The Paducah sun. [volume] (Paducah, Ky.) 1898-1906, 1904-08-17
Two Negroes Soaked in Kerosene and
Burned at Stake.
WRITING VICTIMS SUFFER TERRIBLE TORTURE

Statesboro. Ca, Aug, lI.-Niih clo'h'
ing saturated in kerosene, writing and
twisting In agony. and screaming TO
heaven Tor mercy. Paul Reed and VIII
Cato. negroes. two Of the principals IN
the dastardly murder and burning OF
Henry Hodges and wife and three OF
their children. ak miles from stateboro'
three weeks ago. were burned at the
stake
Yesterday afternoon determined
mob charged upon the court house, over
powered the military guard, secured Ca
90 and Reed. who had been found guilty
after a legal trial, and sentenced TO b.
hanged. took them two miles from
Stateshoro aud there exaeted the fear
Sui penalty.
The forenoon passed quietly. the trial
Of Paul Reed. the ringleader in the muir
der. being concluded and verdict OF
guilty rendered. Sentence was imposed
upon both him aud VIII Cato, convicted
the day before. and September Q was
fixed a. the date Tor the execution.
Te spectators left the court room AMI
from the lawn outside many entered the
Railways. shortly before 10 o'clock the
crowd was addressed by tall man,
who seemed to inaame II greatly. lie
called on those about him to follow
him. Then Capt. Hitch. Of the ogie-
,hrop- Light Infantry, who was in COM
rnand Of the forces. realized that the
situation was desperate. lie posted
guards ON each Of the stairways that
led TO the hoor above, where the prison
en- were confined.
sheriff Kenduek and Others cautioned
the crowd against violence, and pleaded
with them 10 di-perse.
A connection at the front drew the
crowd there This was but temporary.
Presently they were back at the rear,
and some % 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 breech blocks. 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 soldiers
were held prisoners. The same policy
was followed with others of the soldiers
Man after man, caught isolated was re
lieyed of his rifle after a struggle At
the front member of the mob crept
along the wall until he got close To the
guards. lie threw himself upon them.
In the breach thus formed his compan-
ions threw themselves. Two hundred
wildly cheering men followed him. and
soon the soldiers. though they fought
desperately. and inflicted bayonet
wounds upon some of their assailants.
were overpowered.
The small guard around the prisoners
withdrew into the room and closed the
door The mob crashed against IL,
bursting il as though IL was an egg
shell. The prisoners were at their mer-
cy. all resistance having been beaten
down. Cato, Reed, and the other prison
er- cowed before the crowd. They drag
gcd Cato and Reed out.
Reed was taken down one stairway
with a rope about his neck. and Cato
down the other. both pleading for their
lives. The crowd now numbered 800.
They dragged the men, shouting. along
the road way leading to Hodges home
stead, where the five members of the
family had been murdered and burned.
The heat was so intense that the crowd
were tired when two miles had been
traversed Going several hundred yards
from the road the crowd halted.
The two negroes were made to seat
themselves ON log They were told
they had but a short time to live, and
that they should confess. Reed was the
first to speak lie confessed, implicat-
ing other negroes He denied, however,
that he had taken an active part in the
murder Cato answered incoherently.
The crowd moved across field to
strip of woodland Several men climb
ed To branches and called for ropes.
Burn them. Burn theml" shouted
the crowd.
Cato begged to be shot or hanged.
saying he was innocent, for that he