The Tupelo journal., 1902-10-24
LYNCHINC IN ARKANSAS
Negro Burned at tho Stake in st.
Francis County.
Victim Murdered . White w0man-Of-
ficers and Citizens Strive In Vain to
Prevent the Burning.

Forrest City, Ark, Oct. 20.-A mob
OF 100 men or more stormed the Jail
at 8 o'clock tonight, overpowering the
1ailer and, falling to get the key to
the great outside iron door, smashed
the lock with a sledge hammer, surged
into the corridor, where the cell keys
were found, which opened the door
and let the mob face to face with
Charlie Young, the negro who a week
ago this morning was charged with
the assault and murder of Mrs, Ed
Lewis. Quietly the mob led their VIC
tim to a telephone pole on the public
square, to which willing hands firmly
bound him, while a score Of others
hastily accumulated inflammable ma
@terial, such as goods boxes and oil and
was soon ready to torture their vic
tim.
Adjourned to Stave Factory. 81
At this juncture the mob was pre-
vailed upon to take him out OF the
corporation limits, to which they final
ly consented by loosening the bands
and running him to the stave factory.
one-half mile east of town on the line
of the Choctaw railway, scores of men
carrying boxes to be used in the pro-
cess of torture and cremation. At this
point a tree eight inches in diameter
was selected, to which the unfortu-
nate negro was securely bound by
trace chains. The infiammable mate
rial was piled high around by the
erect body.
Lewis Applied Match.
The negro was given an opportunity
to make a statement, but nothing came
from him but a denial in a general
way. Cries for Ed Lewis. husband
OF the murdered woman, went up and
he stepped forward and applied the
match. AS the flames began to circle
the body the negro uttered most ag-
onizing cries and yelled:
IF you will give me a chance l will
tell you something"
The flaming fuel was scattered and
the suffering man unbound. In a
clear tone he said: Henry Arm
strong is the guilty man and | can
prove it,"
Here the mob parleyed among them
selves, when they finally dispatched
three OF their number to go after
Armstrong, eight miles away.
Sealed His Fate.
During this period many questions
were put to the wretch and in an
swering he made a fatal statement
which contradicted his statement i'm
~plicating Armstrong. At this the
crowd accepted no further explanation
from the lips Of their victim and for
the second time he was made fast to
the tree of torture.
The fire was quickly rekindlej and
as the flames wildly encircled his body
he still professed his innocence in the
most lusty manner AS the flames ate
their way through his clothing and
into the flesh of the lower part of his
body he was repeatedly asked, was it
Armstrong;" to which he made no re-
ply other than screaming goodbye,
goodbye" His wild and powerful ef-
forts to rid himself of the horrible
torture caused the bands to slacken
and his body swayed backward imme-
diately over the hottest portion of the
fire, when suffocation assisted in max
ing life extinct. The crowd dispersed
in good order, leaving the charred re-
mains still fast to the tree.
The town is perfectly quiet and it
has developed that Henry Armstrong
al easily prove an alibi, thus proving
that Charlie Young went to death
with a lie on his lips.