The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-16
AT THE STAKE.

|
CONCLUDED FROM FIRST PAGE.)
wagon with a dozen men. The wagon was
stopped in front of the ravine and was
surrounded by the crowd. the leader of the
men who held Alexander calling for ST.
lence. 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 and the crowd drowned his tremb-
ling voice.
you are going to kill me. whatever I
say" he said. but you are wrong. I
want to tell you right now you've got the
wrong man. 1 did not do that, and some
day you men will run up against the man
who did. 1 know it amt any use to say so.
for you're going to kill me, but / didn't do
it"
CHAINED TO THE STAKE.
The men standing behind him showed
him from the wagon and the roar that
went up every other
The negro was quickly driven down the
embankment to the pile O. wood with
his hands shackled, and there bound to the
stake. Long before tie wagon containing
the doomed man arrived at the place a
crowd had gathered. Many carried rails
and boards. Several seized railroad irons
and carried them to the ravine. Inc spot
chosen for the stake was on the exact
found on the morning of Nov. z. 1t is on
Lawrence avenue near the Santa Fe track
and a hundred yards north of Spruce street.
The first thing done was to plant the
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 up
right railroad 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 the match touched to him.
Before the match was applied John
Forbes, the father of Pearl Forbes, stepped
up to Alexander and said:
Are you guilty of numbering my daugh-
terri
.I 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 is your name, you
nave the wrong man"
Burn him! Burn hint" cried the crowd.
Gentlemen. you've got lots of time,'
said Mr.. Alexander. You're burning an
innocent man. You took advantage of me.
You gave me no show. Can 1 see my
MOTHER"
A man in the crowd called for the moth
err, but she was not in the crowd. Then
he said:
xviii you let me shake hands with all
my friends?"
"You have no friends in this crowd, you
damned beast said one of the men in
charge of the negro. IF you have any,
thing to say. do so in a hurry
Another man then stepped up and said tic
Alexander: Make your peace with God,
niger. for you will surely die"
MORE COAL OIL USED.
Coal oil was then applied for the second
| tine. and while it was being done. Alex
| ander called to friends in the crowd and
told them goodbye. He did not seem to
| realize that he was to be burned at the
STAKE, anu tdikeu TdtlOndlly until John
| Forbes, the father of the murdered girl
lighted the match. Again Alexander was
| asked to make a confession, but he replied
that he had nothing to say.
AS the flames leaped about him, Alex.
| ander the first time realized that his death
was near. He clasped his hands together
and began to swing to and fro, while the
| crowd yelled. In less that five minutes he
was hanging limp and lifeless by the
| chains that bound him. AS soon as the
crowd saw that life was extinct IL began
slowly to dispense. There were hundreds
| Of the morbid. however. who staid to the
last.
Men kept piling on wood all the time, un.
til about Z o'clock, when the flames were
| allowed to die down. From 6 to s O'Clock
| there was a continuous stream of people
| going TO the scene of the burning. These
were persons who had been unable to ge,
| away from their work in the afternoon
! but were determined not TO miss seeIne
the awful spectacle.
When the fire had died down sufficient,
to allow the crowd TO approach what re
NAMED of Alexander, there was a wild
| scramble to obtain relics. bits Of charret
flesh, pieces of chain, scraps of wood
everything that could possibly serve as 9
souvenir was seized on with morbid eager