The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-08-19

Powerless to restrain the fury of the
onslaught, Judge DAILY and his court
officers saw the horror stricken Cato
and Reed hustled and tossed In the
midst of the crowd and rushed into the
street. Both were bruised and bleed
ing when finally placed at the head of
procession, closely guarded and start
ed on the way to their death.
Somewhat sobered after the orgy at
the court house the march out of town
was orderly, though the crowd in
creased all the way. 1t was at first
purposed to burn the negroes at the
scene of their own atrocity, but with
five miles still to go the demands that
the negroes be Immediately put to
death caused the leaders to select two
pine stumps by the roadside two miles
from Statesboro. Chains were quickly
produced and the prisoners were
shackled to the tinder-like stumps. All
this time their entreaties were
HORRIBLE TO HEAR.
Just before the march was ended,
Reed broke down and said he would
was permitted to tell his story. Cato
seeing his doom added his confession
to confirm Reed. They admitted the
murders and burning, duplicating all
the negroes, men and women, and the
negro preachers now under arrest The
crime was plotted, they said, to get
money for the Before Day Club" of
which all the negroes were members.
The whole horrible scheme was arrang-
ed while the club members were at
tending a negro church meeting.
The confessions heard, the rest OF
the program was rushed through.
REED BEGGED PITIFULLY
to be hung instead of burned. Cato,
more stolid, acquiesced in the way Sc
lected for his death and said let
Reed die like me-"
One negro was in the mob of whites.
! He is a Woodworking and respected
man and he was active as any In the
preparation of the pvres. Locked to the
stumps by the chains, dried fagots were
piled about the feet of the murderers,
and over these was poured the contents
of a dozen kerosene cans. Inhamma-
BILE fluids were also poured on the
limbs of the negroes.
The arrangements complete, with
the great crowd forming circle about
the stumps, several men stepped for
ward with torches and in a second two
COLUMNS OF FLAME
leaped ten feet high, within which
could be discerned the writhing, strug-
Cling outlines Of the bodies Of the ne
groes. In less than minute. the mo-
ton ceased and the corpses hung limp
in the chains. Death was almost in
stantaneous because the flames swept
Immediately about the heads of t'N vic
| tins.
Just as the torch was applied at his
feet and the fire leaped up, Reed
screamed in horrible voice please!
Please!"
Cato. whose stoical manner marked
his observance of the building of the
pyre. shrieked like maniac. the second
fire was applied and SO
SHRIEKING DIED.
died.
The mob returned to town. many of
its members drinking heavily.
According to eye-witnesses who ar
rived here late tonight. after the mob
had secured possession Of Reed and
Cato it was decided to take them to
the Hodges home. the scene of their
crime, and there burn them. The
day being hot, after the crowd had
gone some two miles in the direction
of the Hodges place 1t was decided
to take the men into the woods near
by and there wreak on them punish
ment deemed fitting for the crime.
The men were carried from the road
into the woods, but before the prep,
arations were completed for the burn.
ing some of the crowd suggested that
the place was too near the public
road; that the work might be inter
rupted IL begun there. The crowd
then formed and took the men across
a corn field into part of the woods
further removed from the roadside.
The place for the burning was
CAREFULLY SELECTED.
a cleared spot with large pine
stump in the center being chosen.
When the place was first reached
several of the men Of the crowd
climbed into the trees and called to
those In charge of the negroes to
throw them the ropes that we're
around the negroes neclSs, but the
cry of burn them! burn them!" went
up from the crowd and the intention
of hanging the two men was abandon
ed.
The ropes which had been proour,
ed with the intention of hanging the7
were used to bind the prisoners to the
pine stump. They were placed side
by side for fear that the ropes would
be destroyed by the flames before the
vengeance Of the mob had been &C,
complished. A dozen trace chains
were then secured and used to make
the men more secure to the stump