New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1911-08-14
NEGRO LYNCHED
IN PENNSYLVANIA
Taken from Hospital and Then
Burned at Stake for Murder
of Special Policeman.
PITE0US PLEA FOR MERCY
After Crime Was Found Hiding
in Cherry Tree, and Shot Him
self-First Affair of the
Kind in the State.
rBy Telegraph to The Tribune. !

1Odl'sNIll', ftllli., .tuSs
| Walker the negro who shot and killed
Edgar Rice. special officer Of the Worth
| Brothers Steel Company on Saturday
: night. when caught in the act Of hold
! ing up and robbing a foreigner near the
works of the company, was dragged
! from the Coatesyille Hospital. where he
| had been lodged tonight under police
guard, and burned by frenzied mob or
citizens, a half mile from town. The
| affair, which is the first OF the kind 10
happen in this state, has aroused the
town TO white heat, and at midnight
! thousands of excited men and women
thronged the streets, while requests for
police assistance have been sent out 30
surrounding towns in Chester and Lam
caster counties in the belief that more
serious trouble may break out between
the negroes and the whites.
Coatesvile has more than twelve thou
sand inhabitants. At midnight every
one Of the twelve thousand was either in
the streets or remained awake and on
guard in their homes, in anticipation Of
an outbreak Of race riots The town,
force of half a dozen policemen is utterly
lost and totally unable to cope with the
situation.
Since the attempted hold-up and the
arrest of the negro late this afternoon
by a posse, when he tried TO shoot him
self to death after being cornered in 4
barn on the farm Of Louis Entrekin. In
Fallowtield Township, mutterings OF
trouble were heard on all sides, and ef-
forts Of the more sober minded citizens
to prevent the outbreak which came to-
night were of no avail.
Armed Mob After Negro.
As dusk fell the crowds increased, and.
apparently without leadership. Joined
forces and streamed toward the Coates
vile Hospital. located upon hill in the
west end Of the town. AS the vanguard
approached the institution it was in
stantly Joined by hundreds coming from
the other direction, all armed with re-
volvers, shotguns and all manner of FIRE
arms.
With one accord the mob assembled the
steep road to the hospital and demanded
that the negro be produced. The at
7 taches hastily shut all the doors ana
windows and barricaded them with fur
niture and cots. or whatever was al
hand but the crowd of angered farmers
would not be denied--in fact, their de-
sire for --engeance was but increased
and they made short work Of entering
the hospital.
Scores many Of them wearing masks.
struggled and fought their way into the
chamber where the manacled negro was
stretched on a cot. The single poii-s
guard at his side was swept away Ike
straw in a torrent
The negro was seized by dozen
hands and dragged aside. Nhen IL WAS
found that he could not be pulled from
the bed. ;hat the chains held him fast. q
score or more lent aid and lifted the cot
bodily from the floor and pulled II ana
the negro's body TO the doorway. Ther
progress was impeded by the others "no
were still fighting TO gain entrance TO
the tiny hallway OF the hospital
Cries Of Lynch HIM"
Finally a way was cleared and the cot
and it's burden was lifted upon the
shoulders and carried swiftl' down me
hill to Strode's Road. Tho crowd, when
had increased In number 10 more than
five thousand men and boys, followed
after. Yelling screaming and gcsticulat-
ing, all shouting in unison: "Lynch
him, Lynch him.
At the foot OF the incline the leaders
wearied of carrying the bed and its bur-
den. and unceremonlously dropped 1t to
the roadway 4 rope was instantly pro-
cured and loop was placed about
Walkers feet. In this way the victim
was dragged, chained to the cot around
the foot of a hill to the dark. dense and
deserted road running by the side or
Brandywinc Greek to the spot where he
had attempted to hold up and rob Tor
eigner on Saturday night, and where lie
had shot and killed the policeman, Rice.
Evidently not satisfied with the torture
they had already inflicted on the man,
the crowd decided that it was not enough
10 return their victim TO the scene OF ms
crime. but they hastily refastened the
rope about his heels 0he rope had be-
come united when the mob came 10
standstilD and started OF again down
the road. Aimlessly the crowd went.
still shouting and yelling, all evidently
not caring where they went or how far.
hut only bent upon continuing the
necro's torture as long as possible. and
until they should find a more suitable
spot I'm which to carry into execution the
u,rpose 10 end his life as he had ended
that OF Rice, quickly and surely.
n the Newlin farm they came upon
spot. open for about ffty yards, by the
roadside. II was on the Newlin farm.
about half a mile from the town. where
the bed and the crying and begging
negro were allowed TO halt.
Set Up Negroes Funeral Pyrs.
ASH by magic, a pile of fence rails and
lumber OF all varieties. hastily collected
from farm buildings. sheds and out
houses on the way. had been formed. and
almost before the majority Of the mob
knew what was happening a match was
applied and a sheet OF flame shot up
from the dried wood.
The same score of hands that had
grasped the cot in the hospital and had
torn II from the room and down the hill
grasped 1t again. and with ono swing