Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1901-06-20
WHOLESALE HANGING !
Five Negroes Executed at sylvia.
mia, Ca, for Murder.
BELONGED TO KNIGHTS OF ARCHER.
The Motto Of the Organization Was death
to the Whites"-The Awesome Rites Of
the Negro society The Scene
ut the ScaffOld.

ing Of five men upon the same gallows
at the same moment here yesterday
marked the end of what is thought
to have been an organized gang OF
murderers. The men executed were
Arnold Augustus, Andrew Davis,
Richard Sanders, William Hudson and
Samuel Baldwin, all negroes. The
victims of their crime were Consta-
BILE Mears and Fillmore Harrington,
whom they ambushed and shot to
death, and Capt. Wade, whom they
seriously wounded. On at least two
occasions efforts were made to lynch
the murderers, but by the prompt ac-
ton of the officers Of the law they
were frustrated. On one Of these oc-
casions the governor found it neces-
sary to ordee out three companies Of
the state militia.
The execution yesterday was
strongly guarded by the local militia
because of rumor that an effort
would be made by negroes to effect
the rescue of the condemned. But
there was no disturbance, nor the sug-
gestion Of any. The hanging was in
private, the stockade being surround
ed by a strong Gordon Of troops. Five
thousand persons gathered in the vii
lage, but only 40 were admitted in
the Enclosure. The condemned men
maintained a stoical reserve, refusing
to confess or to talk about the crime.
They were attended by ministers OF
their own race, who besought them
to ease their consciences by making
acknowledgment of their sins. Still
they refused to talk. The five, shack
led in chains, were marched upon the
gallows together. When the trap
fell the necks Of four were snapped
like reeds. \The fifth struggled for
five minutes and died Of strangula-
tion. The five bodies were cut down
in drizzle of rain.
These five negroes were convicted
Of a murder committed under an al
legged criminal conspiracy by an or
ganzed band of blacks known as
"Knights of the Archer" The motto
Of the organization, It is said, was
"Death to the Whites" The murder
for which the men died was but the
elimination ola long series of crimes.
II is common report that the charter
Of this oath-bound organization was
signed in blood apd the leader, An
drew Mckinney, assembled his band
only at night, when he swore them,
with awesome rites, to secrecy and
to deeds of death and robbery.
On a night in October, 1899, Milton
Mears, constable of Screven county,
Fillmore Harrington and Capt. Jesse
Wade, started out from Sylvania to
serve q warrant for the arrest OF Joe
Sanders, young negro wanted for
some trivial offense. No sooner had
they reached his house than fusil-
lade began From the cracks between
the logs of the cabin and from
thicket of dwarf trees close by came
the fash of rifles and shotguns and
three men fell desperately wounded.
Capt. Wade managed to crawl to his
buggy and make his way to Sylvania,
where he told of the shooting. Her.
rington and Mears were literally shot
to pieces. The murderers escaped.
but one after another five We're ar
rested and placed in Jail here. These
were the men who met death yester-
day. The others. including McKin-
ney and the real leaders of the
Knights of the Archer, successfully
effected their escape and have never
been captured.