The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1901-01-18
BURNED ALLEGED RAPIST AT
THE STAKE.
PROTESTS HIS INNOCENCE
Terrible Vengeance Wreaked on
Leavenworth Negro Charged
with Double Crime.

Leavenworth, Kans., Jan. 15-Fred
Alexander, the alleged rapist and mur-
,derer. was brought to the city from
the pe%nitentiary at Lansing at 4:30
this afternoon and placed in the coun
ty Jail. The citizens gathered in
great numbers and finding %peaceable
entrance to the Jail impossible armed
themselves with railroad irons. The
Jail doors were battered down and
Alexander dragged to the scene Of his
crime, followed by hundreds of how
ling, frenzied men and boys.
At a quarter past 5 O'Clock Alex
-ander was brought to the scene OF the
murder of Pearl Forbes, at the corner
of Lawrence avenue and Spruce
street. The exact spot where the MUIR
.dered girl was found was located by
the leaders Of the crowd and there a
,semi-circle was formed. Alexander
was brought up in a wagon with a
dozen men. The wagon was stopped
in front of the ravine and surrounded
by the crowd, the leader of the men
who held Alexander called for silence.
The roar ceased and Alexander was
showed forward for the crowd to gaze
at. A howl went up which was
quickly hushed as the prisoner raised
his shackled hands and began to speak.
Twice he started to speak and the
crowd drowned his trembling voice.
"You are going to kill me whatever
I say he said, "but you men are
wrong. I want to tell you right now
you have got the wrong a 1 did
not do that and some day you men
here will run up against the man who
did. I know it amt any use to say SO,
for you are going TO kill me, but I did
not do it,"
The men standing behind the negro
showed him from the wagon and the
roar from the crowd drowned every
other sound. The negro was quickly
driven down the embankment to a
pile of wood with his hands still
shackled and there bound to a stake.
Long before the wagon containing
the doomed man arrived at the place a
crowd had gathered. Many carried
rails and boards. Several seized rail
road irons and carried them to the ra-
vine. The spot chosen for the stake
was the exact one on which Pearl
Forbes body was found on the morn
ing of November 7. 1t is on Lawrence
avenue near the Santa Fe track and a
hundred yards north Of Spruce street.
The first thing done vas to plant a
railroad iron upright in the mud.
This was made fast to cross irons
firmly bound to the upright iron with
wire. Around the improvised stake
wood and boards were piled. To'this
the man was dragged and chained in
a standing position to the upright rail
road iron. Chains and irons were
wrapped about him and with his hands
still shackled, he was made fast to
the post. Coal oil was then poured
over him and a match touched to him.
Before the match was applied John
Forbes, father of Pearl Forbes,
stepped up to Alexander and said
"Are you guilty of numbering my
daughter"
IT 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 your name,
you have the wrong man.
"Burn him. burn him." cried the
mob.
"Gentlemen you have got lots o.
time,' said Alexander, "you are burn
ing an innocent man. You took ad
vantage of me. You gave me no show
Can / see my mother?"
A man in the crowd called for hi
mother but she was not in the crowd
He then said: "Wil1 you let M
shake hands with all my friends?"
"You have no friends in this crowd
you damned beast,'' said one of tn
men in charge of the negro. IF vol
have anything to say do it in
hurry" .
Another man then stepped up ant
said to Alexander:
"Make your peace with your God
niger, for you will surely die"
Coal oil was then applied for
second time and while it was beln|
done Alexander called to friends il
the crowd and told them goodbye. H
did not seem to realize that he was t
be burned at the stake and talke
nationally until John Forbes, fathe
of the murdered girl, lighted a match
Again Alexander was asked to max
a confession, but he replied that il
had nothing to say. As the flame
leaped about him, Alexander turne
CHASTITY pale, and for the first tim
realized that his death wa near II
clasped his hands together and bega
to swing to and fro while the crow
yelled. In less than five minutes b
was hanging limp and lifeless by til
chains that bound him.
AS soon as the crowd saw. that lii
was extinct it began to slowly di