The Savannah morning news., 1901-03-14
CREMATED IN TEXAS
ANOTHER OUTRAGE AVENGED AT
THE STAKE.
FIEND CONFESSED HIS GUILT.
CROWD WOULD HAVE TORN HIM To
PIECES.

Business Was Suspended MT Cor.t
cana and 5000 People witne.ses
the BurninG-ffis End Was short
and Swift-Murdered Farmers
Wife in Presence of the Two Chill
dren-Husband Attacked Him af
the Funeral Pyre.
Corsiciana, Tex. March 1s.-John Hem
derson "a negro, who brutally assaulted
ana murdered Mrs. Younger, a farmers
wife living just outside of this city, sew
eral days ago. was burned to death in
the court house square here at noon to-
day.
A written confession of the crime. at-
tested by Justice Roberts was secured
from the prisoner.
rive thousand people witnessed the
burning and business was practically sus.
pended for a time.
Henderson was captured Yesterday AT
ter long chase. He was trailed by blood
mounds from the Younger homestead.
many miles back and forth across the
country, and was finally captured near
Hillsboro The officers took him to the
rear OF mobs, to start for Fort Worth.
When the train reached Itasca, a party
of Younger's friends overpowered the
guards and hustled Henderson from the
train He was conveyed across the prai-
rie distance of As miles, to Corsicana.
where he was placed in Jail to prevent the
infuriated citizens from tearing him to
pieces.
The Murderer COnfexses
A committee was appointed to see him
and pass finally upon his guilt or iuno-
cence Finally he made a written con-
fession that he had murdered an "un-
known white lady three miles north Of
Corsicana, March c. There was no one
present, he said. but himself and the yo
mans two little children. He said he
did not know why he did It,
When 1t became public that Henderson
mad confessed people swarmed around the
JAN. 1t was decided to burn the prisoner
at the stake at p m, but news was
received that troops had been started
from Dallas, and the execution was hur-
| ried.
railroad rail was driven into the
| ground in the corner Of the Court House
square. Boxes and dry timber were pill
| ed around 1t and saturated with oil. Inst
| before noon about forty men rushed from
the jail across the square, to the place
where the raii had been planted In their
| midst was Henderson handcufred The
men formed a circle holding to a chain
which surrounded the prisoner to prevent
the crowd from tearing him away. The
negro was fastened to the rail with wire
and chains
Cans of oil were emptled over his cloth
ing and dozens Of lighted matches touch
ed the infiammable material. The Are
alarms were rung and the stores of the
city were deserted, as their occupants left
Tor the square to witness the burning
The Husband of the Victim.
Just as the pile was fired. Conway
Younger, husband of the murdered wo-
man. jumped at Henderson and slashed
him across the face with a knife Hem
derson gave no indication of pain or suf-
fering. He rolled his eyes to get a glrnpsa
of the angry faces which surrounded him
and there was slight movement of the
hands.
In ten minutes Henderson was dead. AZ
no time did he make any outcry other
than an occasional groan.
When the frightful tragedy was over
| Lee French, a white man, whose wife
was outraged and murdered near C6rsi-
cana by Andrew Norris a negro now in
jail at Dallas for safe-keeping, climbed
tree and addressed the assembled thou
| sands, asking them to help him to get
the murderer and burn him. The crowd
| yelled In response that they would do 1t.
In few minutes, however, the crowd dis
rersed and Corsicana was quiet.
Something New In verdicts.
Justice II. @. Roberts held an inquest
over the remains of Henderson and gave
the following verdict:
Il find that the deceased came to his
just death at the hands of the incensed
and outraged feelings of the best people
In the United States the citizens of Ma
varro and adjoining counties. The evil
! dence as well as the confession of guilt
by deceased shows that his punishment
was fully merited and commendable."