The Montgomery advertiser., 1904-08-17
Frenzied Citizens Over come Soldiers Guard
 ing Jail.
STATESBORO WAS
 A SCENE OF HORROR
Paul Reid and Will Cato Con-
 feSSed Awful Crime.
oil Poured Over Their Bodies While Chained to Stake, They Writhed While Roasting to Death
 Members of "BefOre
 Day Club.o

statesboro. Ga. Aug. 1s.-With clothing saturated with kerosene, writhing and twisting in their agony. screaming to Heaven for the mercy that the mob would not show, Paul Reed and will Cato, negroes. two of the principals in the dastardly mur- der and burning of Henry Hodges and wife and three of their children, six miles from Statesboro, three weeks ago. were burned at the stake today.
 This afternoon at :21 o'clock a de- termined mob charged upon the court house, overpowered 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 Statesboro and there enacted the fearful penalty.
 The forenoon passed quietly, the trial of Paul Reed, the ring leader in the murder. being concluded and a verdict of guilty rendered. Sentence was imposed upon both him and Will Cato. convicted the day before and September g was fixed as the date for the execution.
 The crowd assembled about the court house was not so large as yes- terday. There was a quiet about the crowd that augured the worst and the determination of the countrymen who had come In from miles around Tor the trial, was never to be doubted.
 In the trial of Reed, little delay was caused and upon its conclusion the prisoners, as before. were hustled into the witness room, where strong guard of military was mounted over them, s r. Tall Man Infiames Crowd.---.,
 In the corridors the agitation be- gan. The. spectators left the court room and from the lawn outside many entered the railways. Shortly before 10 o'clock the crowd was addressed by n tall man who seemed to inflame 1t greatly. He called on those about him to follow him.
 Then Captain Hitch, of the Ogle- thorpe Light Infantry. who was in command of the forces, realized that the situation was desperate. He post cd guards on each of the stalrways that led to the floor above where the prisoners were confined.
 With fixed bayonets, but unloaded rifles, the guards stood. The mob nurged toward them, but were re- pulsed several times. The determined effort was yet to be made.
 At the rear stairway the gravest danger threatened. Prominent men, among them Rev. MT. Hodges. brother
 
 Front to address the crowd. They begged them to disperse. Sheriff Ken drick was among these. He cautioned the crowd against violence and plead ed with them to disperse.
 T am your friend" he said. "1 beg you to do nothing that will reflect on us as well as on the community. Dis perse and let the law take its course. We need these men. There are others to be brought to justice and only from the information to be gained from Cato and Reed can we bring the right ones to justice. I can almost promise that when the case is finally sifted there will be five parties who are equally guilty"
 We know you are our friend ken- drick," some shouted, but promise us that you will let these men stay in the Statesboro jail and not be taken back to Savannah. Then we will disperse, not until then"
 The.e was some shouting and cheer ing and Kendrick could not reply
 Promise us that" they shouted. s'You shall not take them away from Statesboro."
 OverpOwcred the Soldiers.
 A commotion at the front drew the crowd there. This was but tempo rary. Presently they were back at the rear and some twenty-five men crowd ed around the guards. Before they could be prevented they had caught two of the guards. wrested their weap- ons from them and thrown open the empty. That was what the crowd wanted to ascertain. The troops had heen given orders not to load their rifles. The captured soldiers were held prisoners. The same policy was Followed with others of the soldiers. Man after man. caught isolated. was relieved of his rifle after struggle.
 At the front a member of the mob crept along the wall until he got close to the guards. He threw himself up on them. In the breach thus formed his companions threw themselves Two hundred wildly cheering men fol- lowed him and soon the soldiers, though they fought desperately and Inflicted bayonet wounds upon some of their assailants, were overpowered
 One young soldier of the Oglethorpe Guards never surrendered. He fought his way free, fought through his cap tors and out upon the lawn. weap- on was raised to strike him. shame shouted the crowd and struck down the man who had raised the weapon, Then they threw themselves upon the boy and overpowered him.
 The small guard about the prisoners withdrew into the room and closed the door. The mob crashed against 1t. bursting 1t as though 1t was eggshell.
 The prisoners were at their mercy. All resistance having been beaten down. Cato Reed, Handy Bell and the other prisoners cowed before the crowd. They dragged Cato and Reed out, releasing Bell into the hands of the few soldiers left there as soon as they learned that he was not Reed, for whom they had mistaken him.
 Negroes Pleaded for Mercy.
 Reed was taken down one stairway with 9 rope about his neck and Cato other. both pleading for their
 he crowd now numbered 500