The Batesburg advocate. [volume] (Batesburg, S.C.) 1901-1911, 1901-03-06
A NEGRO BURNED
In the Street Of Terr0 Haute, In
diana For
KlLLlNo A WHITE WOMAN.

diana For
KlLllNo A WHITE WOMAN.
Crowds Ct Msr, Women and
Children Witness tho Ba,bor.
Gus Scene. No Attempt
at concealment
Punishment, swift and terrible was
meted out Wednesday at Terre Haute,
Indiana to George Ward, the Negro
who murdered Miss Ida Kinkelst. in,
the school teacher, by shooting her
with shotgun and cutting her throat
Tuesday afternoon. A few hours after
his arrest an angry mob battered down
the doors of the jail, dragged the pris-
oner to the Wabash bridge, several
squares away and hanged him to the
bridge draw. Not content with the
hanging the crowd out the corpse
down, and, laying it on a sandbar un-
der the bridge, kindled FIRE and ore
mated the remains. 1t was the first
lynching that Terre Haute ever expe-
rienced.
Ward was arrested at 10 O'Clock at
the car works, where he was employed
as a latorer, and after being fully
ident fed by two ,citiz,s, made 9 con-
fession. His only excuse for the muir.
der was that Mss Finkelstein had
called him dirty Niger" aud slapped
him in the fa,e. Sheriff Fasig COM
municsted with Gov. Dirbin, but the
mob accomplished it's work before the
militia could be ordered out.
The governor had wired Capt.
Thomas of Co. b, to I lsco his company
fully armed in readiness for duty.
At noon the crowd outside the Jail,
numbering sevaral hundred, including
men, women and boys battered down
the iron doors, but were driven back
by Jsiler Lawrepco O'Donnell. who
fred over the heads of the mob. Deputy
Sheriffs Cooper, Hessiok and Leforge
were struck by scattering shot and
slightly injured, but nobody in the
crowd was hurt. A detail of police
vainly tried to disperse the crowd
Ar 12:35 o'clock another crowd bat
tered down the outer doors Of the Jail
securing possession of the keys and en-
tering the cell room. The side door
was opened for the rest of the crowd.
The cell was quickly opened and Ward
was dragged forth. He fought with
the desperate ferocity of beast at
hay. He was dragged out to the
street, still fighting with all his
strength, but a blow from heavy
hammer felled him to the ground.
A moose was quickly adjustedyNo his
neck and the m5b started with its
victim toward the Wabash bridge.
The feeble resistance made by the
wretched creature after that blow with
the hammer was soon quoted by the
savage blows Of the mob Face down
ward he was dragged through the
street to the bridge and across the
rough planking of the driveway to the
drawbridee. Many are of the opinion
that the fellow was dead before the
scene Of the hanging was reached
However, the rope was thrown over
one of the upper beams and the body
drawn up.
Then burning at the stake was
agreed on unanimously, and fire was
quickly kindled on the bank of the
river just south of the bridge. The
body, bearing no sign of life, was
thrown into the fire, and fsggots we re
piled upon it. The stake was omitted.
The body was in horizontal position,
the feet protruding at one end, the
head at the other. The can of turpen.
tine WAS poured on the eager flames.
After that combustible oils seemed to
how spontaneously toward the fire and
the flames leaped high, while the body
of the Negro was rapidly oonsu med.
None of the mob attempted disguise.
When the body was taken down to
be carried to the FIRE the bridge west
of the draw was barricaded, but the
east bank Of tho river and the bridge
on the city side of the draw we're
crowded with thousands of men, wo-
men and children, gazing at the awful
spectacle. With grim determination
the mob fed the flames and watched the
flesh shrivel to cinders and the bones
orumble and burn.
Souvenir hunters were on hand in
force, and fragments of the body are
now scattered broadcast. One man,
while the feet still protruded from the
flames, offered 81 for toe from "the
Nigger's foot" A venturesome youth,
drawing knife from his pocket, made
a dash for the prize. He quickly ampu
tsted toe, delivered the goods and
got his money.
As the bones began to crumble and
fall apart the frag III ants were taken
from the fire and carried away. At
o'clock there was nothing left of the
bOdy except small section of the trunk
aDd the back of the head. Busy hands
kept the burning faggots piled upor
the roasting segments. Women came
to the scene by scores. At about 2.3(
o'clock the barricade was removed and
the crowd surrounded the fire.
Ward was q years old, and leaves
widow and two children. He came here
four years ago, from Circieville, o
The statement that he was one timt
in an insane asylum is denied by hi
wife. He served Jail sentence in 1873!
for larceny. The leaders Of the mol
are unknown, and as public sentimen
upholds the lynching, no prosecution
are expected.