The daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1904-1905, 1904-08-17
LAW WAS OVERRIDDEN
State Guards Were Overpowered and
Convicted Prisoners Were Taken
From the Jail.
Will Cato and Paul Reed Had Rcen
Sentenced For Murder of
Hodges Family.

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 murder and burn
ing of Henry Hodges and wife and
three of their children, six miles from
Statesboro three weeks ago, were
burned at the stake last evening. A
determined mob charged on the court
house, overpowered the military guard,
secured Cato and Reed, who had been
found guilty after a legal trial and
sentenced to be hanged, took them two
miles from Statesboro and then burned
them alive. The climax came quickly
and unexpectedly. Both Reed and
Cato had been found guilty the day
before, and were sentenced to hang
Sept. 9.
The mob assembled about the court
house and was addressed by a tall man
who seemed to inflame it greatly. He
called on those about him to follow
him. Then Captain Hitch of the Ogle-
thorpe Light Infantry, who was in COM
mand 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 pris-
oners were confined. With fixed bayo.
nets but unloaded rifles the guards
stood The mob surged toward them,
but were repulsed several times. The
determined effort was yet to be made.
At the rear stairway the gravest dan
ger threatened. Prominent men,
among them the Rev. Mr.. Hodges,
brother of the murdered man, sprang
to the front to address the crowd.
They begged them to dispense. Sheriff
Kendrick was among these. He eau
toned the crowd against violence and
pleaded with them to leave. Some
twenty-five men crowded around the
guards, wrested their weapons from
them and threw open the breech-locks.
The weapons were empty That was
what the crowd wanted to ascertain.
The troops had been given orders not
to load their rifles. The captured sol
diers were held prisoners. The same
policy was followed with others of the
soldiers. Man after man, caught iso-
lated, was relieved of his rifle after a
struggle. At the front member of
the mob crept along the wall until he
got close to the guards. He threw
himself upon them. In the breach thus
formed his companions threw them
selves Two hundred wildly cheering
men followed him and soon the SOL
diers, though they fought desperately
and inflicted bayonet wounds upon
some of their assailants, were over
powered.
One young soldier of the Oglethorpe
Guards never surrendered. He fought
his way free, fought through his cap
tors and out upon the lawn. A 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 it,
bursting it as though it were an egg
shell. The prisoners were at their
mercy, all resistance having been
beaten down. They dragged Cato and
Reed out with ropes about their necks.
both pleading for their lives. BY this
time the crowd numbered 500 persons.
The doomed men were dragged, the
crowd shouting and cheering along
the roadway leading to the Hodges
homestead where the five members of
the family had been murdered and
burned. That was their destination
The two negroes were told they had
but short time to live and that they
should confess. Reed was the first to
speak. He confessed, duplicating 9th
er negroes, as he had In the courtroom.
He denied, however, that he had taken
An active part in the murder Cato
| answered incoherently, and begged to
be shot or hanged, saying he was limo
cent; that he had had no part in the
crime. Some Of the more humane
| wanted to grant his request, but they
were in the minority. The rest wanted
| to visit the same death upon the ne
groes that they had visited upon the
Hodges family.
member OF the mob made a speech
recounting the horrors of the crime
| This infiamed the crowd to the burning
pitch To a large stump twelve feet
high the men were chained with their
backs to the stump. With trace chains
the men were dashed to the stump.
Then a wagonload of pine wood was
hauled to the spot. 1t was piled
around the men and ten gallons of
kerosene was thrown over them A
| photographer was present and the
| crowd was cleared back that he might
| get several views of the men bound to
| the stake and ready for the burning.
Then followed an awful scene Fren.
xied cheers rent the air as men, almost