd that witnessed the burning were women, and there were hundreds of school children in il. School was dismissed just as the fights with the lnobs in the city began. There were d few hun ured negroes in the crowd and the younger ones among them joked and acted as did the whites during the half hour it required to tie Alexander to the stake. After the victim had been cremated the mob leaders mentioned the names Of other negroes and it looked as though the city jail would be stoFmed to get q negro named Letcher. This movement was prompt ly checked
 The city seemed supplied last night after the scenes of the afternoon.
 Iopeka, kaS. Jan Ex-Governor Stanley and many state senators and members of the legislature denounce lhe acton Of the Leavenworth mob in burning the negro Alexander at the stake. Governor Stanley said last night:
 II called the warden up this morn- Ing and told him to hold Alexander arbitrarily unless the sheriff of that county would give a written guaran- tee that he would protect the prisoner rom mob violence and would see that He was given trial in q regular way. also called up the sheriff and told him that the state would not surrender. the prisoner unless he would make such "hi''0i SuaIaItee- lie Salu that he was afraid he could not protect Alex anuer rom the mob, and that his own ll1c was in danger. I suggested that nc call on me to send over the militia to help him out.
 lie sad he guessed he would; I then sald he must send me somethinr in Writing So that could make it T nart Of the record of my office and that I would act promptly. He said that he "ould probably telegraph for assist Hnce. In anticipation of his call I or dcred the adjutant-general to get two companies Of the militia ready 10 move. He did so. He selected the Iopeka and Lawrence companies and had them quartered at their armories lie made all arrangements for speedy transportation, but no call was made. Late yesterday afternoon I telephoned
 Warden Tomlinson. asking about the situation. He said that the sheriff had come to the prison and given a written agreement that he had sworn III seventy deputies and would protect the prisoner. Tonlinson then turned AleAander over to him. This is all the connection the state has had with | the case.
 Il shall offer q reward of $500 for >-> -'i1 ''' ''hei toiIflctlOH or any person or persons who participated in the burning. l am sorry I cannot offer a larger one. but the law makes that the llinlt. l shall order the attorney-pen- eial to investigate the affair. and if | ne hndS that the sheriff did not do his 1 Whole duty in the defense of the nris- | ot' 10 commence Il proceeding to | ouSt nm rom office. The sheriff of | Lawrence county is lacking either in | nohesty or backbone. It semes tn ma mat 1T he and his deputies had tried | to protect the prisoner they could have | uole so. am sure that seventy mil | ltlamen would have met with no in+ar-
 ference. The blame is entirely on 1ha | sheriff. 'ie offered him every assistance
 necessary in the case told him fbat
 the entire power of the state wonld
 pack him. The crime is a blot on inc
 record of every official of Leayenworth 1 county and q stain on the fair name of
 1he state. Every 1aw-abiding citizn,
 should rise up and condemn those re- sponsIble for it and insist that tha
 guilty be brought to justice"
 l senator F. Damont Smith will to-
 morrow amend his capital punishment, l Dill ana include with murder the cri,re i oi rape This action will be taken be.
 cause of the crimes committed by tho
 Legro Alexander