The semi-weekly messenger. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1897-1908, 1901-06-21
A WHOLESALE HANGING
FIVE MEN EXECUTED UPON ONE GAL
LOWS FOR A DOUBLE MURDER.
At Sylvania i've Negroes, Members
ola Secret Society, who Ambushed q
Sherims Posse and Killed Two OF
Them, Paw the Penalty of Their
Crime-The Condemned Refuse to
Make any Statement.

Sylvania, Ga, June 14.-Five bodies
dangling upon the same gallows. five
souls launched into eternity at the same
moment, marked the triumph of the
majesty Of the Law and the end Of what
is believed to have been an organized
gang Of murderers, here today. The
victims Of the legal tragedy were Ar
mold Augustus, Andrew Davis, Richard
Sanders, William Hudson and Sam
Baldwin, all negroes. The victims Of
their crime were Constable Meares and
Fillmore Harrington, whom The am
pushed and shot to death, and Captain
Wade whom they seriously wounded in
the shooting that killed the two first
mentioned, nearly a year ago. On at
least two occasions efforts were made
to lynch the murderers, but by the
prompt action of the officers of the law
they were frustrated. On one of these
occasions the governor found it neces-
sary to order out three companies of
the state militia. The execution today
was strongly guarded by the local mil
itary, because of a rumor that an effort
would be made by negroes to effect the
rescue of the condemned. But there
was no disturbance, nor the suggestion
of any. The hanging was in private.
the stockade being surrounded by a
strong Gordon of troops. Five thou
sand persons gathered in the village,
but only about forty We're admitted to
the enclosure.
The condemned men maintained a
stoical reserve, refusing to confess or
to talk abou the crime. They were
attended by ministers of their own race,
who beSought them to ease their con-
sciences by making acknowledgements
of their sins. Still, they refused to ak
The five, shackled 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
s~trangulation.
The five bodies were cut down and
the crowd slowly dispersed, satisfied
that the law had taken it's course.
The crime for which Augustus, San
ders, Davis, Hudson and Baldwin were
hanged occurred last August. 1t origi-
mated in a quarrel between a young ne
gro named Alexander and two young
white men, Fillmore Harrington and
Milton Meares, respecting the right of
way on a country highway. Young
Alexander made threats against the
lives of the white men during the quar-
rel over who should give way in the
road. Alexander, it seems, belonged to
an organization of negroes known as
knights of the Archer. 1t was al
legged, but not proved, that this was
an o~ath-bound organization for mu-
tual defense among the negroes even
to the extent of killing white men who
interfered with negroes.
A day or two after the quarrel in the
road Harrington and Meares swore out
ening their lives. MeareS, being a con-
stable, headed a party consisting of
himself. Harrington, Capt j. T. Wade
and George Daniel, to effect the arrest
of Alexander. AS the four white men
approached AleXander's house they
were fired upon from ambush by ap-
parently a dozen guns and rifles. Con-
stable Meares fell dead in his track.
Harrington, mortally wounded, crawled
100 yards and died. Daniel was wound
ed, but made his escape with Vac
The %coroner's inquest developed evil
dence against eight negroes, all mem
bers of the knights of the Archer, in
Guiding those who were hanged today.
Upon the trial the five named admit
ed they were in the ambuShing party,
but claimed they were forced into it
by others under threats of death if they
refused.
Brunswick, Ca, June 14.-Fricey
Griffin, a negro, was hanged here today
for the murder in October last of r.
Marion Latimer. Latimer was a pas
senger conductor on tie Southern rail-
way. On the night the murder occurr-
ed. Latimer was informed, while his
train was running between two sta
ions in this part of the state, that
some one was standing on the front
steps of the baggage car. Latimer
opened the doc n called to the man
to come inside. The negro stepped to
the door of the car and shot the con-
ductor killing him instantly.