The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1918-07-05
8 NEGRO
SOLDIERS
- II r ~ ~ -~
- Fl III MNLn
n II VVYN,uD
80. - AAAAANVAN
Convicted by Military Court of
Assaulting 17:Year:Old
90 White Girl
DIVISION: SEE EXECUTION

s. 4"
Camp Dodge, Iowa, July 5.-Three
negro, soldiers. convicted by court
martial Of "assaulting and outraging"
II. year old white girl on the can.
tonment grounds the night Of May "a
were hanged here today, with virtual.
" the entire division witnessing the
executions. 1850 \, sss.;
The three traps were sprung stimuli
taneously at 9:09 a. IN. and death wa !
almost instantaneous in each case.
The negroes marched to the scaffolds
singing God have mercy on my SOUL"
i. The negroes were Nelson Johnson
Of Tuscamba, Ala; Stanley Tramble
Of Stroud, Ala, and Fred Allen of
Georgiana, Ala, all selective service
..,S.., .st.j8 lss,'h, t., .. ..... .,. -'
johnson and Tram5le 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 mad not outraged
the girl. Parents Of all three are
dead, but Allen leaves a wife and ten
year old son.
Three Negroes Faint. .
Three negro soldiers among the
spectators tainted when the men drop
ped to their death and another ran
amuck. He started on dead run d.
rectly to the scaffold, ut guards over
powered him. A white soldier also
tainted. '"t'''''sr .'"7". '
-Four negroes were arrested the
morning after the assault. which oc'
Cured shortly before midnight May
"a, but one 'spect was acquitted
when it wa established that he was
not near the scene Of the crime that
night. T. J.%
With a young soldier escort, the girl
was sitting on hillside when, accord
ing to he rstory at the trial. four me-
groes approached, one of them repre-
senting himself as a military police
man. struck her escort blow on the
head and in the stomach. dazing him.
The negroes then dragged the girl
to a nearby clump Of bushes. Her
sceams, and alarm sounded by her
escort, when he recovered. aroused
that section of the camp, and military
police threw out dragnet that re-
suited in the arrest of the suspects
early the next morning. lay 20. A
summary cour tmartial was organized
to try the negroes. and trial started
a few days after commission OF the
crime. The finding OF the court was
not announced until yesterday. tfter 1t
had been reviewed and approved by
President Wilson.
Both the girl and her escort were
from Des Moines The girl was de'
clared to be in serious condition
after the attack, but since has re-
covered. u. ,
When the sentences of death was
read to each negro separately Wednes-
day morning, their first knowledge OF
their fate, a respectful Eyes, SIR was
the only comment. but they collapsed
when returned to confinement.
They had prayed since then, their
guard said. Sand this morning at 5:Oo
O'Clock were holding an in.promptu
religious service. Chaplain J. P. Jack.
ensen OF North Dakota administered
the sacrament at o'clock. The ne.
groes were composed when they walk
ed onto the scaffold.
Newspaper men were the only civil
ians admitted to the scene of the exc
cutions. Every soldier in the division
not assigned to other duty was ord
cred to attend the hangings.