The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1901-02-27

Terre Haute, Ind. Feb. 26.-George
Ward, the negro who murdered Miss
Ida Finkelstein, the school teacher, by
shooting her with a shotgun and cut
ting her throat yesterday afternoon,
was lynched today. In a few hours
after his arrest an angry mob battered
down the doors of 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 a fire and
cremated the remains.
Ward was arrested at 10 o'clock at
the car works, where he was employed
as a laborer, and after being fully iden-
titled by two citizens, made a confess
sion. His only excuse for the murder
was his allegation that Miss Finkel-
stein had called him a dirty niger, 8"
and slapped him in the face. Sheriff
Fasig communicated with Governor
Durbin, but the mob accomplished its
work before any effort was made to
get the militia into action
Being advised of the Threatening sit
uatiOn, the governor wired to Captain
Thomas of company 3 to place his
company, fully armed, in a position IC
be Immediately ready for duty in re-
Spouse to a call from the sheriff Be
fore the sheriff called on the militia
the prisoner was in the hands Of the
mob and was dead
Battered Down Jail Doors.
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 JaiIer Lawrence O'DOnneH, who
fired over the heads Of the mob. Dep
uty Sheriffs Cooper, Hessick and Le-
forge were struck by scattering shot
and slightly injured, but nobody in the
crowd was hurt. Ae detail of police
arrived at the Jail and tried to disperse
the crowd, but with poor success
The crowd kept on growing, and the
excitement increasing until, at 40
O'Clock, a crowd of irresistible numbers
attacked the Jail. battering down the
outer doors securing possession or the
keys and entering the cell room A
piece OF railroad timber twenty-five
feet long and eight inches thick was
used as a battering 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 lilODs anu lOUSi4L Win LAAC NACN7A'SAe-
ton of a beast at bay. He was dragged
out to the street, still fighting with all
his strength, but a blow from heavy
hammer feIled him to the ground.
A moose was adjusted to his neck,
and the mob started with its victim
toward the Wabash bridge. The feeble
resistance made by the wretched crea-
ture after the 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 Dlanlzing from the
driveway to the draw bridge.
Body Is Burned.
Many are of the opinion that the
negro 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 a
short time when someone suggested
burning Immediately fire was KIN
died on the bank of the river, near the