The Marlboro democrat. [volume] (Bennettsville, S.C.) 1882-1908, 1906-08-24
FIEND LYNGHED
Within Hearing of the Scene OF
His Awful Crime.
AN ORDERLY AFFAIR

Bob Davis, the Piend, Pays the penaIt,
for Ills Dastardly Assault on Two
HELPLESS Women lie Was
Hanged and Riddled With
Bullets.
Within hearing distance of the
Brooks fhome, where Miss jennie
Brooks lay suffering from q fearful
wound, which he had inflicted, Bob
Davis, the negro who on Tuesday at
tempted TO criminally assault her, was
lynched sabout half after 7 O'Clock
Thursday evening. The negro had first
been Identified by Miss Brooks, and
the Governor Of the State of South
Carolina had made futile appeal to
the determined men who were leaders
In the lyhching to allow the law to
lake It's course. The lypching was as
decent, otderly and matter of-fact ap
affair Of bhe kind as could be ipasgin.
ed.
While Governor III syward was speak.
Ing the tiend was taken away by the
men who3had him In charge and the
large crowd quickly followed. III. was
taken down 10 the first olump OF trees,
below the home OF j. PETIT Brooks and
there q halt was made. 1t looked as
If the execution would be swift, bi, +
Mr.. BROOKS, the father Of the younp
girl, rode up and begged that the
crowd WSit q while. He said that
many who had been on the three davs'
hunt hadhot yet arrived, Snd to wal,
on them, He then begged thai the
crime bcSWiped out by burning the
ScoundrelHThs negro seems anxious
enough bAwait and ho sat On the
ground. lt was hard work to keep
some fromsshooting him, but the wait
continued@ Crowds came up, some
from Greenwood and aome from the
neighborhaod and most OF them With
gums and pistols. There appeared to
0e no hopeSto save the negro's life.
Ine croWd9would listen to nothing.
Glyerpqf Hayward, who remained
some distance back, sent messages b,
fflends 20 men lie knew In the cowd
10 40 Whati they could to save the ne.
gro ana Y ave legal hanging. The
crowd W"' mot even let his messen
gers ref &He sent other messages,
1atlfSSs -, sdeS@antads to go to.
The woods and see what he could do,
out his fr!ends told him that would
be useless. and the crowd told him that
ue wou'1 rather he would not come,
md 1t PES even limited that If he
vent that his head would be covered
With bag, not as disrespect to the
Governor, but simply 80 that he could
zee nothit y.
a negro woman, Annts Spare, whose
aiece had been assaulted by DAvis,
came up and identified the man, and
cursed him for his conduct. She ask
90 TO be allowed to 1.e the first shot
INTO his body. All agreed that this
privilege be given her, and she was
landed q pistol and placed In front OF
the firing line, but her norve failed
her and she did not fire, although th;
'olored man next her claimed to have
fired four times. The msin tirins
slne was about 100 feet from til,
oody and the largest crowd was on a
Hillside made by the cut In the road.
While Bob Davis was sitting on the
ground awaiting hia fate he was asked
about the crime. He admitted tha'
ne had been In the store and that h,
nad been cut with the moat knife.
His hand was lacerated. He, how
ever, tried to implicate some one else,
md said that he took the knife away
from Miss Brooks and that he had not
attempted to criminally assault her
lie did not talk distinctly, but rather
mumbled his words and very little
could be gotten out Of him.
While he was sitting listening to
the questions he asked for q cigarette
and ne puffed 1t with pleasure. A
colored minister, the Rev. j. c.
Goode, pastor Of Macedonia Baptist
Church, asked If he might oray 70,
5hc negro. Consent was given and
ss he worked his way through the de
Csrmined crowd up to the victim, all
uuc )vered their heads. That was s.
spontaneous tribute to God. With
uncovered heads, that vast throng
Intent on killing poor negro, listen.
cd to the colored mans prayers, dur
ing the long wait there we're repeated
suggestion Of burning the negro anc
OF mutilating him before killing him
Finally Capt Evans, VINO had beeu
working to save the negro for tria!
and who had been on the hunt for
days got consent Of the crowd that
they would do no burning or mutilat-
| ing.
Two men tied q rope on Dayls's
arms and he was pulled up about two
lengths OF his body In pine tree,
about quarter Of Of mile from the
nome. lie kicked and squlrmed, and
then his legs we're fastened. With
MS face to the anxious crowd. be vas
given q moment or two to say some.
ching, and then at the brCp of hal
a Thousand bullets were fired into his
body. Hundreds and hunereds an(
hundreds Of balls pierced his body
and then after the first fusillade NOR
asked TO be allowed to take shots
and In the final round up his head was
literally shot to g pulp, and with the
rain o. zing down over his head anC
clothing. With the sun fast Binkin.
over the hills the thousands or more
Who had Witnessed the miserable az
fair went home. At the first volley
the smoke obsoured the hanging body
but the firing kept up, then the smok,
lowered and the shooting continued
There was no hurrahing, no drinking
no cheering 1t was 0uieit and IRE