The Hattiesburg news. (Hattiesburg, Miss.) 1908-1917, 1911-08-14
PENNSYLVANIA AND OKLAHOMA
THE SCENES OF THE HoR-
RlBLE CRIMES.
OFFICERS DID NOT INTERFERE
Pennsylvania Negro Killed a Police
man and the other One in OKLA
Z homa Attacked a White Woman
Rpleas of Victims Ignored.


Coatesville, Penn, Aug 14,-In- d
tense excitement and indignation pre-
vailed here today over the burning
last night of Zachariah Walker, ne
gro charged with killing Edgar Rice,
a policeman. Walker was dragged
from the hospital where he lay
wounded and taken away on cot
the mob gathering fence rails, timber
for pyre as it went along. Matches
were applied to the weeds and grass
around the cot and the flames burst
forth, burning the cords binding the
negro. Walker leaped from the cot
and tried to escape, but the mob !
flung him writhering back into the
flames, which soon reduced his body |
10 ashes.
The negro had shot and killed Ed
7 gar Rice, a special policeman of the
Worth Iron Mills and he was dragged
to the scene of the shooting, begging
piteously for mercy. He had been ar
rested by a posse late in the after
noon after a search which had stirred
the countryside.
When the posse finally located
Walker, he was found hiding in
cherry tree, and with the last bullet
In his revolver shot himself in the
mouth, falling from the tree. He was
removed to the hospital and placed
under police guard
Mob of Almost Thousand,
A few minutes after Q o'clock
crowd. numbering almost 1000 per
sons. appeared at the hospital The
leaders were unable to gain admis-
sion. but quickly smashed the win
dow frames and crawled through the
corridor. A policeman, who had been
placed on duty to watch Walker, was
the only person in the building be-
sides the nurses and patients. The
leader of the mob placed his hands
over the policeman's eyes, while oth
.ers who had entered the building sci
about to take their man from the hos
l pital.
When Walker was taken to the hos
nital. he wa sstrapped down. in orde
In prevent his escape The mob, see
, ing this, gathered up the bed, and plac
ing it on the shoulders of four men
started for the country. They lef
the town and when half a mile from
the hospital stopped at farmhouse
Pleas Were in Vain.
Here the mob entered field anc
auickly gathering up a pile OF ar
grass and weeds, placed the bed cor
tanning their victim upon it. The nj
GRO begged piteously to be released
but his pleadings fell upon deaf ear
match was placed to the pile
grass and the flames shot up quickly
y entirely enshrouding the screamlh
victim. That not a vestige of the mu
- dered be left the mob tore down III
fence along the road and piled I'll
rails upon the burning negro
After waiting for half an hour u
,nob dispersed as quickly as it ha
come A curious feature of the bur
inc was the fact that there were
most as many women in the crwd
men. ,.,
n,ring the march from the hosl
col +o the scene of the burning OF Il
nogro not a policeman was encounte
n bv the mob Even the man on du
~ tbe hospital made no effort to ST.
tho fifteen or more leaders, who nj
,ained admission to the institute
" The only mask worn by its memoe
bandkerchiefs drawn losse
over their faces. -,
That the burning of the negro "
dosigned carefully beforehand the
an he no doubt. 1t was the WORK
mon ready to take any K'na oi
chance to avenge the deatn OF :,
1T. ..ohIso citizen. who had been 81
down in cold blood about
coatesviile is town OF ABOUT
am nersons, and is located on !
mo,n O' line of the Pennsylvania II