The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-27
SWIFT VENGEANCE OvERTAKEs
NEGRO MURDERER AT TERRE
HAUTE, IND. \
HANGED AND BODY BURNED
DETERMINED MOB oVERBORE ALI
RESIsTANCE-NO ATTEMPT AT
CONCEALMENT
BRIEF FIGHT AT THE JAIL
Three Deputy Sheriffs Were SHghtI8
Wounded by Stray Shots-Gov-
ernOr Ordered Out militia,
but Too Late.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind, Feb. 26.-Pun.
lshment, swift and terrible. was meted
out today to George Ward the negro
Who murdered Miss Ida Finkelstein the
school teacher, by shooting her with q
shotgun and cutting her throat vester
day afternoon
In few hours after his arrest an
angry mob battered down the doors OF
the Jail, dragged the prisoner to the Wa
bash bridge, several squares away, and
hanged him to the bridge draw Nor
content with the hanging, the crowd
cut the corpse down, and laying it on a
SAND bar under the bridge. llindled
IRE and cremated the remains
IL was the first lynching that ever oc-
CURED In Terre Haute and the day
abounded in exciting incidents.
Wf'rd was arrested at 10 o'clock, at tho
car works, where he was empioyed as a
laborer, and after being fully identified
by two citizens, made a confession. His
only excuse for the murder was that
Miss Finkelstein called him a dirty
n1gger, and slapped him in the face.
Sheriff Fassig communicated with Gov.
Ddrbin, but the mob ACCOMPLISHED its
work before the militia could be ordered
out.
CALLED ON THE MILITIA.
Being advised of the threatening situa-
uSH' ' Tie governor wired to Capt.
Thomas, of Company B. to place his
company fully armed, in position to
be Immediately ready for duty in re-
sponse to call from the sheriff.
Eefore the sheriff could call en- the
militia, the prisoner was in the hands of
the mop and was dead even before taken
to the place arranged for the hanging.
AT noon, the crowd outside the jaiI.
numbering several hundred, including
men, women and boys, battered down
the iron doors, but were driven back by
Ja1ler Lawrence ODonnell. owho fired
over the heads of the mob.
Deputy Sheriffs Cooper, Besick and
Leforge were struck by scattering shot
and slightly injured, but nobody in the
crowd was hurt
JAIL DOORS BATTERED DOWN.
detail of police arrived at the tail
anc tried to disperse the crowd but with
! poor success. The crowd kept on grow
ing, and the excitement increased and
! at 12:35 o'clock another crowd of ire
slstIble numbers attacked the jail. bat
lerlng down the outer doors. securing.
possession of the keys and entering tha
/ Cell room. A piece of railroad timber.
20 feet long and 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.
Inc cell was quickly opened and Ward
was dragged forth. He realized that no
mercy could be expected from the nob
ana he fought with the desperate feroc-
lty OIL beast at bay. He was dragged
cut INTO the street, still fighting with all
MS strength, but a blow from q heavy
hammer felled him to the ground A
moose was quickly adjusted to his neck
ana the mob started with its avictin1
toward the Wabash bridge.
The feeble resistance made nv tba
Wretched creature after that blow with
me hammer was soon Quoted by the
savage ploWs Of the mob. Face down.
ward he was dragged through the streets
10 the bridge and across the rough
planking of the driveway to the draw of
the bridge
Many are of the opinion that the fellow
was dead before the scene of the bangino,
was reached However, the rope was
thrown over one of the upner beams
and the body drawn up. II had heaD
swinging in that position but a short tins
Wnen someone suggested burning at the
stake as the nearest approach to a proper
eXpiation of the awful crime
BURNED THE DEAD BODY
The suggestion was adopted nnani-
mously, and fire was quickly kfildled
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 ia ggots were niled uDon
II. Ihe stake was omitted. The body
was in horizontal position, the feet pro-
trudlng at one end, the head at the
other
The fire had barely been started when a
man arrived with can of turDentfDo
which was fed to the eager flames. After
that combustible oils seemed to flow spon-
taneously toward the fire. and the flames
leaped high while the body Of the negro
was rapidly consumed
There was no attempt at djsguise on
the part OF any member of the mob Within
ten minutes of the time when the mob
reached the bridge with the victim peo-
pie began 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 barricaded
and the crowd was stopped there, but
the east bank of the river and the bridge
on the city side of the draw was crowded
with thousands of men, women and chill
dren, gazing at the awful spectacle of a
human body being consumed in vengeful
flames
The certainty that the wretch was
dead, did not appease the anger of the
mob. With grim determination they fed
the flames and watched the flesh shrgvel
to cinders, and the bones crumble and
burn.
MORBID RELIC HUNTERS.
Inc souvenir hend was on hand in force
and fragments of the body are now scat
tered broadcast. One man, while the Ieet
still protruded from the flames, offered
81 for toe from "the nigger's foot" A
venturesome youth, drawing "a knife from
his pocket, made a dash for the prize
He quickly amputated a toe, delivered
the goods and got his money.
AS the bones began to crumble and
fall apart the fragments were drawn
from the fire and carried away
AT O'Clock there was nothing left
of the body, except small section Of
the trunk and the back of the head.
Busy hands kept the burning faggots
piled upon the roasting segment. An old
stump with spreading roots was placed
upon the apex of the fire and was soon
aglow, bearing a grotesque resemblance
to giant hand working dire vengeance
upon the wrongdoer.
Women came to the scene by scores
and elbowed their way into the inner cir
Gle of spectators, undeterred and appa-
rently unmoved by the horror of the
spectacle At about 2:30 o'clock the bar
,ica 6a was removed from the west end of