The Savannah morning news., 1901-02-27
LYNCHED IN INDIANA
NEGRO MURDERER FIRST HANGED,
THEN BURNED.
WOMEN THERE BY SCORES
HAD MURDERED AND ROBBED A
YOUNG WOMAN.

Ierre huute IakeS the Lend IN DIS
gusting Lynching Scenes-Hun-
dreds of Fragments of the Body
Taken as SOuvenirs-One Dollar
Paid for N Toe While the, Body
fessed His Guilt.
Terre Haute. Ind, Feb. 26.-Punishment,
swift and terrible was meted out to-day
TO George Ward the negro who murdered
Miss Ida Flnkelstein. the school teacher.
by shooting her with a shotgun and cut
ting her throat yesterday afternoon. A
few hours after his arrest an angry mob
battered down the doors of the Jail, drag
eed the 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
bridge. kindled a fire and cremated the
remains. 1t was the first lynching that
Terre Haute ever experienced.
Ward was arrested at 10 o'clock at the
car works, where he was employed as n
laborer and after being fully identified by
two citizens, made a confession. His only
excuse for the murder was that Miss
Finkelstein called him a dirty Niger"
and slapped him in the face.
Sheriff Fasig communicated with Gov.
Durbin, but the mob accomplished its
work before the militia could be ordered
out
The Governor had wired Capt Thomas
OF Company B to place his company fully
armed in readiness for duty.
Men, Women and Boys In the Mob.
At noon the crowd outside the jail,
numbering several hundred including
men, women and boys, battered down the
iron doors, but were driven back by Jail
er Lawrence O'Donnell, who fred over
the heads of the mob. Deputy Sheriffs
Cooper and Leforge were struck by scat
tering shot and slightly injured but no.
body in the crowd was hurt A detail Of
police vainly tried 40 disperse the crowd.
At 1890 clock another crowd battered
down the outer doors of the jail, secur-
ing possession of the keys, and entered
the cell room. The side door was opened
and Ward was dragged forth. He fought
with the desperate ferocity Of a beast
at hay. He was dragged out to the
street, still fighting with all his strength,
but a blow from a heavy hammer felbed
him TO the ground
A moose was quickly adjusted to his
neck and the mob started with its victim
toward the Wabash bridge. The feeble
resistance made by the wretched crea-
ture after thet blow with the hammer
was soon quieted by the savage blows of
the mob.
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 upper
beams and the body drawn up.
The Dead Body burned.
Then burning at the stake was agreed
On unanimously and fire was quicxl y
kindled on the bank of the river Just
south OF the west end of the bridge. Into
the fire the body, bearing a sign of life,
vas thrown and faggots were piled upon
1t. The stake was omltted. The body was
in a horizontal position. the feet protrIId-
iEg at one end, the head at the other.
a can of turpentine was poured on the
eager flames. After that, the combustible
oil seemed to flow spontaneously to the
fire and the flames leaped high. while
the body Of the negro was rapidly con-
sumed. None of the mob attempted dis
Euise.
When the body was taken down to be
carried to the fire the bridge west of the
draw was barricaded but the cast bank
of the river and the bridge on the city
side of the draw was crowded with thou
sands of men, women and children, gaz-
ing at the awful spectacle.
~ for Negroes Toe.
With grim determination the mob fed
the flames and watched the flesh shrfvel
to cinders and the bones crumble ana
burn
Souvenir hunters were on hand in force.
and fragments of the body are now scat
tered broadcast. One man, while the feet
still protruded from the flames, offered 81
for toe from the nigger's foot" A
venturesome youth, drawing a knife from
his pocket, made a dash for the prize
He quickly amputated toe, delivered the
goods and got his money.
AS the bones began to crumble and fall
apart the fragments were taken from the
fire and carried away
At o'clock there was nothing left of
the body except a small section of the
trunk and the back of the head.
Busy hands kept the burning faggots
piled upon the roasting segment.
Women came to the scene by scores
At about 2:30 o'clock the barricade was
removed and the crowd surrounded the
FIRE.
Ward was q years old and leaves a
widow and two children. He came here
five years ago from Circlevlle. 0. The
statement that he was at one time in an
insane asylum is denied by his wife. He
served a jail sentence IN 1883 for lar
ceny.
The leaders Of the mob are unknown,
and as public sentiment upholds the
lynching no prosecutions are expected.
WHITE MAN LYNCHED.