The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1904-08-26
BURNED AT STAkE:
IN GEORGIA
Two Negro Murderers Taken
From Militiamen by Mob
and Cremated.
SENTENCED TO BE HUNG
This Method Was Too Easy for the
Crowd Anxious for Quick Justice
Prisoners Covered With
Oil and Wood.

Oil and Wooo.
Statesboro, Ca Aug. 1S--With cloth
ing saturated with kerosene, Writhing
and twisting in their agony. scream
Ing to heaven for the mercy that the
mob would not show. Paul Reed and T
Will Cato, negroes. two of the princi-
pals in the murders and burning Of
Henry Hodges and family. six miles
from Statesboro three weeks ago, We're
burned at the stake.
A determined mob charged on the
court house, overpowered the militia
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 burned
them alive.
The trial of Paul Reed, the rtnglead-
er in the murder, being concluded. and
q verdict OF guilty rendered, both he
and Will Cato. found guilty the day be-
fore We're sentenced to hang Septem-
Der g.
In the trial of Reed little delay had
been caused, and on its conclusion the
prisoners. as before. We're hustled into
the witness room, where a strong guard
of military was mounted over them.
When Agitation Began.
In the corridors the agitation began.
The spectators left the court room, and
| from the lawn outside many entered
the Railways. Shortly the crowd was
addressed by a tall man who seemed to
inname 1t greatly. He called on those
about him to follow him. Then Cap
tain Hitch of the Oglethorpe Light IN
| Ifantry. who was in command of the
military forces. realized that the situ-
| 81 Inev IN Ia a
on each Of the stairways that led to
the floor above. where the prisoners
were confined. With fixed bayonets,
but unloaded rifles, the guards stood.
| The mob surged toward them, but was
repulsed several times. The determined
| effort was yet to be made.
! At the rear stairway the gravest dam
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 Kindrick was
among these. He cautioned the crowd
against violence and pleaded with them
to leave, declaring that five more men
| were equally guilty with Cato and
Reed, but that only by information to
be secured from the condemned men
could the others be convicted. The
crowd demanded that he promise not
! to take the negroes back to Savannah
This he declined to do. h &
Guns Were Not Loaded.
Suddenly 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 thrown open
/ the breechlocks. The weapons We're
empty. That was what the crowd
wanted to ascertain. The troops had
been given orders not to load their
rifles. The captured soldiers were held
! prisoners. The same policy was fol-,
lowed with others OF the soldiers. Man
after man caught isolated was relieved
of his rifle after struggle. sss5
The small garrison OF troops with
drew into the room and closed the door.
The mob crashed against 1t. The prts-
oners We're then at their mercy Cato.
Reed. Handy Bell and the other pris-
oners covered before the crowd. They
dragged Cato and Reed out. Reed was
taken down one stairway with 8 rope
about his neck and Cato down the 9TH
err, both pleading for their lives. BY
. this time the crowd numbered 500 per-
sons. 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 ana
, burned This was their destination.
The heat was SO intense that the
: crowd wearied when two miles OF the
q six mile route had been traversed. Co
3 ing seventy-five yards from the road
they halted. The two negroes were
y told they had but a short time to live
and that they should confess. Reed
confessed, duplicating other negroes,
! as he had in the court room. He de-
! MED. however, that he had taken an
). active part in the murder. Cato am
: . swered incoherently.
The crowd moved across a field TO
! strip of woodland. "a member Of the
:, mob made speech, recounting the
:, horrors Of the crime. This inflamed the
. crowd to the burning pitch. To a large
- stump, twelve feet high. the men We're
: chained with their backs to the stump
: Then wagonload Of pine wood was
. hauled to the spot. twas piled around
g the men and ten gallons of kerosene
e was thrown over them.
> ;, photographer Present.
r. A photographer was present and the
" crowd was cleared back that he might
20 get views of the men bound to the
n stake and ready for the burning. JUS
as the match was applied to the pyre
q one of those in front asked Reed IL hi
= wanted to tell the truth before he died
:. Yes. sir. I killed Mr.. and Mrs
d Hodges" he replied. Who killed til.
- - came the response as the flames leapet
~ upwards and further questioning wa
r.. impossible in the wild tumult.
:, The scene was frightful AS TIL
: flames touched Reeu 8 naked, OIL SOakGt
:. skin he twisted his head around IN al
le endeavor to choke himself and avoii
u the fearful torture. Only once did h
complain. He said: Lord, hav
-, - mercy" Z
9e Cato screamed in agony and begge
d that he be shot. His heavy hair, whfc
20 was oil soaked, was almost the frs
8. thing the flames fastened on, while TIL
hemp rope bee: ne collar of fir
around his neck. For only about thre
minutes was he.visibie to the crowd be
l. fore the great pile Of faggots made
I'd wall Of flames which the wind wipe
s. around on Cato's body and hid hii
t from view. Before the flames pros
90 ressed very Tar UP his body his hea
sank forward. Apparently tie fire gs
into his lungs and killed him.
al AS soon as 1t was seen that the me
" were dead the crowd commenced dil
persing. A large number remained b,
=, hind, however, piling more fuel on unit
the bodies were burned except tt