The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1917-12-14
THIRTEEN NEGROES PAY
WITH LIVES FOR RIOT
Hanged Early Tuesday for Compli-
city i'm shooting Up" Houston
Last August.

Dan AuIOHlO, lex, DeC. los
trampled clearing in lonely mes
quite thicket on the government res
ervation here, except for the ashes
of two huge bonfires, shows no sigr
that it was the execution place OF
thirteen negro soldiers OF the Twen
ty-fourth infantry Tuesday. The ne
groes. convicted of participating In
the riots at Houston, Tex, August
%, last, were hanged at one minute
before sunrise.
After dark the night before, mo.
tor trucks carried the lumber fol
the scaffolds and company of en-
gineers to the clearing. The scat
folds were built by freight. Motor
trucks shortly after Ave o'clock In
the morning carried the condemned
negroes and the officers and military
guard to the place Of execution. The
trucks later carried the bodies to q
place as indistinguishable as the ex-
ecution site where the burial took
place. Then they hauled back to
Fort Sam Houston every piece of
lumber used in the scaffold so that
the site was clear before formal an
nouncement Of the executions had
been issued by the southern depart
ment headquarters.
Faced Death StoicalIy.
The condemned negroes had
known Of their fate since Sunday.
Twelve Of them sought spiritual
council of army Y. NJ. C. A. workers.
The thirteenth. whose name has not
been disclosed, gave no inkling that
he knew. Outwardly all were
stoical. They did not know the
date Of the execution.
Aside from less than a dozen off,
GERS Of the southern department and
the sheriff OF Bexar county, no one
in the city or the army camps knew
of the execution, date or place. The
other defendants were ignorant Of
the fate of their companions until
after the formal announcement had
been made.
The condemned men were aroused
a few minutes before regular army
reveille. The military guard had
been summoned silently and no
sound was heard in the camp where
nearly 10000 men were sleeping.
except the purring Of the army
truck motors awaiting their loads.
The negroes dressed in their regular
uniforms as carefully as for inspec-
tion.
They displayed neither bravado
nor fear. They rode to the execution
singing a hymn, but the singing was
that of soldiers on the march. Ar
rived at the clearing the song ceas-
ed. the men, shackled, were helped
from the trucks to the scaffolds and
seated on chairs. A low goodbye
boys" addressed to members of their
guard who had been in
charge Of the negroes since they
were brought here from Fort Bliss.
was the only expression from any OF
the negroes.
Stood at Attention.
The mems feet were bound. An
army chaplain offered prayer An
officer called, Attention" and as
on parade the negroes stood erect.
They stood quietly while caps ana
nooses were adjusted and then step
ped on the traps. The major in
charge OF the execution gave a signal
and soldiers sprung the traps.
The negroes plunged nine feet to
instant death.
No announcement has been made
when the forty-one negro defendants
given life sentences by the court
will be taken to Fort Leav-
The men hanged. all enlisted men
of the cath infantry, were: Ser
geant William C. Nesbitt. Corporals
Larnon j. Brown, James Wheatley.
Jesse Moore and Charles w. Balti-
more; Privates William Bracken-
ridge, Thomas C. Hawkins. Carlos
Snodgrass. Lara B. Davis. James
Divins, Frank Johnson. Risley W.
Young and Pat MacWhorter.
OF the others four were sentenced
to dishonorable discharge from the
army, forfeiture Of all pay and al
lowances due. and prison terms Of
tmo uaora and two yearg and giy