The true northerner., 1901-01-18
BURNED AT STAKE.
Fred Alexander, a Negr', Lynched
at Leavenworth, Kansas.
WAS CHARGED WITH MURDER
He Protested His Innocence to the
Last-Stake Erected at the Spot
Where the Girls Body Was Found
Mob Numbered Eight Thousand.

Leavenworth, Kas., Jan. 16.-Fred
Alexander, the negro who Saturday
evening attempted to assault Miss Eva
Roth, and who was supposed to have
assaulted and killed Pearl Forbes in
this city in November last, was Tues
day afternoon taken from the sheriff's
guard and burned to the stake at the
scene of his crimes, half a dozen
blocks from the center of the city.
Probably 5000 people witnessed the
lynching. Alexander was tied to rail
road rail placed upright in the ground.
Alexander was brought to the city
from the penitentiary at Lansing at
4:30 o'clock Tuesday afternoon and
placed in the county Jail. The citizens
gathered in great numbers and find
ing peaceable entrance to the Jail i'm.
possible, armed themselves with rail-
road irons and sledge hammers. The
Jail doors were battered down and
Alexander dragged to the scene of his
crime, followed by hundreds of howl
ing, frenZied men and boys. Arrived
at the scene a railroad ran was stuck
into the ground and the negro fastened
to Ii with chains. Then coal oil was
poured over his body and set afire.
The wretch protested his innocence 70
the last.
When the fire had died down suffi.
ciently to allow the crowd to approach
the remains of Alexander, there was
a wild scramble to obtain relics. Bits
of charred fiesh pieces of chain,
scraps of wood-everything that could
possibly serve as a souvenir was
seized on with morbid eagerness.
After AleXander's arrest he was
taken before Miss Roth, who identified
him. Since then a mob has surround
ed the penitentiary day and night. The
crowd became so formidable that Gov.
Stanley, in response to a telegram
from Warden Tomlinson, ordered two
companies of military TO be in readi-
ness to start for Leavenworth at mo-
ment's notice.
Gov. Stanley ordered Warden Tom
linson to refuse to turn Alexander over
to the sheriff unless he agreed in writ
ing to protect him.
Topeka, Kas., Jan. 16.-Gov. Stanley
is indignant over the lynching at
Leavenworth. He says it will result
in the establishment of the death pen
atty in Kansas, as it should do.
Gov. Stanley condemns Sheriff Ever
hardy, of Leavenworth, in unmeasured
terms. He says the sheriff should be
made to make suitable retribution, If
such thing is possible.
"The sheriff of Leavenworth Is
either a despicable scoundrel or q
despicable coward" said the governor
Tuesday night There was no reason
in the world why the negro should not
have been protected to the last. The
whole militia power Of the state could
be devoted to that effort and the sher-
if knew il all the time.
"I ordered the militia of Lawrence
and Topeka to be ready, and they
would have been sent to the scene Of
the trouble the minute the sheriff
would say he needed them.
Instead of that, however, the sher.
if was sure that he could guard the
man. Upon receiving repeated assur-
ances from Sheriff Everhardy that he
could and would protect the prisoner
to the last, reluctantly countermand-
ed the order for the troops to go &c
Leavenworth."