The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1910-11-30
FIEND LYNCHED
The Brutal Murder Of a Young Girl By a
Negro Speedily Avenged.
WAS HORRIBLE CRIME

HE Details Of Attempt to RaVisn'
Before Numbering the Pretty FOUR
,aan.year-OId Daughter OF a Lex
,ngton Farmer. Shot to Death
With her throat cut from ear 10
ear, a pretty 14-year-old girl oausn,
Ter of a highly respected FARMER "a
The Little Mountain section OF LeN
ington County. lies dead IN her nom
snrrounded by friends and io'eu
,oas, while Flute Clarke a nesto
&c on til g south side Of Little
Mountain, u lantern across MS oie"
md a thousand bullet wounds
through his body. .u
The above dispatch to Inc Ne"s
and Courier, published in saturaa! ;
,aner told a story Of horror ana 's
ou;cs avenging. The dispatch goes
-, IN say that Friday afternoon, o.
tween the hours of 4 and . cloeh
the Young girl was brutally atcaeA-
cd by Clarke. There was no Que az
tho house at the time. and only INC
oo,Seesion of the negro IS all tna'
rnains Of the true STORY N
vouns girls mother had gone TO 'he
,ome Of a nearby neighbor.
The body of the girl was founa pS
her Young brother and an alarm "''
,,ven The sheriff Of Lexington WAS
notifed, and the bloodhounds from
tho county chain gang were dlspatch'
~ TO the scene in charge OF zap
pete Mack. Upon arrival a. lhe
acme the dogs at one too up the
t-ai, and carried it successfully 10 a
Coli where the negro had cen
,,onshing. Here they stopped Il
the chase was given up.
Clarke was spirited away by some
nlf-dozan persons and the ohlc'rS
we're eluded. To those men ne maoe
comD,ete confession Of the crime
:, which confession he estated thai
ne had gone to the house Tor wafer
and asked the young woman 10 ol'ne
him some potatoes to the well. "hen
che brought them he made his hend-
;sb attack. He said that the girl
screamed and said she was gong 10
20 tell her father. He then cut ner
throat. ,,.-
The physician who was caliea III
asserts that the negro tic not ac-
.romnIish his purpose. The ~girlsoodE
WAS found lying in the yard near the
cellar door, and the surroundings
show that a desperate struggle was
made by the young girl. The DIS
lance from the we'll to where the
Young girl met her death IS ABOUT
thirty wards, and she was dragged
rhe entire distance. Her head was al
most severed from the body.
Upon arrival at the scene Monda'
r,pn4 at Q o'clock. The News ana
Courier correspondent found a crown
81 armed men. v~ariously esetllDat"u
~ number from 500 to 1000. Ihey
were all armed 10 the teeth. NJ. Vi.
Rrford the veteran sheriff Of New
berry, thinking that the crime was
committed in N~ewberry County.
Flute Clarke had lived on the
mace for twelve years. having been
practically raised by the family he
WAS married and is said to have been
about 81 years of age. After having
committed the crime. Clarke return
I'd to tho home of his employer ana
.yen went so far as to assist in car
ryius the body to the house.
The scene OF the crime is ahon
200 wards from the N~ewberry line
and about a mile and a half from
Little Mountain. AS soon as il nH-
gro had confessed, int Wofo was
WHISPERED from one 70 another AND
the crowd quietly left in small
SQUADS, to where the negro was be-
ing concealed from thee officers. Ii
was about 1880 when the lynch!n2
took place.
luS CIONN "cS HS'HfS'N0
sturdy citizens Of the Dutch Fors
section and hundreds Of Newberr!
people we're on the grounds. There
we're no signs Of rowdyism. The VIC
vim is a school girl. hut on account
IF the Little Mountain School hcing
closed for two days. she did not az
tend school Thanksgiving or Friday.
The crime shocked the entire com
munity, and on every hand the ex-
preston is heard that the negro re-
ceived his just deserts. At II o'cio2K
Ne report OF guns are heard and
parties continue to visit the scena
Strange, it may seem, but the crime
was committed within less than two
miles Of the place where Cate LeV'r
attempted to assault the wife OF a
pnomiuent young farmer. about a
vear ago and for which he was legal
" banged
Kills Wifc and Another.