The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-02-27
SWIFT VENGEANCE OVERTAKEs
NEGRO MURDERER AT TERRE
HAUTE, IND. y
HANGED AND BODY BURNED
DETERMINED MOB OVERBORE ALI
RESISTANCE-NO ATTEMPT AT
CONCEALMENT
BRIEF FIGHT AT THE JAIL
Three Deputy Sheriffs Were SHghtIN
Wounded by Stray ShOfs-Gov-
ernOr Ordered Out Militia,
but Too Late.

TERRE HAUTE, Ind, Feb. 2.-Pun.
1shment, swift and terrible was meted
out today to George Ward the negro
who murdered Miss Ida Finkelstem. the
school teacher, by shooting her with a
shotgun and cutting her throat, yester-
day afternoon
In few hours after his arrest. an
angry mob battered down the doors Of
the JAN, dragged the prisoner to the Wa
DaSh 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, ktndled
IRE and cremated the remains
1t was the first lynchng that ever oc-
Cured in Terre Haute and the day
abounded in exciting incidents.
Ward was arrested at 10 o'clock at tho
car works, where he was employed as a
laborer, and after being fully identified
by two citizens, made a confession. His
only excuse for the murder was that
Miss Fnkclstein called him q dirty
niger" and slapped him in the face.
Sheriff Fassig communicated with Gov.
Ddrbin, but the mob accomplished it's
work before the militia could be ordered
out.
CALLED ON THE MILITIA
i9 NNlSeo VI the Threatening S1tua-
don, the governor wired to Capt.
Thomas, of Company B, to place his
company, fully armed, in a position to
be Immediately ready for duty in re-
sponse to d call from the sheriff
Hefore the sheriff could call on the
militia, the prisoner was in the hands Of
the mob 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
Jaller Lawrence O'DonncH, swho fired
over the heads OF the mob
Deputy Sheriffs Cooper, Hesick and
! BeForge 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 dispense the crowd. but with
! poor success. The crowd kept on grow.
! ing, and the excitement increased. and
! at l2;35 O'Clock another crowd of ire
/ s1stlble numbers attacked the Jail bat
| terlng down the outer doors. securing
| possession of the keys and entering the
Cell room. piece of railroad timber
| 70 feet long and inches thick was used
as 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 mob.
| and he fought with the desperate feroc-
lty Oh beast al bay. He was dragged
cut INTO the street, still fighting with all
his 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 it's victim
toward the Wabash bridge.
me feeble resistance made by the
Wretched creature after that blow with
The hammer was soon Quoted bv the
savage blows Of the mob Face down
ward he was dragged through the streets
TO the bridge and across the rough
planking of the driveway to the draw or
the bridge
Many are of the opinion that the fellow
was dead before the scene of the hanging
was reached. However. the rome was
thrown over one of the upner beams
and the body drawn up 1t had been
swinging In that position but short Tins
when 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 unani-
mously, and a fire was quickly kfndled
on the bank of the river. just south of
the west end of the bridge Into the
lire the body, bearing no sign of life,
was thrown, and faggots were piled upon
IT, The 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 a can of turDentinc
which was fed to the eager flames After
that combustible oils seemed to flow spon-
taneously toward the fire and the flames
leaned W. Ic ba hoJ Of
was rapidly consumed
There was no attempt at Disguise on
the part o. 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-increa sing
numbers. When the body was taken
down to be carried to the fire the
bridge west of the draw was barrcaded
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 crJmble and
burn.
MORBID RELIC HUNTERS.
The souvenir fiend was on hand in force
and fragments of the body are scat
tered broadcast. One man, while the Ieet
still protruded from the flames, offered
81 for a toe from 1.-The nggers foot" A
venturesome youth, drawing 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 a 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 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 2:3O o'clock the bar