Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1901-01-23

'oiuou' SAoA"huoi Woo piouSuo /
in a wagon with a dozen men. The
leader called for silence. The roar
ceased and Alexander was showed
forward into full view of the crowd
A howl went up which was quickly
hushed as the prisoner raised his
shackled hands and began to speak.
Twice the crowd drowned his tremb-
ling voice.
"You are going to kill me what
ever ! say" he said, "but you men
are wrong. want to tell you right
now you have got the wrong man.
| did not do that and some day you
men here>will run up against the
man who did. know it amt any
use to say 80, for you are going to
kill me, but didn't do it,"
The men standing behind Alex
ander then showed him from the
wagon and the roar of the crowd
drowned every other sound. The
negro was quickly driven down the
embankment to the pile of wood,
with his hands still shackled, and
there bound to the stake.
Many of the crowd carried rails
and boards. Several seized railroad
irons and carried them to the ravine.
A railroad iron was planted upright
in the mud. This was made fast to
cross irons, firmly bound to the
upright iron with wire. Around
the improvised stake wood and
boards were piled. To this the man
was dragged and chained in stand
ing position to the upright railroad
iron. Chains and irons were wrap
ped about linn and, with his hands
still shackled, he was made fast to
the post. Coal oil was then poured
over him.
Before the match was appied John
Forbes, father of the murdered girl,
stepped up to Alexander and said:
care you guilty of numbering my
daughter ?"
81 don't know what you have me
here for" said Alexander.
Forbes replied
"For killing my girl on this very
spot"
"Mr. Forbes, if that's your name,
you have the wrong man." said the
negro.
"Burn him ! Burn him |" cried the
crowd.
"Gentlemen, you have got lots of
time" said Alexander. "You are
burning an innocent man. You
took advantage of me. You gave
me no show. Can I see my mother 7"
Alexander again asked to see his
mother. She was called for, but she
was not in the crowd.
Alexander then said:
"Will you let me shake hands
with all my friends ?"
"You have no friends in the
crowd, you damned BEAST" said one
of the men in charge of the negro.
off you have anything to say, say it
in harry"
Coal oil was then applied for the
second time, while Alexander called
to acquaintances in the crowd and
said goodbye to them. He talked
nationally until John Forbes, the
father of the murdered girl, lighted
the match. Again Alexander was
asked to make a confession, but he
replied that he had nothing to say.
AS the flames leaped about him
Alexander turned ghastly hue and,
clasping his hands together, began to
sway to and fro, while the crowd
yelled.
In five minutes the negro was
hanging limp and lifeless by the
chains that bound him. AS soon as
the crowd saw that life was extinct
it began to slowly disperse. Hun
dreds, however, staid to the last.
Men kept piling on wood all the
time until about 7 o'clock, when the
flames were allowed to die down.
From 6 TO 8 o'clock there was con-
tinuous stream of people going from
and to the scene of the burning.
Later there was wild scramble to
obtain relics.
After Alexander's arrest he was
taken before Miss Roth, who identi-
fed him. Since then a mob has
surrounded the penitentiary day and
night. To-day Governor Stanley
ordered two companies of MALTA to
be in readiness to start for Leaven-
worth at moments notice.