Richmond planet. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1883-1938, 1917-12-08
COLORD MAN BURNED
At THE STAKE

Dyersburg, Tenn, Dec. 3. Especially
"A heap Of charrcd bones lying in
ashes of flesh in n vacant lot adjoin-
ing the public square today gave mute
evidence OF the execution here yestcr-
lay of Lation Scott, 30, Negro, who
was burned az the stake before
crowd of 5000 persons-uhe penalty
cXacted for IAN assault upon white
woman Of this county which the Ne
gro confessed.
From the moment Scott was taken
from Sheriff's deputies in the Trimble
bottoms Sunday morning, following
his arrest Saturday at Oakfield, Mad
iscn county, until the last ember
around the black body had lost It's
glow, the story rivals The mountaip
fastncss Of Kentucky and the CORY
vendetta of the Camorra
While bound to an iroa post with
logging chains the Negro looked OF
in dumb wonder at the stern-visaged
men who heated policrs and smooth
ing irons until they were as fiery as
the flames that licked them hot.
Half an hour the Negro waited
while the irons were heated He lay
prone upon his face beneath the yoke
Of Ahe iron post. Children OH the
outskirts romped and played, their
merry voices rising above the Mushed
hubbub of the mob
At last the irons were hot.
"Have you anything to say?"
A meek voice mumbled inaudibly.
The Negro made speech, but few
caught tho portent.
A red streak shot out: A poker in
brawny hand was boring out one
of the Negroes eyes. The Negro bore
the ordeal with courage, only low
means escaping him. Another poker
was working like an auger on the
other orbit.
The smell of burning flesh per-
meated the atmosphere. q pungent
sickening aroma telling those who
failed to get good vantage points
what their eyes could not see:
Smoothing irons were soaring the
flesh
Swish. Once, twice, three times q
red hot iron dug gaping places III
I,ation Scatts h5Nk and sides. cgssssA
Fetch 4 hottrr one" somebody
said. The execution went on.
Now someone had another poker
jabbing it's fiery joint into the ribs
OF the doomed black.
the agonized body. sQuirming beneath
its load.
MATCH IS STRUCK.
Someone struck the match-they
say the husband of ithc assaulted wo-
man applied Il-and smoke began to
curl upward into a blue sky, The
flames gathered momentum, cngulf-
ing the body. The fire seemed to
groan, but 1t was Lation Scott.
More and more wood and rubbish
were fed the fire, bu; at 3 o'clock
Lation Scott was not dead. Life
finally fed at o'clock.
The eXecutioners departed, leaving
only the morbid. Women, who had
left their dinners in the making, has
tened home. Children, who had tar
ricd on the way home from Sunday
school, scurried away.
Dyersburg, seemingly, was satisfied.
And today Dyersburg pursucs the
even tenor OF its ways.
at is d great lesson" they argue.
"Ho confessed, and we gave him
trial by jury"
Scott committed the crime Nov. %.
He assaulted the wife or the HUSBAND
for whom he had made crop. The
woman was bound and gagged and
painfully injured. Posses immediate.
ly formed and for three days a re-
lentless search was under way.
Saturday Scott applied to a sec
tion foreman on the B. & N. w. for
work, near Oaktield. The foreman
told Scott he had enough men, but
as Scott left the foreman recognized
in him a man of the description Of
Scott. He arrested him and informed
Sheriff, Perry, Of Madison county.
Sheriff Perry Informed Sheriff Bry-
ant, Of Dyer county, and Sunday
morning Deputies Copper Putsell and
Pard Finley were sent for the Negro.
They were instructed to be on the
alert for q mob and take Scott to
Trenton. The deputies were in an
automobile and speeding through the
Trimble bottoms, when men suddenly
sprang from every side of the road.
"Its useless, Pard; we can't make
it; they've got u.s."
So the deputies gave up the Negro.
The people OF Dyersburg were noti-
fed by telephone at once. The whole
county seemed to know. Dyersburg
was quickly filled. One pastor, dur
ing the course Of his Sunday morning
sermon, remarked that he was glad
to see so many women present, "but
l wonder where the men are?"
The mob reached here about l
o'clock with the Negro.
A citizen jury was quickly empan-
eled, but without a probe the Negro
confessed. The mob decided on burn
ing at the stake, and wendell it's way
to lot across the street from the
Fowler Dry Goods store.
Scott WAS stripped. The iron post,
chains, smoothing irons and pokers
mad been provided before the mob
reached the city. NfhoNt force the
Negro lay down on the ground and
submitted to being chained to tho
post.
Not single cry for. mercy was
ever uttered by Scott. His fortitude
struck even the mob workers as I'M
canny.: No one offered a plea for the
Negro after he confessed.