Evening journal., 1901-02-27
NEGRO LYNCHED
IN INDIANA
Murderer'S Body Was Burned
After Being Hanged
GIRL TEACHER HIS VICTIM
ROmen Crowded to Front as His Body
Was Being Consumed by
the Flames
GIRL TEACHER HIS VICTIM

1erre Haute, Ind. Feb. 27.-Punish-
ment, swift and terrible, was meted
out yesterday to George Ward, the
negro who murdered Miss Ida Finkel-
stein, the school teacher, by shooting
her with shotgun and cutting her
throat Monday afternoon. A few hours
after his arrest an angry mob batter
ed down the doors of the jail, dragged
the prisoner to the Wabash bridge, sew
eral 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 sandbar under the
bridge, kindled a fire and cremated
the remains.
Ward. after his arrest, made con-
fession. His only excuse for the muir
der was that Miss Finkelstein called
him a dirty niger" and slapped him
in the face. Soon afterward mob OF
several hundred broke in the jail doors
and dragged out the victim. He fought
with the desperate ferocity OF a beast
at bay. He was dragged out to the
street. still fighting with all his
strength, but a blow from a heavy
hammer felled him to the ground.
A moose was quickly adjusted TO his
neck and the mob started with It's VIC
tim toward the Wabash bridge The
feeble resistance made by the wretched
creature after that blow with the ham
mer was soon Quieted by the savage
blows Of the mob. Face downward he
was dragged through the street to the
bridge and across the roughznlanking
OF the driveway to the drawbridge.
Many are Of the opinion that the fell
low was dead before the scene OF the
hanging was reached However, the
hanging and cremation was proceeded
with in the presence Of ceyeral thou
sand people.
There was no attempt at disguise on
the part of any member Of the mob
Within ten minutes of the time when
the mob reached the bridge with the
victim the people began 70 assemble
IN ever increasing numbers. When
the body was taken down to be car
ried to the fire the bridge west of the
draw was barricaded. and the crowC
was stopped there, but the east banl
OF the river and the bridge on The
city side of the draw was crowded
with thousands OF men, women anS
children, gazing at the awful spectacle
Of a human body being consumed II
vengeful flames.
Women came to the scene by scores
and elbowed their way into the inner
circles Of spectators, undeterred ant
apparently unmoved by the horror ol
the spectacle. At about 230 o'clocl
the barricade was removed from th,
west end OF the bridge and the GROVE
streamed across and surrounded the
fire. They watched and waited ant
came and went while the flames die
their work, and when the last frag
ment Of the body was consumed th'
crowd still fingered. still augmented
by new arrivals, satisfied to gaze upoE
the ashes OF the tragedy
Souvenir hunters were on hand II
force and fragments Of the body arr
now scattered broadcast. One man
while the feet still protruded from thu
flames, offered 81 for a toe from "thl
nigger's foot" A venturesome youth
drawing a knife from his pocket, mad,
dash for the prize. He quickly am
.putated a toe, delivered the goods anC
got his money As the bones began {,
crumble and fall apart the fragment.
were drawn from the fire and carried
away.
Ward was 27 years old and leaves
widow and two children. He cam,
here five years ago from Circleyille, o