The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]) 1901-1902, 1901-08-12
ANBGRO PROBABLY BURNED
Taken Into the Woods by Mob to
EXpiate a Crime.
Citizens of Bryan County, Ga., Pun
ish nm Assault - No Details Given
Out-Light From the Pyrc the Only
Clue to the Close of the Tragedy.


SAVANNAH. Ga. Aug. 1.-THE citizens
of Bryan County, adjoining Chatham and
a few miles from Savannah. have avenged
an assault on a woman by burning her as
sailant after searching for him more than
two weeks. Last night, shortly after
dark, a negro was spirited away into the
woods near Ways Station. fifteen miles
from savannah and he has not been seen
since. 1t is authoritatively announced
that he was burned at the stake for an
assault on Mrs ]. j. Clark, near Ways
Station. July % last.
The station agent at Ways states that
he has no doubt that the negro has been
burned. but whether the body was burned
after the negro had been killed or not
cannot be learned here this evening. 1t
is not probable, however, thai the citizens,
in their anger, crrmated dead negro.
The people about Ways Station are
very reticent about discussing the mat
ter. Mr. Clark. the husband of the
woman. says he is satisfied with the
sequel to his wife's suffering, but he will
not so into particulars. He is section
foreman in the employ of the Seaboard
Air Line Railway. He and the station
agent at Ways Station, who We're among
the very few white people visible there
today, state that they do not know the
name of the negro who has disappeared.
Negroes names do not count for much
in that immediate vicinity anyway.
The assailant of Mrs. Clark met his
death only a short distance from Ways
Station shortly after dark r. L. Young,
employed as a section master on the
same road as Mr. Clark, who took great
Iaraf+
yesterday found negro at Liberty City.
about thirty miles away, who seemed to
tally with the description given of the
man wanted He took him into custody
and brought him to Ways Station.
Young took the man to Mrs. Clarks
home and she at once identified him. BY
that time Clark's friends. to the number
of fifty or more. had gathered at the sta
ton, and when Young attempted to carry
the man to the jail of Bryan County, sew
eral miles away. he was taken from him
and the captor advised to leave the neigh
borhood. This lie did, and for that rea-
son he says he knows nothing of the
burning except that he saw light from
bright fire in the timber a few miles
from where he gave the negro up. This,
he thinks. was the reflection from the
funeral pyre.
After taking the prisoner from his cap
tor his new guardians turned into the
woods with him. and this was the last
seen of the negro alive. No one will admit
having seen the negro meet his fate, but
everyone in the vicinity states that they
hear" the negro was burned in the woods
and his charred remains left there The
other negroes in the neiehborhood are
somewhat excited, but there is no trou-
BILE feared
The crime for which this negro paid
the penalty was a most brutal one. 1t
was committed shortly after noon on July
26. Mrs. Clark was at home with two
small children. an infant and a boy five
years old. The negro attacked Mrs. Clark,
and when her son ran to render her what
aid he could caught the little fellow and
choked him into insensibility.
posse was formed to run down the
negro, but he escaped at that time. He
was a stranger in the neighborhood, and
no one knew him even at Liberty City,
where he was captured yesterday.