The county record. [volume] (Kingstree, S.C.) 1885-1975, 1901-03-07
A HORRIBLE FATE.
Lynching and Burning of Negro In
Indiana.


me1l. swift and terrible was Me.2d OF:
to George Ward. the negro who mur-
dcred Mis- Ida Finlzel=te:n. the school
teacher. by shooting her with a shot
gun ard cutting her throat. a few
hours after his arrest an angry mob
battered down the doors os the jail,
dragged 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, and laying it on
a sand bar under the bridge kindled
FIRE and cremated the remains. Il
was the first lyncling thai Terre
Haute ever experienced.
Ward was arrested at 10 o'clock at
tho car works, where he was employed
as a laborer, and after being fully
identified by two citizens, made con-
fession. His only excuse for the MIR
der was that Miss FinkelSte.n califd
him "a dirty niger" and slapped him
in the face. Sheriff Easing ccmmuni-
Gated with GcTe.nor Dur5in, but the
mob accomplished its work before he
militia could be ordered out. The Gov
ernor had wired Captain Thomas, ot
Company B, to place his COMPANY,
fully armed, in readiness for duty.
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 Jailer Lawrence O'Donnell, w2o
fired over the heads Of the mob. Dep
uty Sheriffs Cooper, Hes:sick and L5-
Forge we're struck by scattering sho.
and slightly injured, but nobody in :n@
crowd was hurt. A detail OF pollHe
vainly tried to disperse the crowd.
At 1880 o'clock another crowd pa
tered down the outer doors of the ]aa'
secured possession of the keys and en-
tered the cell room. The side door was
opened for the rest Of the crowd. The
cell was quickly opened and Ward was
dragged forth. He fought with cespeF-
alton and with ferocity. He was drag
ged out to the street, still fighting with
all his strength, but a blow from
heavy hammer fellcd him 70 lAe
ground.
A nocse was quickly adjusted TO hi'
neck and the mob started with us We
tim howard the Wabash bridge. Tne
feeble resistance made by tt Tretca-
ed creature after that blow with TIE
hammer vas soon quieted by the saw
age blows Of the mob. Face COVE
ward. he was dragged through the
stree. to tse bridge and across he
roug planking Of the driveway 10 ihs
drawbr.dge Many are Of The opininn
that the fellow was dead Dsfore the
scene of the hanging was rached.
However, she rope was thrown over
one OF the upper beams and the DoaY
drawn up.
Then burning at the stake was
agreed on unanimously ard fire was
quickly kindled on tie bank OF the
river lust south of the w,st end OF the
bridge, and into the fire the BODY,
bearing no sign of life, wa:thrown, ana
faggots were piled upon it. The stake
was omitted. The body was in hor.-
zontal position, the feet protrudlng at
one end and the head at the other. A
can Of turpentine was poured on the
eager flames. After that combustiDie
oils seemed to flow spontaneously to-
ward the fire and the flames leapet
high while the bcdy Of the negro was
rapidly consumed None Of The mob
attempted disguise. When the body
was taken down to be carried to the
fire the bridge ives: Of the draw was
barricaded, but the east bank OF the
river and the bridge on the city side
OF the draw was crowded with thou
sands Of men, women and children,
gazing at the awful spectacle. With
grim determination the mob fed the
flames and watched the flesh shrivel TO
cinders and the bones cruMOle ana
burn
AS the bones began to crumble and
fall apart fragments were taken from
the fire and carried away. A: O'Clock
there was nothing left Of the body eX-
cept a small section Of the trunk and
the back of the head. Busy hands
kept the burning fagg%ts piled upon
%ne roasting segment. Women came 10
the scene by scores. At about 2:39
O'Clock the barricade was removed am
the crowd surrounded the fire.