Bisbee daily review., 1907-06-28
BRUTE IS SAVED BY
 AUTO
After Committing Most Awful Crime, Officers Arrive Just in Time to Rescue Him from Infunated Men.

LOS ANGELES, June z7.-That Jim Burnett, negro, was not lynched yesterday afternoon near the ex- treme southeasterly boundary of the city, was due to the timely arrival of police in an automobile. Burnett had committed the crime for which they burn men at the stake in the South. and had there been time for preparation, that might have been his fate. Another negro was his captor and would have willingly assisted in netting out swift ustice to the human brute-if lynching is ever just-but Burnett was whisked away to jail in an automobile, and to that fact he owes his life.
 Laura Akers, aged g. daughter of poor parents who came here two weeks ago from Bakersfield, was the negro's victim. She was so frightful- ly abused that she may not recover. If she dies, her assailant may yet feel the halter; if she recovers all that can be done with him is to send him to prison, for rape is not a cap ital crime in California.
 The Akers family live in a tent. house which they have pitched on Ed "Ah 0fC2GC hCoA LAAL L<Oo ahSClGS river, not far from the intersection of Boyle and Vernon avenues Tester day afternoon, Mrs. Akers told her two daughters to go to little hillock on the east side of the river near Edwin avenue to pick greens for the evening meal. Laura, aged g, and Clara, one year her unior, departed on their task and the. mother went about her work without the slightest thought of impending danger.
 An hour later the woman was startled by the screams of Clara, who ran to her crying that a negro was killing her older sister. e
 Mrs. Akers ran toward the tent house, arriving there ust in time to see the negro depart. She called to him, but with a yell the man turned and started to run toward the river.
 Mrs. Akers ran into the tent and found her little daughter lying on the bed in frightful condition. The frightened child whispered the story of the outrage to her mother, stating that the negro, after his crime, had carried her home.
 Frantic with grief the mother ran to the street. There she met A. Cur tis. a negro carpenter living in the neighborhood. As soon as he heard the story of the outrage he started in pursuit of the fleeing Burnett. Through the riverbed to the hill be- yond ran the quarry, with Curtis and Mrs. Akers in pursuit On the east side of the river bed, the mother fell from exhaustion and was assisted to her home. Curtis yelled to white men as he passed, telling them of the crime, and they too, joined in the search. Men dropped their work and dashed madly along the road in pur- suit. Block after block toward the country roads Burnett ran, ready to drop with exhaustion and fright, but spurred on for one last desperate ef- fort by the yells of his pursuers.
 One by one the pursueFs slowed down. The heat of the day began to tell on them. At last but two re- mained. One white man, the other, Curtis, 1.-the. lean negro, who panther-like, crouching as he ran, gained rapidly on the terrified fugi- tive.
 At Boyle and Verne Burnett turned. His face was almost yellow with fright and exhaustion. He raised his hands as though to strike the man who bore down on him, but he was too late. Curtis leaped. catching the fiend squarely on the jaw He drop. ped as if shot
 the bolt of lightning which struck tied the negro's hands and started back along the road. The negro might have read the intentions of his cap tors as he walked with them. At any rate he began to scream for help Neither Curtis nor the white man spoke to him, and he was being drag ged straight to his fate.
 Tn the meantime a telephone mes sage had been sent to University DO lice station, telling the officers there that child had been murdered by negro. Sergt Benedict hailed the
 first automobile he saw, and, telling the driver what had been reported
 began mad race to the scene of the crime. Arriving at the tent-house Benedict learned the general direc tion taken by the criminal and his pursuers, and started in that direc tion. But for Burnett's screams. the officer would have passed the party and Burnett would soon have been SUDSCL lOE OOfCASi D AhqdSot. <As it was Sergt. Benedict heard the cries of the prisoner and arrived in siie nick of time.
 Taking Burnett from those who had captured him, Benedict placed him ir the bottom of the tonneau and or dered the driver to put on full speed AS the automobile dashed away, a maddened crowd tried to seize the negro, but the officer was too quicl for them. The negro was taken baei to the tent-bouse and identified by his victim Then he was taken tc jail. When the steel doors changed behind him, Burnett almost fainted He did not deny his guilt, but refused to make any statement
 This morning Burnett will be taker before the District Attorney and ex amined. A close watch will be kep or him, and an extra guard kept II
 the police court when his case come: up for hearing.