The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-06-23
And the Negro Burned While the
Crowd Was Laughing and Firing
Bullets Into the Body.
MOB WAS LED BY A vIRGINIAN
AND WAS STRONGLY RESISTED by
THE PRISON OFFICIALS.
Four OF the "Gang Of Rufiians" Shot
Hose Used to Keep Back Crowd
The Negro's Crime.

WILMINGTON, Del, June "a mob led
by Virginian tonight burned George F.
White. a negro. at the stake at Prices
Corners, four miles from Wilmington. The
mob. consisting OF 1900 persons, stormed
the workhouse where White was confined
on a charge of having assaulted and stabbed
to death Miss Helen S. Bishop. the seven
teen-year-oid daughter vof Rev. DR.. E. A.
Bishop. The crime was committed last
Monday afternoon. and ever since then
there have been mutterings of lynching
the man. During the attack the jail
four lawbreakers were shot by the prison
guards.
A gang Of lawbreakers, consisting q. men
and boys. gathered tonight in the neigh
borhood OF Prices Corner. They came from
Wilmington and the small towns to the
south Of Prices Corner. The place of
leader was filled by a virginian, whose
identity has not been learned. The police
Of Wilmington and several constables tried
TO disperse the growing crowd but without
avail The men bent on crime were few
in number. but they carried out their plans
with the aid Of the remainder of the crowd.
1t was after 10 o'clock when the march
TO the workhouse. mile away. was taken
up. The chief warden of the workhouse
and his guards, who have been on almost
constant duty since the negro was landed
in the prison. had been warned OF the COM
ing OF the mob and prepared to defend the
man at all costs.
wORKHOUSE ATTACKED.
Armed with pistols. shotguns and other
weapons the rabble soon reached the jail
A battery of railroad ties soon carried
away the great outer door of the work.
house. The second. third and fourth doors
were battered down by the forward lead
ers in the attacking party amid the yells
and cheers OF those who were pressing for
ward from the rear. Then the lynchers
were momentarily halted by a hail of bull
let's from the inside. A great howl went up
from the leaders, but they were pressed
forward by those in the rear. More shoot
ing followed and there was a scramble to
get out. but the Drawer ones in the attack
ing party stood their ground.
In the fusillade that followed four per-
sons fell, all members of the mob. They
Were quickly carried to the rear and at
tended by. their fellows. Three of the
wounded were men and the other was a
boy, who Is said TO be Peter Smith.
1t was evident that the warden did not
wish to slaughter the mob in the prison
corridor, so he directed that the fire hose
be turned on the crowd. This also held the
mob for a time, but not for long. A general
rush was made, the guards were brushed
aside and a man-hunt of the Jail was made
for the negro.
There were many negroes confined In the
prison. but with the aid of a man who
knew White, the negro that was wanted
was quickly found. His cell door was bat
tered open and the accused man, begging
for mercy. was dragged from the cell and
the prison
When the crowd outside heard that sue
cess had crowned the efforts of the lynch
ers, great cheer was set UP. Attempts
were made to shoot White on the spot, but
the leaders Of the crowd would have moth
ing but his life at the stake. The negros
hands were tied behind him.
THE TORTURE.
Then the march to the place of execution.
the scene of the assault Miss Bishop.
Prices Corners, was begun. 1t soon became
evident that a plan of execution had pre-
viously been arranged. With torches to
lead the way and with 1000 persons follow
ing the negro. the victim led down the
road and to the funeral pile. White was
given a last chance to speak. and he is said
TO have confessed to the assault.
White was quickly chained to a post
which had been placed by an advance
guard. and the dry underbrush. soaked with
oil. was ignited The horrible execution was
on. White tainted ard his body hung limp
while the rabble laughed at his torture.
Shots were fired into the body and the vic
tim OF the mob was soon dead.
Satisfied with its nights work. the great
number of Iynchers left the neighbor-
hood. many OF them fearing arrest. How
ever a large number of person loitered at
the scene. awaiting developments
The failure of the county court TO give
White a speedy trial is. the jail-breakers
say. in great measure responsible for
to-nights tragedy. The citizens of Will
mingtoa and those In the vicinity OF the
scene OF the crime wanted an immediate
trial and Attorney General III. H. Ward
laid the matter before the court on Thurs
day with that end in veiw. The court.
however. did not consider haste expedient.
and the trial was set for the September
term Of court With this decision OF the
court the murmurings OF mob violence be-
came louder and the indignation OF the peo-
pie grew hoursly. Sunday night two small
crowds gathered near the Jail. but they
were soon dispersed
4 eoroner's inquest over the body OF Miss