Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1901-06-06
KILLED BY A MOB.
A Florida Negro Is Burned at
the Stake.
The Crime for which He Suffered
Punishment was the Murder of =
White Woman-A Siekening
Affair the Prairie
Near Barlow, Fla.

Barlow, Fla, May 30.-Fred Ro-
chelle, a negro, 35 years of age, who
at noon Tuesday criminally assaulted
and then murdered Mrs. Rena Tag
CART, well-known and respectable
white woman of this city, was burned
at the stake here last evening in the
presence of thrcng of people. The
burning was on the scene of the ne
gro's crime, within 100 yards of the
principal thoroughfare of this city.
The assault and murder was one of
the coldest-blooded crimes ever COM
mitted in Florida At 10 o'clock
Tuesday morning, Mrs. Taggart, who
was born and raised in this place and
was woman of good family reputa-
ton, went fishing alone in a small
row boat that she kept at the bridge
over Piaco creek. A few minutes
before noon, desiring to return home,
she rowed her boat to the bridge and
made it fast. A negro was fishing
from the bridge at the time. Mrs.
Taggart started nome and had pro-
ceeded only a few steps in the swamp
toward the open prairie and thence
to the street, when she was APP
preached by Rochelle, who had been
hiding in the swamp. He seized her
and she broke loose and ran from the
swamp into the prairie, where he
overlook her.
After the assault, while she was
prostrate, he held her with his hands
and knees and, taking his knife from
his pocket, cut her throat from ear
to ear, causing instant death. He
then walked to the negro who had
been fishing on the bridge, and who
was thoroughly frightened, and
asked him what he should do with the
body. He was told to leave it where
it was, but, unmindful of this request,
he took the bleeding form in his arms
and carried it back to the swamp,
threw it down and escaped into the
interior of the swamp. In a few
minutes the crime had been reported
and in less than an hour practically
the entire city was in arms and a
well armed posse was moving in every
direction in search of the criminal.
In the morning no trace of the ne
gro had been secured and the people
were becoming more determined to
apprehend him, as the chances for his
noon courier arrived announcing
that the negro had been captured by
two other negroes; two miles south
of the city. Posses were immedi-
ately, on the trail but the capturers
evaded detection and succeeded in
getting their prisoner into the city
and in turning him over to the sheriff
of Polk county. In less than ten
minutes after the transfer had been
made the streets became congested
with people and the crowd, augment
ed as it marched, moved on the Jail.
In spite of the sheriff and a strong
guard of extra deputies who made
every effort to protect him from mob
violence, they secured the prisoner
and took up the march to the scene
of the crime.
He was half dragged, half carried
to the bridge, enveloped by a great
throng of people of all ages, who
were resolute and determined, but
quiet and orderly. Scream after
scream broke from the wretch's quiv-
ering lips, followed by groans and
prayers for mercy. At the bridge
the mob turned toward the prairie
and then into the swamp and to the
scene of the negro's crime. BY COM
mon consent burning was to be the
penalty. There were no ropes, no
plans for lynching by hanging.
The stake was the only suggestion
as to the proper expiation of the
crime, and without organized effort
and yet with apparently unanimous
understanding a barrel was in readi-
ness and was placed by the stake on
the very spot where Mrs. Taggart
was assaulted and murdered.
On this the negro was placed and
chained to the stake. He pleaded
for mercy, but in the great crowd
around him silence was the only re-
sponse. There were no jeers, swear
ing, no disorder. Before the chains
around his body had been made fast,
cans of kerosene oil were passed to
the front and one of the leaders
stepped to the negro and slowly
poured il upon him and his clothes
until clothes and barrel were well
saturated.
1t was then o'clock. The crowd
was growing and business in the city
had practically been suspended. When
the match was applied the blaze
quickly leaped skyward. Inc burn
ing body could be seen only as a
dark object in the CIRCLE of u roaring
flame. Then the fire slackened and
the writhing body came back in full
view, but already the groans had
ceased and the only evidence of life
was in the cnntortions of the muscles
of the limbs. For Is minutes the
body burned and in half hour from
the minute of the application of the
match only the charred bones were
left as a reminder of the negro's
crime and his fate.
Horse Thief Suicides.
st. Joseph, Mo-, May 3O.-E. II. Lam
berson, who was arrested here Tues
day ninht after he had StOlen q hnrsa