The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-08-08
NEGRO RAVISHER is BURNED
ALIVE BY A FOSSE OF IN
FURIATED FARMERS
TRAILED WITH BLooDHOUNDs
Criminal Is Captured Within Twen-
ty-FOur Hours and Executed
at the Scene of His
Crime
IDENTIFIED BY HIS VICTIM

BIRMINGHAM, Ala, Aug. with ag-
onizing screams and his eyes buging
from his head John Wesley Pennington,
a negro, was burned at the stake near
Enterprise Ala, before a crowd of $50
enraged and determined citizens of Cof-
fey county this morning. The mob was
composed of both whites and blacks, and
though the suffering wretch pleaded for
mercy and frantically endeavored to
break the chains that tightly bound him,
not a trace Of sympathy was shown on
the faces that peered at him through the
flames. Pennington had committed
brutal assault upon Mrs. ]. c. Davis, the
wife of one of the most prominent farm
eUs of Coffee county, and confessed his
guilt. The crime was committed yester-
Gay while Mrs. Davis was gathering veg
etables in her garden. She was STOPPING
over, plucking tomatoes, when Penning
ton slipped up behind her and threw her
to the ground. He choked the fear
stricken woman into insensibility, ac-
complished his intention and fed through
the woods nearby. As soon as she re-
gained her senses Mrs. Davis crawled
to the house and told her husband what
had happened.
CHASED WITH BLOODHOUNDS.
A large posse was quickly gathered,
with bloodhounds, and they chased the
x,
was captured in a swamp. Pennington
was bound hand and foot and taken
back to the Davis home for identifica-
tion. Word of the assault on Mrs. Da-
Wis had been sent by runners for miles
around Enterprise, and every farmer
in the neighborhood had joined in the
search Some of them were too late to
join the pursuing party, and went to Da-
Wis home quietly and awaited their re-
turn. There is not a telegraph office in
Coffee county, but the messenger tray
eled fast, and when the posse arrived
this morning with Pennington there were
at least 500 persons gathered near the Da-
Wis residence. A great shout went up
when the prisoner was seen by the
crowd, but at signal the men withdrew
to the woods and awaited the result Of
the meeting of Pennington and Mrs. Da-
Wis.
CRIMINAL IDENTIFIED.
Mrs. Davis Immediately recognized him,
and the negro broke down ana wept He
admitted having committed the crime,
and though he pleaded for mercy with
cries of terror, the trembling man was
dragged from the house and into the
road, where the crowd had gathered.
Evidently expecting the confession sew
eral of the citizens had already driven
an iron pipe in the ground, and as the
men approached with remington, DOIh
whites and blacks were piling brush
wood around the stake. The negro now
saw his DOOM and with a scream of
terror fell to the ground in a faint. He
was quickly revived, and dragged to
the stake, while the crowd stood silently
by. The frightened man was limp, and
had to be held up while the chains were
fastened around his neck and body. When
all was ready the cry was given and
the crowd stood back A match was
applied to the pile, and with oil to feed
upon, the tiny flame soon burst into a
roaring fire. The terrified negro again
pleaded for mercy in the most agonizing
tones, and prayed to God that those
around him might perish He then called
upon his maker for forgiveness, and as
the flames leaped up and encircled his
neck, an unearthly Shrek was heard,
and the mans eyes had almost bulged
out of the sockets BY this time the
fire had gained such headway that moth
ing could be seen except a wriggling mo-
ton in the center of it. A deathly ST.
lence followed, and in few minutes
the flames had sufficiently subsidized to see
that Pennington's head had fallen for
ward and hung limp over the iron chain.
The body was quickly consumed and all
of Pennington that remained was a pile
of ashes The crowd then quietly dis
persed.