The Birmingham age-herald., 1903-07-27
Daughter of a Louisiana Planter Dies From Drinking LenOR-
 ade That Was Dfugged
AGONY OF TIE VICTIM
 INCREASES NOES FURY
Negro Woman is Captured in a Hay Loft and Swung to Tree by En- ragged ctzens-suspected
 of Another Murder.

New Orleans, July 26.-A special to the Picayune from Shreveport says:
 News reached Shreveport today that the negress Jennie Steer, who adminis- tered poison in a glass of lemonade to Lizzie Dolan, the 16-year-old daughter of John Dolan, from the effects of which she died was lynched by an infuriated mob about sundown last night The lynching occurred on the Beard planta- tion. near the spot where the woman's crime was committed.
 Jennie Steer was stubborn to the last denying her crime But the proof against her was direct and conclusive and precluded the possibility of her in- nocence.
 It Is claimed that the negress fled from the Dolan household as soon as she dis covered that her crime was known. She was pursued by a posse who found her crouching In hayloft. She refused to come out and had to be dragged from the place. Asked why she had poisoned Miss Dolan, the negress indignantly de nied the commission of the crime. She was taken to the Dolan homestead and fully indentlhed as the woman who had placed the poison in the lemonade.
 Strung to a Tree.
 The mob then took her to a nearby tree, placed a rope around her neck and again asked her to confess. She was stubborn to the last. however. and was strung up without making any admis- sions. While the body was dangling in midair several bullets were fired into 1t bY the enraged citizens. ssA
 The poisoning of Miss Doian created intense excitement in the neighborhood of the crime. The victim of poison was a beautiful young girl who was not known to have an enemy in the world. She died in horrible agony, a fact which accentuated the rage of the mob. The funeral of Miss Dolan occurred this morning and 1t was attended by persons for miles around.
 There is growing suspicion that this negress was connected with the murder of Mrs. Frank Matthews, whose horrl- ble death startled the people of this sec- tion several months ago. She was a negress of forbiddng aspect but a good servant, and Mrs Matthews kept her against the protests of her son and daughter. On the morning of the mur-
 
 inmates of the house of he crime. How ever. suspicion was not directed to her. as 1t was believed at the time that Mrs Matthews had been assaulted and the crime was placed at the door of many.
 Another Murder Suspected.
 Porter Matthews. son of Mrs. Mat thews. said today that subsequent devel- opments inclined both his sister and himself to the belief that his mother was murdered by a woman and robbery was the motive for the crime. Thirty dollars Mrs. Matthews had in the house at the time was missing after the murder, and the condition of Mrs. Matthews body in- dicated that she had been struck by a woman, as the gashes were not deep, such as the strength Of a man would have been able to make. Neither Mrs. Matthews nor her daughter were as- saulted.
 The arrest of Jennie Steer for deliber- ately poisoning young girl. inclines the Matthews family to the belief that if she did not commit the Shreveport crime she certainly knew something about 1t. It is a source of some regret that the woman was not interrogated on this matter be- fore her death. The chances are, how ever. she would have refused to talk Everything Is quiet In the vicinity of Bayou Lachutte today. There is no ap- parent sympathy for the negress among the law-abidlng blacks of that section. As far is known. this was the first ne- gross ever lynched in this section of the state.