The Laurens advertiser. (Laurens, S.C.) 1885-1973, 1911-08-16
PENNSYLVANIA MOB
BURNS NEGRO AT SRAE<E
Negro Taken From Hospital Burnt on
Cot to Which ..e Was Strapped
Women In the Mob Almost Equal

Women in the Mob Almost Equal
Men.
Coatesville, Penn, Aug. 13.-Zac-
hariah Walker, a negro, who was
charged with shooting and killing
Edgar Rice. special policeman on
Saturday night, was dragged from a
cot In a local hospital by mob of
citizens tonight and burned at the
stake about half a mile from town.
The negro, who had shot and in
stantly killed Edgar Rice, a special
policeman of the Worth Iron Mills,
last night. was first dragged to the
scene of the shooting begging pite-
ously for mercy. He had been ar
rested by posse late this afternoon
after a search which had stirred the
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
removed to the hospital and placed
under police guard
A few minutes after nine o'clock
crowd numbering almost onethous-
and persons appeared at the hospital
The leaders were unable to gain ad-
mission. but quickly smashed window
frames and crawled through the cor
ridor. policeman who had been
placed on duty to watch Walker was
the only person in the building hesides
the nurses and patients. The leader
of the mob placed his hands over the
policeman's eyes while others who
had entered the building set about to
take their man from the hospital
When Walker was taken to the hospit-
al he wasstrapped 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. They left the town
by way of the Towervlle road, and
when half mile from the hospital
entered a field and quickly gathering
up pile of dry grass and weeds plac-
ed the bed containing their victim up
on it. The negro was begging pite-
ously to be released, but his pleadngs
fell upon deaf ears. a match was plac-
ed to the pile of grass and the flames
shot up quickly, entirely enshroudng
the screaming victim. That not q ves-
tige OF the murderer be left the mob
tore down the fence along the road
nl 1nl
negro.
After waiting for half an hour the
mob dispersed as quickly as it had
come,
a curious feature of the burning was
the fact that there We're almost as
many women in the crowd as men.
During the march from the hospital to
the scene of the burning of the negro,
a distance of less than three quarters
of mile. not policeman was en-
countered by the determined mob Ev-
Ell the man on duty I'm the hospital
made no effort to stop the fifteen OIL
more leaders who had gained admit
tance to the institution.
ilc oHlS lldSh WOIn ny InG mGln-
bers of the mob were handkerchiefs
drawn over their faces
That the burning of the negro was
designed and carried out by level
headed men there can be no doubt
1t was not the work of men whose
nerves had been wrought up to the
danger point by over-indulgence but
rather that of a body OF determined
men who were ready to take any
kind Of chance to avenge the
death of respectable citizen who
had been shot down in cold blood.
Coatesville is town of about
10000 persons, ond is located on the
main line OF the Pennsylvania rail
road about so miles west of Phila-
aelphia.