The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1901-06-06
NEGRO BURNED AZ STAKE
Black Erute Pays the Penalty OF d
Mos. Revolving Crime 10 Flo7taa
Town.

at nO81 Yesterday Fii-i'iiI@i'. %
saulted and then murdered Mrs Re
ma Taggart, well-known ami r.
spected white woman 81 this ,ity
was burned At the stake here early
this evening III the presence OF a
thr0ne 81 people. The burning vas
on the scene Of the negroes cyiine
within 100 yards of the principal
thoroGghfare OF this city.
The assault and murder was one
of the 4poldest and coolest blocked
crimes ever committed in Florida.
At 10 clock yesterday morning
Mrs. Taggart, who was born and
reared in this place, and was Wo-
man OF good family and reputation,
went fishing alone in small 70"
boat that she kept at the city bridge
over Piaco creek. This is in full view
of the public thorOughfare. A few
minutes before noon, desiring to re-
turn home. she rowed her boat to
the bridge and made 1t fast. A ne
gro man YVES fishing from the bridge
at the time. Mrs. Taggart started
home and had only proceeded a few
steps in the swamp toward the open
prairie. and thence to the street,
when she wss approached by Ro-
chelle, who had been hiding III the
swamp. He seized her and she broke
loose, and. screaming, ran into the
prairie, where he overlook her.
After the assault, while she was
PROSTATE, he held her with his hands
and knees and, taking his knife from
his pocket, cut her throat from ear
to ear, causing instant death. He
then walked to the negro who had
been fishing on the bridge and who
was thoroughly frightened and ask
cd him what he should do with the
body. He was told to leave it where
it was, but unheedful of this request,
he took the bleedingform in his arms
and carried it back to the swamp,
threw it down and escaped into the
interior of the swamp.
MOB SOON IN ARMS.
In a few minutes the crime had
been reported and in less than an
hour practically the entire city was
in arms and a well-armed posse was
moving III every direction in search
-. l.
secured and all night fruitless
search was continued This morn
ing no trace of the negro had been
secured and the people were becOm-
ing more determined to apprehend
him, as the chances for his final es-
cape seemed to gov. About noon a
courier arrived announcing that the
negro had been captured by two 9th
er negroes three miles south of the |
city.
Posses were Immediately on the |
trial, but the capturers evaded de- |
lection and succeeded in getting their |
prisoner quietly into the city and in
turning him over to the sheriff of |
Polk county. In ten minutes after
the arrest had been made the streets |
became congested with people, and !
the crowd. augmented as it marched. |
moved on the Jail.
In spite of the sheriff and a strong |
guard of extra deputies, who made
every effort to protect him from mob |
violence, they secured the prisoner
and took up the march to the scene |
of the crime. He was half dragged, |
half carried to the bridge enveloped |
by great throng of people of all |
mined, but quiet and orderly. |
Scream after scream broke from the |
wretch's quivering lips, followed by !
groans and prayers for mercy. At |
the bridge the mob turned toward |!
the prairie and then into the swamp |
and to the scene of the negro crime /
By common consent burning was to /
be the penalty. There were no ropes
and no plans for lynchin@ by hang
ing.
The stake vas the only suggestion
as to the proper expiration of the
crime, and without organized effort.
and Vet with apparently unanimous
understanding. barrel was in read
mess and was placed by the stake.
on the very spot where Mrs Taggart
was assaulted and murdered.
PLACED ~ THE PYRE.
On this the negro was placed and