The Durham recorder. [volume] (Durham, N.C.) 1879-19??, 1911-08-15
Murderer ef . Policeman Burned
70 Dsaih
BY PEAsYLVlN|l CROWD
As Many Women As Men in Mo-,
Which wreakcd speedy Vengeance
ON Negro Desperado--work Done
In Orderly Manner--Negro At
tempted Suicide When Captured.

toatessifie, fa-, Aug. lf.--Lacha-
riah Walker. negro desperate, was
carried on a cot from the hospital
here last night and burned to a cris.i
BY mob OF men. women and boys
on a fire which they Ignited about a
half mile from town. The negro,
who had killed Edgar Rice. police
man Of the Worth iron mills, satur-
day night, was first dragged TO the
scene OF the shooting begging pit
eously for mercy. lie had been ar
rested by a posse late yesterday af-
ternoon 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. lie was removed TO
the hospital end placed under police
guard.
A few minutes after . o'clock a
crowd numbering almost one thou
sand persons appeared at the hos
pital The leaders were unable to
gain admission, but quickly smashed
the window frames and crawled
through the corridor. A policeman
who had been placed ON duty TO
watch Walker. was the only person
In the building beside the nurses
and patients. The leader OF the mob
paced his hands over the poiceman's
eyes while others. who had entered
the building set about 10 take their
man ffom the hospital. When
Walker was taken to the hospital, be
was strapped down In order TO pre-
vent mis- escape. The mob seeing
this gathered up the bed and placing
u on the shoulders OF four men,
started for the country.
They left the town by way OF the
Toweryllle road. and when half a
mile from the hospital. stopped at a
farm house. Here they entered
field and quickly gathering up pile
OF dry grass and weeds. placed the
bed containing their victim upon it.
The negro was begging piteously to
be released. but his pIeadings fell
upon deaf ears. A match was placed
20 the pile Of grass and the flames
shot up quickly. entirely enshroud-
Ing the screaming victim. That not
a ycstigc of lhc 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 as quietly as IL
had come. 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
hospital 10 the scene Of the burning
Of the negro. distance OF less than
thrce-quartcrs OF a mile, not a po-
liceman was encountered by the de-
termincd mob. Even the man on
duty IN the hospital made no effort
to stop the fifteen or more leaders
who had gained admIltance 10 the
Tho only masks worn by the mem-
bers Of tho mob. were handkerchiefs
drawn loosely over their faces.
That the burning Of the negro was
designed and carried out by cool
headed men there can be no doubt.
u was not the work OF men whose
nerves had been wrought up tn the
danger point by oyer-lnduIgence. but
rather that Of body OF determined
men who. we're ready to take any
kind OF chance 10 avcnge the death
Of respectable Citizen who had been
shot down In cold blood.
Coatesvillc Is town OF about ten
thousand persons. and Is located on
the main line OF the Pennsylvania
railroad about 80 miles west OF
Philadelphia.