The Hartford herald. [volume] (Hartford, Ky.) 1875-1926, 1911-08-16
NORTHERN MOB
{ BURNS A NEGRO
Gainesville, Pa, Scene of
the Burning.
MOST BRUTAL ACT ON RECORD
Wounded Negro Was Taken
From Hospital and Fired
in His Bed.
SCENES WITHOUT A PARALLEL

Coatesville, KY, Aug. 10
Zachariah Walker, a negro desper-
ado, was carried on a cot from the
hospital here tonight and burned
to a crisp by a frenzied mob of
men and boys. The negro, who
last night shot and killed Edgar
Rice, a special policeman of the
Worth Iron Mills, was first drag
ged to the scene of the shooting,
begging piteously for mercy.
He had been arrested by a posse
late this afternoon after a search
which had stirred the countryside.
When the posse finally located him
he was found hiding in a cherry
tree and with the last bullet in his
revolver, shot himself in the mouth,
falling from the tree. He was re-
moved to the hospital and placed
under guard.
A few minutes after 8 o'clock a
crowd numbering almost 1000 per-
sons appeared at the hospital. The
leaders were denied admission, but
they quickly smashed the window
| frames and crawled through the
corridor. When Walker was first
taken to the hospital he was strap
ped down in order to prevent his
escape. The mob, seeing this,
gathered up the bed and, placing it
on the shoulders of four men, start
ed for the country.
When half a mile from the hos
pitaT they entered field and quick.
ly gathering up a pile of dry grass
and weeds, placed the bed contain
ing their victim upon it.
A match was applied and the
flames shot up quickly, entirely en-
shrouding the screaming victim.
That not a vestige of the murderer
be left, the mob tore down the fence
along the road and piled the rails
upon the burning negro.
After waiting for half an hour the
mob dispersed. A curious feature
of the burning was the fact that
there were almost as many women
in the crowd as men.
During the march from the hos
pital to the scene of the burning of |
the negro not a policeman was en-
countered by the mob. Even the |
man on duty in the hospital made /
no effort to stop the leaders who |
had gained admittance to the insti- !
tuition. ~-a-S !. 'f!s'"S w. .r'.-aNpp
The only masks worn by the
members of the mob we're handker-
chiefs drawn over their faces.
Coatesville is a town of about
10000 persons, and is located on |,
the main line of the Pennsylvania
about thirty miles west of
Philadelphia.
Before the body of the negro had
been consumed the news spread
throughout the town that Walker
had been ''lynched" on the out ,
skirts, and while the body and bed
were yet smouldering, the ,
'oad leading to the scene was alive
With automobiles. II is estimated
hat nearly 500 of such convey j
lnces visited the scene of the burn
ng before midnight.
After the mob left the hospital I
md had gone a short distance, it {
lropped the bed upon which the ne -
no was strapped and then dragged :,
he half-crazed victim, with his
eet and hands still tied to the bed,
long the road. The negro, evil
emily believing the mob was bent :"
pom lynching him, begged piteous- u
= not to be Strung up"
His wild cries startled the people
wing on an adjoining farm on II
hitch the pyre was built. Several NJ
cached the field as the match was m
pplied to the dry hay, but not one h
with the mob. AS nj
lie flames shot up around the vic lie
m, he wriggled opt of the flames, @,
My to be thrown back again.
Once more, with a display of su- B.
erhuman strength, he weakly
riggled through the flames and h,
led to drag himself away, only to O
again hurled back. His cries of
sony finally diminished as death R
me. When the crowd left the vi
enc they walked quietly along ds