Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1903-06-24
IN DELAWARE NEGRO
BURNED AT STAKE
Thrilling Story of Cremation
of George White.
CONFESSED TO HEINoUs CRIME.

After AssauItng sixteen-Year-OId Cir
He Stabbed Her With with Knife
Until Dead-lnfuriated Mob Gather
ed and Dealt Summary Vengeance.
Wilmington, Del, June 23.-All is
quiet in this community today follow
ing the horrible lynching of George
White, Helen Bishops confessed slay
er, at an early hour this morning.
OF the mob of nearly 5000 that over
powered the authorities, stormed the
Newcastle county workhouse and drag
ged from cell the trembling wretch
and burned him at the stake. the
identity of only one is publicly known
That person is little Peter Smith, Il
years old, who fell when the work
house guards fired a volley into ths
ranks Of the attacking mob The
lad was struck by bullet which en-
tered his back and is thought to have
penetrated his kidneys. At the Ho
meopathic hospital, where the boy was
taken, the physician stated at o'clock
| this morning that he is in a serious
| condition.
After the mob had completed its
awful work of vengeance, the body OF
the negro rayisher and murderer was
left chained to the stake with the
| fire burning around it and the mem.
bers of the lynching party went home.
A rain. which begun later, extin-
guished the fire and at daylight the
charred body still hung limp in plain
sight of passersby.
Public Approves Lynching.
| Public sentiment here. so far as ex.
pressed, appears to approve the lynch.
ing of White and it is not believed
there will be any arrests.
Whites confession, made just before
| the torch was applied to the pile of
| otl-soaked bushes around him, was an
admission Of everything and more than
had been charged against him. He is
stated to have said
Il was sent by Mr.. Woodward to
the cornfield to try some corn I saw
Mr.. Woodward's daughter and intend.
ed to assault her but a couple of men
came alcng and 1 did not disturb her.
Then I saw the Bishop girl and I fol.
lowed her. | seized her and asked her
If she had any money she would give
me to let her go. She gave me 60
cents. Then I again seized her and
she cried:
please don't hurt met"
Il choked her and accomplished my
purpose. Then asked her if she was
going to tell on me. She said she
was. l gave her a hack in the throat
with my knife and asked again if she
was going to inform on me. She said
she was. and then I cut her throat
twice again and left her. After that
| went back to Mr. Woodward and
told him there was no water to
drink down there and he sent me
somewhere else. | went back once
but soon left. Then I went back to
the house and put on a white hat in.
stead of the cap that wore. You
would not do this if | was a white
man and did that"
Crowd Greatly Incensed.
The negro's confession rendered the
already incensed crowd even more des.
perate and some wanted to tear him
limb from Limb before they reached
the scene of his execution. The ne
gro begged piteously not to be burned
but no mercy was shown the culprit
and although his sufferings were ter.
wi1N Ia
national to the last. While at times
during the night there were at least
5000 people around the workhouse.
the man who actually took part in the
lynching did not number over 500. The
leader was a man who said his name
was Baker, and that he was from Vir.
ginia His face was familiar to most
people, and 1t is believed he was res.
ident of Wilmington, although some
say he had been imported for the pur.
pose of leading the mob.
Lynching Planned Several Days Ago.
The lynching is believed to have
been the result of a plot which was
| concooted several days ago and was
to have been put into execution Sat
| urday night, but on that occasion there
was misunderstanding and the at.
tempt failed Early yesterday morn.
| ing word was passed around that the
| attack was to be made on the prison
| at 10 o'clock last night and the men
| who were to participate in it were ia
meet at Prices corner half an hour
before that time. The report gained
wide circulation, but most of the peo.
pie who were not actually concerned
in the plot were of the opinion that
| the plan would not be carried out AS
| result of the reports, however, peo'
| pie 1ocked toward the workkouse
early in the evening, but the majority
| of these were there out of curiosity,
| although after they had reached the
| prison many Joined the attacking par.
ty. The police department was ad.
vised during the day of the contemplat.
ed attack and 80 policemen in charge
| of Chief Black and Captains Evans and
| Kane. went to the workhouse. This
was at s o'clock last night There
were several thousand persons at the
| prison at the time, and the officers
were powerless against such large
numbers, so they entered the building
to assist the guards in an effort to pro
tect the prisoners. As the result oil
the assault of the crowd several shots
were fired.
Mob Was Determined.
Tho shooting did not have any eff
feet on the crowd other than to fright
i IL L. q ir,c