The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1904-08-19
NEGROES BURNED alive.
Prayers Of Victims Brother Could Not Save Per,
petrat0rs of Fiendisi Murder From H0ni-
BILE Death at Hands Of Frenzied Mob.
The SOLDIERS were OVERPOWERED

Savannah, Ca, Aug. 16.-Despite the
prayerful exhortation of the Rev. Fl. A.
Hodges, whose brother, his brothers
wife and children were murdered and
burned by the fiendfsh atrocities com
mitted by Will Cato and Paul Reed,
two negroes convicted of the crime at
Statesboro, this state. Wild mob of
frenzied mon charged the state militia
guarding the court house this after
noon, overpowered the soldiers and
dragged the terror stricken Reed and
Cato from the officers. Shouting with
glee at their task, the mob beat, kick
cd and dragged the terror stricken ne
groes to point two miles from States
boro on the road toward the Hodges
farm, where the two negroes were
burned alive.
No such lynching bee has occurred
before in Georgia. With communica-
tions during the early evening severed
between Statesboro and surrounding
points, suspense in Savannah and At
lanta was at fever pitch, lest the mobs,
but the more hungry for blood at the
death of two negroes, would assail the
Jail to get at the 13 other negroes, men
and women now confined there await
ing trial as accomplices In the Hodges
crime. With the troops now In States
boro, who we're cowed during the af-
ternoon by the armed and ferocious cit
liens of Bulloch county reinforced by
militia companies from Savannah,
rushed there after a riot call In this
city this afternoon to summon the
guardsmen,
A PITCHED BATTLE
which might cost many lives Is immi-
nent. Many of the hundreds of farm
ers now in Statesboro are known to be
intoxicated and in drunken fury ca
pable of going to lengths which other
wise they would never attempt
During the early afternoon the
Western Union operator at Statesboro
was seized and his office closed to pre-
vent further calls for troops. Thus
communication by telegraph was clos
ed. The resumption of wire commu-
nication promised by the telegraph
company is anZiously awaited.
Urged to observe the law by Judge
yesterday and the Reed trial today,
Bulloch, county's public awaited with
grim patience the award to the negroes
of their opportunity to prove their in
nocence. After a short trial. each
man was convicted after a nominal de-
liberation by the juries. Cato went
back to the jail last night. He was in
court when Reed was convicted and
both were condemned by Judge DAILY to
execution September 9.
"You have absolutely no chance to
live" declared Judge DAILY as If to ap-
pease the crowd which packed the court
room.
CHEERS GREETED THE VERDICT
which the court officers and the closely
posted militiamen within the court
room made no attempt to silence.
The news spread through the quaint
old county seat like wildfre. A few
minutes later. before the scene In the
court had changed at all, the tramp Of
men reached the ears Of the doomed
negroes and 500 desperately determined
men, neighbors Of the murdered Hodges
who had known him and his family,
farmers from the far corners of the
county, storekeepers and laborers, a
mob representing every class of white
people In the community,
CHARGED THE COURT HOUSE.
Not man was there who did not
carry a shotgun. rifle, revolver or other
weapon. Shouting hoarsely and de-
10 hn prt with
weapons brandished, this crowd rushed
upon the entrance to the court house.
On the steps we're the guardsmen, all
who could be concentrated there and
still attempting the preservation Of Or
der In the court room. These men
faced terrible dilemma. If they per-
formed their duty and shot down the
civilians, they would have been killed
like mad dogs by the infuriated mob.
If the mob reached the prisoners, 1t
meant a lynching. 1t happened, how
ever, that In some way every cart
ridge was missing from the guns and
before the guardsmen had time to load
the citizens were upon them. A des-
perate
HAND-To-HAND FIGHT
took place, without shot being fired
SO long as the troops failed to shoot
the mob had sense enough left to hold
its fire. AS it was Lieutenants Griner
and Mcintyre, begging their men to
club rifles and charge the crowd, were
themselves clubbed down with shot
guns and revolver butte. and rendered
unconscious. Sergeant Scarboro, Cor
poral Waters. Privates Proctor, Baden
baugh and Deloach were knocked down
and badly bruised. Waters suffering in
ternal injuries, s,nz5 ul
BY this time the superior numbers
of the mob overwhelmed the guards
men and the latter were disarmed to q
man. This was not done. however, be-
fore nearly hundred citizens were in