The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1903-07-08
BURNED At THE STAKE.
A Negro lynched in Delaware For
Numbering Girl.
CONFESSED CRIME TO THE MOB

George White, the V!etim' HAD AssauiIsd
Helen Bishop. Who Dled-Two-Honr I.
Fight to Get Murderer-Four Thousand
stormsd tho Prison Near Nswcastle@
Guards Shot Four Citizens.
Wilmington, Del.-Dragged shrieking
from the workhouse near Newcastle at (
a late hour by 1000 furious men and
youths, after hot fusillade between
mob and guards, George White, the
negro who killed Helen Bishop, the
pretty and modest seventeen-year-old
daughter Of the Rev. E. A. Bishop, was
rushed to the place Of his crime, where,
having confessed his crime. he was
lashed to stake and burned to death.
the body being riddled with bullets.
The lynching, begun at 0.30 p. M. BY an /.
attack on the building, in which ffty
horsemen wearing women's gowns over
their own clothing played a conspicw
GUS part, was not carried to its tragicy
end until nearly midnight.
It was $50 o'clock when Chief Of PosI
lice Black, Of this city, received a tele-
phone message from Chief Warden Ne.
serve that mob was gathering about
the workhouse, and asking that help be
hurried from Wilmington.
Chief Black called in thirty men from
their districts and sent them to the I
workhouse In a special trolley car.
They found fully 1000 men congre-
gated about the place. Many were
armed, but they offered no violence. &
TO disperse such body was ont OF
the question, and the officers cooper
ated with the guards on duty about the.
grounds and awaited developments.
As on Sunday morning there were
two distinct bodies Of men.
The first, who came from the section
surrounding the home of Miss Bishop
congregated at Prices corner, near the I
scene Of the crime. Most Of these were
armed and several carried coils Of rope
They were not masked, and on arriving
at the place walked quietly about and
made no demonstration. 4. &. ID
The other mob congregated about the
workhouse. Many Of these were from
Marshalltown and. this city. In the
main they were young men and boys
and nearly all were armed. +
The first move made by the mob waas
about 10 o'clock, when the telephone
wires between the workhouse and this
city were cut. u !.
It was shortly after that hour when
about fifty horsemen, dressed in. won.
ems attire and wearing masks; rode up
to within q stones throw Of the work
house. This appeared to be "a signal.
and the mob made rush for the build.
ing. W ~ s;s.3sSS; t.sTS;
The men had nearly reached the
porch when some one in the second
story fired into the crowd. Chief Of
Police Black and several Of the guards
rushed out and tried to quiet the men.
but they paid no heed to him. Rushing
into the porch they crashed In a doeGl
and gained the first corridor, while 9th.
ers swarmed over an unfinished part
of the building. 4. VI
A second section Of the mob waited
until the first rush was over, and then
ran to the front Of the Workhouse. I
They dragged a battering ram after
them and crashed in the heavy doors
leading to the rotunda. y n
The mob, seeing that the electric
lights surrounding the workhouse were
interfering with their work, shot out
the lights with shotguns, leaving the
grounds in total darkness. They then
made another rush ON the workhouse.
and there was a lively fusillade be-,
tween them and the guards.
Peter Smith, seventeen years old,
was shot through the breast. Three
other men were slightly wounded.
Five steel doors led from the main
corridor to the cell in which White was i
locked, and these the mob battered
down with railroad ties. Some Of the
mob crowded the handful Of guards
into a corner. Those who remained
outside surged about the grounds, scat
tering the police aside like chaff.
When the main corridor had been
gained q man who was said to be g.
Virginian, called for six men to "stick
closer to him than q brother" This
was hailed with cheers, and more than Z
100 men followed him down the corrt-s
dor.
The leaders quickly smashed In the
cell door, and White, begging In vain
fof mercy, was dragged out, pushed 1
and hauled through the corrido. and !
finally taken out Of the building.
AS the lynchers appeared with their
prisoner the crowd outside howied with
delight. A procession was formed,
and, headed by the fifty mounted men, I
marched White TO Prices Corners, near
the scene OF his assault upon Miss
Bishop.
"A stake was driven into the ground
and the negro was bound to 1t with
chains. Kerosene was poured over
him and the match applied. AS the ,
flames started up White confessed his
guilt.
The mob that lynched White was In.
cited to do the deed by the sermon OF
q local minister. At large open air
meeting the Rev. Robert A. Elwood,
pastor Of the Olivet Presbyterian |
Church, displayed a cluster Of leaves
stained with the blood Of Helen Bishop.
and in a sermon entitled SHOULD the
Murderer of Miss Bishop Be Lynched?
roundly denounced the judges for re.
fusing to hold a special session Of court
for the trial Of White.
The failure Of the county court to
give White a speedy trial is in q great
measure responsible for the nights
tragedy. The citizens Of Wilmington
wanted O speedy trial. The court, how /
ever, did not consider haste expedientI
p SAY