Keowee courier. [volume] (Pickens Court House, S.C.) 1849-current, 1902-10-08
Negro Burned In Mississippi.

Corinth, Miss, September 2S.-Writh-
ing in the flames of fagots piled high by
hundreds of citizens, Tom Clark, alias
VIII Gibson, a young negro, was burned
at the stake here to-day. Clark had
confessed to one of the most atrocious
assaults and murders in the history of
Mississippi and said that he deserved
his awful fate.
On August 10 last Mrs. Carey Whit
field, the wife of well-known citizen,
was found dead in her home. Investiga-
ton showed that the lady had been as
saulted. Her head was practically sew
cred from her body. Corinth and the
surrounding country was secured in an
effort to apprehend the murderer, but
from Chicago were employed, but their
efforts were fruitless. A committee of
twelve citizens were named to continue
the search and these men have been
active in their work. On Monday it be-
came known that Tom Clark, a negro
living near here, had had trouble with
his wife and the latter threatened to dis
close the secret of a crime. Officers ap.
pretended the woman and she told
enough to warrant the belief that Clark
had murdered Mrs. Whitfield. Clark
was arrested and brought before the
committee. The negro finally confessed
to the murder and told of other crimes
that he had committed. He said that
several years ago he killed two men on
an excursion train in Mississippi. He
told of an outrage committed by himself
on negro woman and of the theft of
81 800 from a physician at French Camp,
Miss. Clark said he had never been sus-
pected of having committed any of these
crimes and had covered up his tracks in
way to deceive the officers.
On hearing the confession the COM
mittee decided that the negro should be
hanged from telegraph pole. Clark
the execution be postponed until to- day
so he could have farewell interview
with his mother and brother, who lived
in Memphis. The request was gran ted
and the two relatives telegraphed for,
but it was learned that they were in
Mississippi.
Meanwhile the news of the negro's
arrest and confession spread rapidly
over the surrounding country. Incom-
ing trains brought hundreds Of people to
the city to witness the execution. The
crowds became so great that at midday
the main street of the town was ordered
cleared, and the announcement was made
that it had been decided to burn Clark
at $50 o'clock in the afternoon.
At O'Clock the prisoner, heavily man
acled, was taken from the Jail by posse
VI lhou iHCl lOllOWcu Dy Il largo
crowd. He was led to the east gate of
the negro cemetery, which is situated in
the western part of the city. Clark was
asked if he cared to make statement.
He said that he deserved the fate pre-
pared for him and asked that letter be
delivered to his mother and brother.
Finally the word was given to fire the
funeral pile. The husband and the
brother of Clark's victim stepped for
ward and applied torches. The flames
were fed by the crowd until the body
was burned to Grip. The gathering
dispersed in an orderly manner.
The committee of twelve and many of
the representative citizens of Corinth
vigorously, opposed burning tho negro
and argued that he should DO hanged.
j. H. Henning, of Birmingham, Ala,
brother of Mrs. Whitfield, would not
consent to this proposition and insisted
that Clark should be burned. More
than five thousand persons witnessed the
gruesome tragedy.