Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1904-08-18
RACE HATRED CHEATS LAW AND
ORDER AT STATES. ---'s
BoRo, GA.
MILITIAMEN DIsARMEU

Mob and Unhappy Murderers Of thea
Hodges Family are Put to Death-.d
Town Is Again Quiet Today. n
Statesboro, Ga..Aug. 17.-Every.
thing is quiet here today. Tho
troops have returned to Savannah. Il
There is no confirmation Of the
report Of other lynchings in the
vicinity last night.
statesboro, Ca. Aug. 17.-Withl
clothing saturated with kerosene,
writhing and twisting in their agony.
screaming to heaven for the mercy,
the mob would not show, Paul Reed
and Will Cato, negroes, two Of the
principals in the murder and burning
OF Henry Hodges and wife and thre8l
of their children six miles from States.l
boro three weeks ago, were burned at
the stake late yesterday afternoon.
The lynchers secured their victims
after hand-to-hand fight with the
soldiers, in which several of the lat~J
ter were wounded.
L Sl oLuSL EAGEIOSb, uelu AZ Jdll no
suspects, have been placed under a.
strong guard because of fears that the
mob may try to lynch them also, and
reinforcements Of militia have been
ordered hero from Savannah.
Under Death Sentence.
Cato and Reed had been sentenced
to be hanged September 9-the near
est date the law would allowafter
having been found guilty of killing
the Hodges family July %. Hodges,
his wife and little girl were slain,
with an AK and their house was burn-s
ed over their bodies, two other chll-i
dren being burned to death while
asleep. Catos trial ended yesteday'
and Reeds this morning Since the
4 proceedings began the mob had been
threatening, but It was thought that
the prompt manner in which the
cases were disposed Of might avert q,
| lynching
Yesterday afternoon determined
mob charged on the court house., over
powered the military guard, secured
Cato and Reed, who had been found
guilty after legal trial and sentenced
to be hanged, took them two miles
from Satesboro and there burned
them alive. The climax came quickly
and unexpectedly.
| The forenoon had passed quietly,
the trial of Paul Reed, the ringleader
in the murder, being concluded and q
verdict of guilty rendered. The crowd
assembled about the court house was
not as large as the preceding day nor
was 1t as threatening.
4 Reeds Trial Quickly Over.
j In the trial Of Reed little delay had
been caused and on it's conclusion the
prisoners ,as before, were hustled In,
to the witness room where a strong
guard of military was mounted over
llem.
and from the lawn outside many en-.
tered the Railways. The crowd was
addressed by tall man who seemed.
to inflame 1t greatly He called on
those about him to follow him. Then
Captain Hitch Of the Oglethorp light
infantry, who was in command Of the
forces, realized that the situation was
desperate. He posted guards on each
of the stairways that led to the floor
above where the prisoners were con-
q fined. With fixed bayonets but uri.
!, loaded rifles the guards stood. The
, mob surged toward them but were re.
pulsed several times.
Men Plead With the Mob.
At the rear stairway the gravest
danger threatened. Prominent men,
= among them the Rev. Mr.. Hodges, "a
. brother of the murdered man, sprang
to the front to address the crowd.
Iney begged them to disperse Sheriff
Kendrick cautioned the crowd against
violence and pleaded with them to
leave. II am your friend" he said,
II beg you to do nothing that will re-.
: fleet on us as well as on the communi-
ty Dtsperse and let the law take its
course. Wo need these men. There
are others to be brought to justice and
! only from the information to be gain.
ed from Cato and Reed can we bring
the right ones to justice. I can al.
most promise you that when the case
!, Is finally sifted there will be FIVE par
:. ties who are equally guilty"
We know you are our friend, Ken.
: drick,' some one shouted, "but prom
= 1se us you will let the men stay in the
= = Statesboro Jail and not be taken back
. to Savannah. Then we will disperse.
. and not until then"
y Guards Are Disarmed.
Presently some twenty-five men
crowded around the guards. Before
they could be prevented, they had
caught two Of the guards, wrested
! their weapons from them and threw
q open the breech locks. The weapons
9 were empty. That was what the crowd
g wanted to ascertain. The troops had
:, been given orders not to load their
e rifles. The captured soldiers were held
u prisoners. The same policy was fol-
g lowed with the others of the soldiers,
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