The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1911-08-30
DIES IT HANDS OF MOB.
NEGRO BURNED AT STAKE BY
CROWD IN PURCELL, OKLA.
Captured by Three Blacks. Woman's
Assallant Is Hurried To- His Doom
-Onicers Ovcrpowered.


Carter. a negro. who had previously
been captured by three members OF
his own race and identified as the
man who last night alta cked the wife
OF a farmer. was burned to death on
o brush pile In the main street of
Purcell at o'clock this afternoon.
Deputy Sheriff Hayes ard Under sher-
IN Farris. who attemped to rescue
the negro from the crowd. were over
powered and locked in the court
house.
The victim was assaulted while
alone In her home one mile south OF
Purcell. After the deed. the negro
set fire to the house. The Victims
husband saw the flames while work.
Ing In the fields and rushed into the
house In time to rescue his wife. She
declared Carter. who formerly worked
on the farm. had attacked her. OIL
eers went to Carter's home and ar
rested him. He was turned over to
constable. but on the way to jail
escaped.
When II became known the negro
was free. farmers OF the neighborhood
organized and an all-night search
was made. The negro was not found
This afternoon Higiey Henry, a
negro janitor. faced strange negro
riding under a box car near the Ok
iahoma Central railway station. With
the aid OF two other negroes. who
had armed themselves. the negro jani-
tor pulled Carter from beneath the
car. He was taken to the main street
Of Purcell. where a great crowd hal
gathered.
Turn the negro over to me-" said
. tall farmer who suddenly seemed
Go assume command Of the crowd
The janitor and his two aides obeyed.
Carter was taken across tho street
and In an instant many men and
boys were gathereing brush and plac-
ins II at his feet.
AT this tuncture Deputy Sheriff
Haines and Under Sheriff Farris ar
rived and pleaded with the mob to
turn the prisoner over 10 them. The
sheriff and his assistant were locked
up and the negro was led out and
placed ON an oii-soaked brush heap.
briit around a telephone pole. He
was tied to che pole and the torch
applied. Cheers came from the crowd
- tho flames shot up around the
victim. and men and women In motor
cars watched him die. As he was
sashed to the pole. the negro shrieked
for mercy. After the flames died
down the crowd slowly dispersed. The
negr0s body was burned to a crisp.
The negro's victim. who Is not ex.
pected 70 live, said Carter entered |
her home last night and struck her |,
on the head with a gas pipe. beating
her until she was unconscious. An
old mattress was torn up and scat
tered over her body. After the negro |
had set the mattress on fire he fled. |
A the woman was crawling from
the fire the negro reappeared and |
again struck her with the pipe, |
breaking her jaw. Her husband. |
rushing to the house. rescued his |
wife. unsconscious. In a few minutes
more she would have been dead.
The pile Of wood and brush on
which the negro's body was burned |
was still smouldering at 10 o'clock to-
night. The town was quiet.
The cheers Of the crowd. as the first
names shot up mingled with the pierre
Ing cries of the negro. and after the
nre had burned for an hour
and the body was nothing but a crisp
the crowd again cheered. Then it dis
persed.
While tie majority Of those who
gathered about to witness the black
mans death were men. there were
many women In the crowd.
A remarkable feature about the af-
fair was that while the crowd was de-
termined on the death OF the negro, II
was far more quiet than Is usually un-
der similar circumstances. Not
shot was fired.
The escape OF the negro following
mis- first arrest seemed to add To- the
fury OF the searchers for the black
man.
Talk about town tonight following
The lynching. that he was the right
man" as whispered from lip &C. lip.
comes from Il brief confession ~nada