The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1901-06-07

StsKa at sarsow, FiF.
His CRIME Am AWFUL one
Laid in visit and Assaulted q
White Norman and
Than Out Har
Throat.
Frod Rochelle, ablaok nogro 35 years
Of ago, who at noon Wednesday crimi-
nally assaulted and then murdered Mrs.
Roma Taggart, woll known and 70
spectacle whito woman ofBsrtow, Fla,
was burned st the sta hore early We'd,
nesday ovoning in tho pressnoo Of a
throng of people. The burning was on
lhe scono of tho nogro's orimc within
lOO yards Ct tho principal thoroug flare
Of this CITY.
Tho assault and murder was ono OF
tho boldest and ooldost bloodsd crimes
over committed in Florida. AT IC
O'Clock yesterday morning Mrs. Tag
CART, who was born and raared in this
place and waB q woman OF good family
and reputation, went fishing alone in
q email row boat that she kept at tho
oity bridge over Plaoo creek. This is
in full WOW Of the public thoroughtare.
A few minutes before noon Mrs. Tag
gart, deciding to roturn homo, roYcd
her boat to tho bridge and mado it
fast. A negro man was fishing from
the bridge at the time. Mrs. Iaggar5
started homo and had proceeded only
few steps in the swamp toaard the
open prairie and thenoo TO the street
whom sho was approached by Rochelle,
who had boon hiding ia tho swamp.
lilo seiz ID her and sho broke ooso and
screaming ran from the saamp into tho
prairlc wncre he overlook her, ovorpow-
orod her and ass aulted her. Aftor tho
assault while she WAS prostratu no held
her with his hands and knoos and taking
his knife from his pocket GU her throao
from oar to ear, causing ina,ant doath.
He thon iwalk.d to tho negro who had
boon lsnlng on TIM bridge and who vas
thorough y 4 frlghteLe ID az a .aslsed~ hinas
What ho should do With the bouy. a He
was told to lehYS IL where 1t WaJ,3 but
unhoedful Of this requeBt he took the
bleeding form In his arms and carried
1t back to the swamp, threw it down
and escaped into tho interior oil the
swamp.
In a few minutes the orlme had been
reported and in LOSS than an hour pfao J.
tically the entire city was in arms and
we'll armed posses Wcre moving in
overy direction in seAroh OF tho Grim
lnal. Bioodnounds wore secured and
all night a frultloss soaroh was oon-
tlnued. This morning. no traoo Of tho
negro had boon ReourUd and the people
wore becoming more desperate in their
determination TO apprehond him az the
ohances for his final escape seemsd to
grow. About noon courier arrived
announcing that the negro had boon
captured ny othor negroes throo mlIos
south Of thc olty. Possos were ilnme
diateiy on the Trail, but the oapturors
evaded detection and eaooesdsd in
getting thoir prisonor quickly into the
city and in turning him over to tho
sheriff of Polk county. In iosJ than ten
minutes after the transfer had been
mado, ss If tho news had been flashed
voluntarily throughout the oity anu
neighbornood, the strse.s Woro con
gcstou with peoplo, and the crowd,
augmented a3 1T marched, moved upon
tho JAIL In spite OF the shoritf ana q
sCrOng guard OF extra dopuNes vino
mado every ctfOr6 to protect hiIo from
muD vioionoo, they secured tho pas
Vncr and took up the march TO tho
soeno Of the orimo. Howas half dragged
nalf carried to tho bridge, developed Dy
Bront thronS ofpuupiu ot all RxUs, WHU
we're reaoluto and determined but quiet
and orderly. Scream after pcream Droke 0
from THO wrotch's qulvoring UPS, fol
flowed by groanB anu prayers for nero ".
at the bridge tho MOP tutnod toward
the prairie and then into swamp and ty
tho scene Of tho negro's horrible orime}
BY common oonson6 burning was to bo
tho penalty. Thoro Woro no ropes, or
plans for lynching by hanging.
The stake was the only suggestion a
to tho proper expiation Of the crime
and without orgatiiz ID effort ohd yot
with apparently unauin. ou5' undor.
standing u barrel was ia roadihosg and
was plaoed by tho stake on the very
spot where Mrs. Taggart way assaulted
and murdered. I8
The negro was plaeod atd chainoa to
tho stake. Louder and iodder and moro
desperate grew his poadings to God
and man for meroy, jbut,in the grost
crowd around him sienoo was tho only
response. Thoro fore no jaers, no
swearing, no dsordor. Botoro tho
chains around hB body had boon made
fast, cans Of kobseno oil from many
souroos were psbsod to the oen,re and
one Of tho loa0rs stepped to the body
and slowly bufdeliborately poured II
upon him afd his clothes until hin
olothos and jthd barrel wero woll sat.
uratod. N wAs thon 8 O'Clock. Tho
orc Wd wes growing, bgsiness in the
4 city hM 2psactioaliy been suspended
and aljfyeS weyo turned toward the
lscona In an instant tho match was
applied. II 9EAsifiby explosion The blaze
aiSkly loaped skyward in volume. The
.ltdrning body could be soon only ae q
dark object in tho oirole Of mad donod,