Twice-a-week plain dealer. (Cresco, Howard County, Iowa) 1895-1913, 1903-06-26
MOB BURNS 4 MURDERER
Awful Punishment Is Dealt Out to
y. Confessed Slayer Of Girl
in Delaware.
thE AUTHORITIES ARE ovERPowERED.
victina Is Taken from Jail by Force,
Tied to . Stake and Reduced to
Ashes-Guards Attempt to Protect
Prisoner and . Eittle Boy Ii Fa-
tally Injured.

Wilmington, Del. June 24.-All was
quiet In this community Tuesday fol-
lowing the horrible lynching of
George White, Helen Bishops con-
fessed slayer, at an early hour in
the morning. of the mob OF nearly
. 5000 that oyerpowcred the author
tiles, stormed the Newcastle county
workhouse and dragged from a 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 workhouse guards
hred volley into the ranks of tho
attacking mob. The lad was struck
by . bullet which entered his back
and is thought to have penetrated
his kidneys. At the Homeopathic hos
pitai, where the injured boy was
taken, the physicians stated at nine
o'clock Tuesday morning that he is
In serious condition. After the
mob had completed its awful work
Of vengeance the body of the negro
ravisher and murderer was left
shained to the stake with the fire
burning all around 1t and the MEM
hers Of the lynching party went
home. A rain which began falling
aater extinguished the fire and al
daylight the charred body still hung
limp in plain sight of passersby.
Public sentiment here, SO far as
expressed. appears to approve the
lynching of White and it is not be.
ieved there will be any arrests.
4 vlet1n Cenfesses Guilt.
, Whites confession, made just be.
fore the torch was applied to the
pile Of oil-soaked bushes around him,
nwas an admission of everything and
more than had been charged against
hin. The negro's confession rem
dered the already incensed crowd
even more desperate and some want
ed to tear him limb from limb before
they reached the scene of his execu-
lion. The negro begged piteously not
10 be burned, but no mercy was
shown the culprit, and although his
sufferings were terrible White re.
manned conscious and rational to the
last.
Z When the negro had ceased to show
signs of life the body was placed on
its back and fuel was piled up on it
and roaring fire was soon consum.
ing it. 1t was about two o'clock
when the crowd began to dispense.
AZ noon Tuesday Deputy Coroner
Killmer went to the scene of the
lynching for the purpose of securing
the remains of the negro in order to
go through the legal form Of holding
an inquest, but according to the
story of those who left the place an
hour previous there was little posi-.
buity of his finding anything sub.
stantial, as the relic hunters had
made of with the pieces of bones
that were left.
While at times during the night
there were at least 5000 people
around the workhouse the men who
actually took part in the lynchinf
did not number over 500. The leader
was man who said his name wa,
Baker, and that he was from Vir
ginia. His face was familiar to mos
of the people and it is believed he /
. resident of Wilmington, although
some say he had been imported TO
the purpose OF leading the mob.
Lynehfns All Arranged.
The lynching is believed to hav
been the result of a plot which wa
concoctcd several days ago and wa
10 have been put into execution Sa,
urday night, but on that occasio
there was o misunderstanding an
che attempt failed. Early Monda,
morning word was passed aroun
that the attack was to be made OF
che prison at ten o'clock at night an,
that the men who were to partici
pate in It were to meet at Price,
CoEnar, half an hour before tina
Slime. The report gained wide circu
ssagsAA, but most people who were
concerned in the plot
q To- ~ a-ion that the plar
! !
Z