Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-03-07
HANGED AND BURNED.
The Murderer OF "a school Teacher Is
Lynchsd by Mob at Terre Haute,


Terre Haute, Ind, Feb. 27.-Punish-
ment was meted out yesterday to
George Ward, the negro who muir
dered Miss Ida Finkestein, the school
teacher, by shooting her with shot
gun and cutting her throat Monday
afternoon. A few hours after his
arrest a mob battered down the
doors of the Jail, dragged the prison
er 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 u fire and
cremated the remains.
Ward was arrested at the car
works, where he was employed as
laborer, and after being fully identi-
fled by two citizens made a confess
sion. His only excuse for the murder.
was that Miss Finkelstein called him
dirty niger" and slapped him in
the face. Sheriff Fasig communi-
Gated with Gov. Durbin, but the mob
accomplished its work before the
militia could be ordered out.
At noon the crowd outside the jail,
numbering several hundred, battered
down the doors, but were driven back
by Jailer O'Donnell, who fired over
the heads of the mob. Deputy
Sheriffs Cooper, Hessick and Leforge
were struck by scattering shot and
slightly injured, but nobody in the
crowd was hurt. a detail of police
arrived at the Jail and vainly tried to
disperse the crowd.
The crowd kept on growing, and at
1875 o'clock another crowd of ire
sistible numbers attacked the jail,
battering down the outer doors, Sc
curing possession of the keys and
catering the cell room. A piece of
railroad timber 25 feet long and eight
inches thick was used as a batter
ing ram. The side door was opened
by the crowd inside and the others
were admitted in that way. The
cell was quickly opened and Ward
was dragged forth. He realized that
no mercy could be expected from the
mob and he fought with the ferocity
of beast at bay.
He was dragged out to the street,
still fighting with all his strength,
but "A blow from a hammer felled him.
A moose was quickly adjusted about
his neck and the mob started with
him towards the Wabash bridge. The
feeble resistance made by the wretch
ed man after that 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. 1t had been
swinging in that position but short
time when some suggested burning
AT the stake as the nearest approach
to a proper eXpiation of the crime.
The suggestion was adopted unani-
mously and a fire was kindled on the
bank of the river just south of the
west end of the bridge. Into the
fire the body, bearing no sign of life,
was thrown and faggots were piled
upon it. The stake was omitted.
The fire had barely been started
when a man arrived with can of
turpentine, which was fed to the
flames. After that combustible oils
seemed to flow spontaneously to-
ward the fire and the flames leaped
high while the body of the negro was
rapidly consumed.
There was no attempt at disguise
on the part of any of the members of
the mob. Within ten minutes of the
time when the mob reached the
bridge with the victim the people be-
gan to assemble in ever increasing
numbers. When the body was taken
down to be carried to the fire, the
bridge west of the draw was barri-
caded and the crowd was stopped
there, but the east bank of the river
was crowded with thousands of men,
women and children, gazing at the
awful spectacle of human body be-
ing consumed in vengeful flames.
AS the bones began to crumble and
fall apart the fragments were drawn
from the fire and carried away.