The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1910-02-10
HANGING AT KING STREE
NEGRO EXECUTED FOR ASSAULT
WITH INTENT TO RAVISH.
Colored Assailant, Eighteen Years
Old, of a School Girl, Pays
Death Penalty for Crime.

Kingstree, Feb. 4.-Calmly and
cody, and to all outward appearances
with as steady nerves as If he was
only a spectator instead Of the CEN
tral figure in the last dread tragedy
of the law, Johnny Rose, convicted
ct assault with intent to ravish, went
to his death to-day. Promptly at IL
O'Clock Sheriff Graham opened the
door leading from the steel cage to
the death trap. Through this door
came first the Rev. Mr.. Hurt, Of the
Baptist church, followed by the
sheriff with the condemned boy and
his assistants. Not a sign of fear
did Rose exhibit as he faced the men
whom the sheriff had called in as
legal witnesses, and some of whom
we're from the immediate neighbor-
hood of the crime. Asked If he had
anything to say, Rose said that he
"had never denied having committed
the crime for which he had been
tried. That he had admitted it the
day he was arrested, and he admitted
it now. He asked those who were
present to tell all the boys, both
black and white, to let his death be
a warning to them all to walk
straight and not to do wrong" Then
turning to the sheriff, he said, "That
is all / have to say, sheriff"
It was a remarkable scene. The
perfect self-poise Of this densely ig-
norant negro boy, depraved wretch,
convicted of the most heinous crime
known to the law, face to face with
death, and yet he bore himself with
out f1inching and died like a brave
man. And he was only 1S years
cid. Not even when the black cap
was adjusted was there a tremor
visible.
At the request of the sheriff the
Rev. Mr.. Hurt made most feeling
and appropriate prayer, thanking
God for this manifestation Of the
law OF the land, which is sufficient
to punish crime, instead of violence
and mob rule. He prayed earnestly
and eloquently for the soul of the
condemned, to which Rose responded
from his knees, "Oh, yes, SIR The
prayer being ended his limbs were
securely bound, the black cap ad-
justed and the trap sprung. A dull,
sickening thud followed, and Johnny
Rose was on his way to face high
er tribunal than mans. The majes-
ty Of the law in the old county Of
Williamsburg was vindicated.
The following is brief history OF
the crime: On the morning Of De-
cember 6, 1909, little white girl,
IA years of age, whose home is with
In one-half mile of the Clarendon
line, was on her way to the neighbor-
hood school, when she was overtaken
by negro youth, going in the same
direction. The child had stalk of
sugar cane, and the negro asked for
piece of the cane, which she gave
him. They went little further,
and the negro made proposal to
her, and the child told him she did
not understand what he meant.
Thereupon he seized her and dragged
her in the woods along the road, the
poor child screaming and fighting.
He had her down and threatened to
kill her if she did not stop screaming,
but she continued to fight and
scream. Providence here stepped In
and saved a sweet, blue-eyed girl
from fate worse than death. From
around a bend in the road, which had
concealed him from view, came
young Mr.. Dye Burgess. He had
heard the screams and came with his
horse on run. AS he came up the
negro left the child and ran into the
woods, being plainly recognized, both
by Mr.. Burgess and the child. Mr..
Burgess could not follow the negro,
but gave his attention to the child,
whose clothing was badly torn, and
who was hysterical: He took the
child home, and the news spread.
The hunt for the guilty man was at
once organized. A party formed at
Kingstree and started for the scene.
Meanwhile the negro was run down
by Magistrate R. C. McElveen and
two or three others who took him be-
fore the child for Identification. Then
for a time it looked as if a lynching
would take place. Finally, after
heroic work by Mr.. McElveen and
two or three cooler heads, he was al
lowed TO start for Kingstree. By
concealing the negro in the bottom
of his buggy, under a buggy robe
and taking a round about way tC