The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1918-07-05
Girl IS AVENGED
Negro Brutes Were Hanged at
8 O'clock This Morning.
To GalIOws Singing "GOd Have
Mercy on My Soul"
ASSAULTED WHITE GIRL OF II
Black Soldiers dubbed Escort
and Seized Girl.
Promptly Tried by Summary
Court Martial.
ASSAULTED WHITE GIRL OF II

Camp Dodge, Ia, July 5.-Three
negro soldiers convicted by court mar
tial of assaulting and outraging a IT.
year-old girl on the cantonment
grounds the night of May "a. were
hanged here today with virtually the
entire division witnessing the execu-
ton.
Traps Sprung simultaneously.
The three traps were sprung stimuli
taneously at 300 a. m, and death was
almost instantaneous in each case The
negroes marched onto the scaffolds
singing, God have mercy on my SOUL"
The negroes were Nelson johnson
of Tuscumbia. Ala. Stanley Tramble
of Stroud, Ala, and Fred Allen of
Georgiana, Ala, all selective service
men.
Two Confessed, One Denied.
johnson and Tramble were declared
by military police officials to have
confessed their complete guilt, but Al
len, while admitting his presence when
the crime was committed maintained
to the last that he had not outraged
the girl. Parents of all three are dead
but johnson leaves a 10-year-old son.
His wife is dead. The others were un-
married.
COIored Spectators Tainted.
Three negro soldiers among the
dropped to their. death and another
ran amuck He started on dead run
directly toward the scaffold, but
guards overpowered him. A white
soldier also tainted.
Four negroes were arrested the
morning after the assault, which oc-
Cured shortly before midnight, May
"a, but one suspect was acquitted
when it was established that he was
not near the scene of the crime that
night.
-Four Negroes Attacked Escort.
With a young soldier escort. the girl
was sitting on a hillside when, ac-
cording to her story at the trial. four
negroes approached. One of them,
representing himself as a military po-
liceman, struck her escort blow on
the head and in the stomach, dazing
him. The negroes than dragged the
girl to a nearby clump of bushes. Her
screams and the alarm sounded by
her escort when he recovered aroused
that section of the camp and mill
tary police threw out a dragnet that
resulted in the arrest of the suspects
early the next morning. May 25.
Case Reviewed by President.
A summary court martial was or
ganized to try the negroes, and trial
started a few days after commission
of the crime. The finding of the court
was not annou iced until yesterday
after it had been reviewed and APP
proved by President Wilson. Both
the girl and her escort were from
Des Moines. The girl was declared to
ne In serious condition after the
attack, but has since recovered.
When the sentence of death was
read to each negro separately Wednes.
day morning. their first knowledge OF
their fate, a respectful Yes, sir" was
the only comment, but they collapsed
when returned to confinement They
have prayed since then, their guard
said. and this morning at O'Clock
were holding an impromptu religious
service. Every soldier in the division
not assigned to other duty was ordered
to attend the executions and thou.
sands of soldiers were massed about
the scaffOld