Crittenden press. [volume] (Marion, Ky.) 1879-1907, 1904-08-25
AMID The FLAMES
Two Negro Fiends Meet Their
Just Reward,

OthtesOoTO, Ud.i aug IL w ~
clothing saturated with kerosene
writing and twisting in their az
ony, screaming to heaven for tn
mercy that the mob would no
show, Paul Reed and will Cate
negroes, two OF the principals il
the dastardly murder and burning
of Henry Hodges and wife n
three of their children, six mileI
from Statesboro, three weeks ago
we're burned at the stake yester
day.
At l:2l O'Clock determined
mob ohargedI upon the court
house, overpowering the military
guard, secured Cato and Reed
who had been found guilty after q
legal trial, and sentenced to be
HANGED, took them two miles from
Statesboro and there executed the
fearful penalty,
The forenoon passed quietly,
the trial of Paul Reed, the ring
leader in the murder, being con-
oluded and verdict of guilty rem
dered, Sentence was imposed on
both him and Will Cato, convict
ed the day before, and Sept 9 was
set for The day of execution.
Overpowering the military the
mob secured the prisoners. Reed
was taken down one stairway with
a rope about his neck. and Cat o
down the other, bltb pleading for
tueir lives. The ,wd now uum-
bered about 500 They dragged
the men, shouting, along the road
way leading to the Hodges home
stead, where five members of the
family had been murdered and
burned, but the heat was so in
tense they halted
The two negroes were made to
cit down on log, and being told
they had but few minutes to live
both confessed their guilt. The
crowd then moved across field to
a woodland, reaching which, one
man climbed tree with a rope.
Burn them! Burn them" was
shouted.
Cato begged to be shot or hang
ed; some of the more humane
wanted to grant his request, but
they were in the minority. The
rest wanted to visit the same death
meeted out to the five helpless
victims.
With their backs to a large
stump twelve feet high, the men
were fastened with chains. Then
b wagon loaded with pine wood |
was brought. The wood was piled !
abb ut them and gallons OF coal oil
poured over them. The scene
which followed beggars descrip-
ton. just as the match was ap.
piled Reed was asked to confess
Yes, sir; l killed Mr.. and Mrs.
he replied.
"Who killed the children" he
vas asked.
Handy Bell" came the reply,
as the flames leaped upward, and
further questioning was impossi-
BILE.
AS the flames leaped about the
naked body of Reed, with his oil
soaked skin, he twisted his head
around in an endesvor to choke
himself and evade the fearful tor.
lure. Only once did he complain
He said, Lord have mercyW
Cato screamed in agony and beg
ged to be shot. His heavy hair,
which was oil soaked, was almost
The first thing the flames fastened
IN, and he screamed with agony,
while the hemp rope became a col
lar of fire about his neck A thrill
Of horror ran through the frames
Of the more timid. The rope was
burned through before Cato died,
and his head swung from side to
side as he sndeavored to avoid the
hames. BY efforts almost super
human efforts he managed to get
under the locked chain. For onl,
bout three minutes was he visi
Bile to the crowd, before the great
pile of fsgots made wall of fire
which the wind whipped around
Cato's side and hid him entirely
from view.