Phillipsburg herald. [volume] (Phillipsburg, Kan.) 1882-1905, 1901-01-24
DIED AT THE STAKE.
Kansas Mob Wreaks Terrible Ven
geance on Fred Alexander.
Taken from a LeavenwOrth Jail and Burned
20 Death in Presence of Thousands of
PeOple-Victlm Was Accused of
Murder and Assault.

70 Death in Presence of Thousands OF
PeOple-Victlm Was Accused OF
Murder and Assault.
Leavenworth, Kan, Jan 16.-Fred
Alexander, the murderer of Pearl
Forbes and the fend who attempted
to criminally assault Miss Eva Roth
last Saturday night, surrounded by
the yelling mob, his clothes torn, his
face bloody with his own blood, was
dragged from his cell in the court
house and loaded into a wagon. with
his captors and taken to the place
where Miss Forbes body was found
and burned to death.
The negro was taken fro m his cell
at the state penitentiary at three
o'clock yesterday afternoon and load
ed into a hack and brought to town,
Fifty deputy marshals surrounded
him and Deputy Sheriffs Stancemy-
ers and Tom Brown sat i'll the hack
on either side of him. There were
so buggies and wagons in the process
sion which followed the hack in and
it was a funeral march indeed for
Fred Alexander. The trip to town
was made quietly and there was no
attempt to create a disturbance on
the road. When Fourth and Olive
streets was reached the police, who
were in the hack following the one
in which Alexander was concealed,
jumped out and chased several ne
groes. This created diversion which
attracted the attention of everyone,
and in the excitement the hack in
which Alexander was concealed was
franticaIly driven to the county jail
rot oal,n
doors, he was locked in the first cell
on the east side of the cell house.
All the doors of the jail were locked
and the crowd first attempted to gain
admission by peaceful means. Sheriff
Everhardy refused to deliver the ne
gro up.
Then the crowd pushed its way
to the side door and, using one man
as a battering ram, the door was
forced from it's hinges. Then the
iron door of the cell room was at
tackled and the mob dragged out the
tiend. Men fought to get at him.
Outside the stockade the crowd
surged. Alexander and his captors
were surrounded by a solid wall of
human flesh. Across Thir1 street and
up the hill into the courthouse yard
they dragged him. ''Talle him where
he committed the MURDER" suggested
somebody. The suggestion met with
instant approval and at SIS o'clock
Alexander was brought TO the scene
of the murder of Pearl Forbes, at the
corner of Lawrence avenue and Spruce
street. The first thing done was to
plant a railroad iron upright in the
mud. This was made fast to cross
l.
iron with wire. Around the impro-
vised stake boards and wood was
piled. To this the man was dragged
and chained in a standing position
to the upright railroad iron. Coal
oil was then poured over him and the
match touched to him. Alexander
was asked to make a confession, but
he replied that he had nothing to
say. AS the flames leaped about him
Alexander clasped his hands together
and began to swing to and fro while
the crowd yelled. In less than fiva
minutes he was hanging limp and life
less by the chains that bound him.
From six until eight o'clock there
was a continuous stream of people
going to the scene of the burning.
When the fire had died Gown suffi-
GENTLY to allow the crowd to ap-
Proach what remained of Alexander
there was a scramble to obtain relics,
bits of charred flesh, pieces of chain
and scraps of wood.
VIII Restore the Death Penalty.
Topeka, Kan, Jan. 16.-Gov. Stanley
IS very indignant at the result of the
lynching at Leavenworth yesterday
afternoon. He says it will result in
the restoration of the death penalty
in Kansas. He condemns Sheriff
Everhardy, of Leavenworrh, in I'M
measured terms. Most of the menu
bers of the state legislature. when in
terviewed last night, expressed the
same idea as Gov. Stanley with re.
gard to restoring the death penalty.
They say that the only way to avoid
future acts of the kind will be to
make it possible to hang a man for
the commission of capital crimes.
The judiciary committee of the SEN
ate announced last night that a bill
would be prepared making death the
penalty for murder and also for rape
cases where force was used The bill
will without doubt be made a law
within few days.
Venezuela Seizes Two American Steamers.
Washington, Jan. 16.-The state de-
partment was informed this afternoon
by cable from Venezuela that the