The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1912-12-05
HANGED!
Negroes Who Assaulted Mr..
Edwards Strung Up.
Mob Of More Than 100 Men Meets
and Quietly and Orderly Ex-
ecutes Its Purpose.

Deputy Sheriff j. A. Edwards on the
afternoon of September 9th and then
made their escape from the Parish Jail
in this place have been given in these
columns. AS recaptured, one at time,
they were placed in the Caddo Parish .
Jail for safe keeping. However, on
Thursday afternoon of last week (the
last of the escapes having been appre-
hended the night prior) the three were
officially turned over to Sheriff Edwards
by Sheriff Flournoy of Caddo Parish.
Sheriff Edwards, then on his way to
Baton Rouge with the Majors brothers,
who during the last jury term of District
Court were found guilty of cow stealing
and sentenced to the Penitentiary, con-
tinued on his trip, turning the three
negroes over to two of his deputies.
These two gentlemen, knowing that they
were closely watched as they boarded
the outgoing Cotton Belt passenger
train, which departs from Shreveport at
$50 p.m., took their prisoners OFF the
train at Brownlee, the first flag station,
presumably to slip them into Benton by
private conveyance and later place them
within the steel-lined cells of the Parish
Jail. If this was their purpose, their
plans were frustrated.
They we're met by mob OF more than
100 armed men, who at once demanded
the prisoners, and perhaps within less
than one hour they were hanged to the
limbs of a nearby sweetgum tree. 1t is
said they were first questioned and jim
, merson and Burks freely confessed their
guilt, but Hurd, the bootlegger, claimed
that on that day he was guilty of no
, crime and merely made good the chance
to escape when offered. This statement
is not accepted as true by public senti-
ment. In their confessions that evening
i and on prior occasions the three negroes,
Y it is said, claimed that the plot of attack
D and escape was first suggested and its
3 details fully planned by the Majors
s brothers, then incarcerated in the Jail
J. This is accepted by some as true. Others
u cite the fact that on former occasions In
e our parish colored assassins have fruit
e lessly attempted to show that whites
e were implicated. The three were ther
e given the opportunity to offer up prayers
: to their Creator and were summarize!
swung up, being pulled from the eartf
by extra heavy sash cords around thei
d necks, and died from strangulation
e The coats of the three victims, worn
II when they left Shreveport, were mis-
sing. Their hands were tied behin'
their backs, but the lower limbs of jim
y merson and Burks were free and thei
- caps were worn. This would seem to in
u dictate that the two made no resistance
AS Hurd's lower limbs were bound AM
: his hat on the ground, it is thought tina
he made struggle for his life.
The following day the corpses coul
still be seen dangling in the air, type
= written warning pinned to the shirt c
: each reading as follows: "This is tn
: end and will always be the end of an
niger who forgets his place and as
saults or attempts to assault white PEG
pie in this part of the country"
Three other negroes were sound
logged with buggy harness trace an
ordered to leave the parish. Two wei
known to have assisted the escapes
their flight, and the third became OF
streperous and reached for his rifle whe
told by white man to come on and G
to the Caddo Parish Jail for the purpo:
of assisting in the identification of or
of the escapes.
Mood Burks, Jim Hurd and Silas jim
merson are the names of the three brut
who died at the hands of the mob, ar
their criminal records, not. to mentit
II the dastardly and unprovoled assau
. upon Deputy Sheriff Edwards while
III the discharge of his official duties, ha
ed been given the public in these column
st Burks and Immersion, guilty of murde
ing a negro, and on the additional char
of lying in wait to murder, would ha
been hanged if tried by jury. AS
Hurd, he was by instinct Grimm
III having repeatedly been in the jails
North Louisiana, and no doubt led
. the mutiny referred to, SO his passing
a. considered by all good radiance.
n