The Bourbon news. [volume] (Paris, Ky.) 1895-19??, 1901-01-18
CHAINED TO A STAKE.
Fred Alexander Burned Alive by a
Mob at Leavenworth, Kan.
The Victim, Who Was Charged with
Assembling a Girl and the MUIR
der Of Pearl Forbes, Died
Protesting His Innocence.

Leavenworth, Kan, Jan. 16.-Fred
Alexander, the Negro, who Saturday
evening attempted to assault Miss
Eva Roth, and who was supposed to
have assaulted and killed Pearl
Forbes in this city in November last,
was Tuesday afternoon taken from
the sheriff's guard and burned at the
stake at the scene of his crimes, half
a dozen blocks from the center of the
city. Probably 5000 people witnessed
the lynching.
Al 5:15 o'clock Alexander was
brought to the scene of the murder
of Pearl Forbes, at the corner Of
Lawrence avenue and Spruce street.
The exact spot where the murdered
girl was found was located by the
leaders of the crowd, and there a
senicircle was formed. Alexander
was brought up in a wagon with a
dozen men. The wagon was stopped
in front Of the ravine, and, surround
ed by the crowd, the leader of the
men who held Alexander called for
silence. The roar ceased and Alexan-
der was showed forward for the
crowd to gaze at. A howl went up
which was quickly hushed as the pris-
Oner raised his shackled hands and
began to speak. Twice he started,
and the crowd drowned his trembling
voice.
You are going to kill me, whatever
l say" he said, but you men sre
wrong. l want to tell you right now
you've got the wrong man, z did not
do that, and SOME Say you men will
run up against the man who did. I
know it amt any use to say so, for
you're going to kill me, but l did not
do it,"
The men standing behind him show
ed him from the wagon, and the
roar from the wagon drowned every
other sound. The Negro was quickly
driven down the embankment to the
pile of wood, with his hands shackled.
The first thing done was to plant the
railroad iron upright in the mud.
This was made fast to cross irons
firmly bound to the upright iron. with
wire. Around the improvised stake
wood and boards were piled. To this
the man was dragged and chained in
a standing position to the upright
railroad iron. Coal oil was then
poured over him and the match touch
ed to him.
As the flames leaped about him
Alexander turned CHASTITY pale and
for the first time realized that death
was near. He clasped his hands to-
gether and began to swing to and
fro. while the crowd yelled.
in less than five minutes he was
hanging limp and lifeless by the
chains that bound him. AS soon as
the crowd saw that life was extinct
it began slowly to dispense. There
were hundreds of the morbid, how
ever, who stayed to the last.
Men kept piling on wood all the
time until about o'clock, when the
flames were allowed to die down.
From to o'clock there was a con-
tiIuOus stream of people going to
the scene of the burning. These were
persons who had been unable to get
away from their work in the after
noon, but were determined not to
miss seeing the awful spectacle.
The remains were viewed by thou
sands, and up to the time they were
taken away the carriages and We
hicles were continually passing by
She spot. No expressions of regret or
pity are heard from any source.
Topeka, Kan, Jan. 16.-Gov. Stan
ley, Tuesday night announced that he
would offer a reward of $500 for the
apprehension of any implicated in
apprehension of any one implicated in
the lynching of Alexander at Leaven-
worth. The governor further stated
that he was sorry that he could not
offer larger reward, but the law al
lows him to offer only $500. He said
that he was also going to instruct
the attorney general at cnce to inves-
tigate the conduct of Sheriff Ever
hardy in connection with the lynch
ing, and if it was found that the
sheriff had in any way violated his
trust as an official, proceedings would
be instituted to GUST him from office
YEOMANRY VOLUNTEERS.