The New York herald., 1922-05-07
Negroes Accused Of Attacking
Texas Student Lynched in
Front of Churches.
GRANDFATHER LOOKS ON
Said to Have Given His Ap-
proval Before Men Applied
Torch to Pyre.

KrRvIN. Tex. May ASSOCIATED
Press) Three negroes We're burned
to death at the same stake here at
o'clock this morning by mob of 500
men. following the negroes implica-
ton in the murder of seventeen-year-
old Eula Awsley. white girl, whose
mutilated body was found near here
Thursday night.
"Snap" Curry, the first negro burned,
was taken from the custody Of Free
stone county officers early last nigrt
as he was being conveyed from
wortham to point west. 1t is al
legged he confessed TO the mob he had
attacked and murdered the girl and
that in his confession he implicated
the two other negroes. II. Vaney
and Nose Jones.
The mob took from the Sheriff his
keys to the Freestene county jail. where
Jones and Varney were being held.
Hurrying to the jail, the mob unlocked
the doors and took the two negroes IN
charge. All three prisoners then were
rushed to Kirvin, the nome OF the girl,
and an iron stake driven into the ground
on a small square in the heart of the
town. Wood was accumulated and satu-
rated with oil.
Bodies Piled Together.
Curry was burned first. There was
some delay in burning the last two.
inasmuch as they maintained their in
fv%t-t AC1a 70
to bring a confession from them, and
they finally were burned on the strength
of Curry's story. After the third negro
had been burned to a crisp all three
bodies were piled together and a mass
of fuel and oil flung over them and set
afire.
The lynchings were carried out de-
liberately. There was no discharge OF
firearms, but it was reported that the
negroes were mutilated before being tied
to the stake. With the exception OF
few shouts and the screams OF the con-
demned men there was little to disturb
the early morning quiet of the back
woods community. The plot where the
burning took place Is in front of two
churches. One OF the negroes Is said
to have died singing a hymn.
Miss Awsley was riding her horse
home from school, several miles from
Kirvin, late Thursday when she was
attacked. Her body was found near
the road with twenty-three knife wounds
in the head, neck and chest. News of
the curder spread and late Thursday
a band of several hundred men from
Freestone and Limegtone counties and
a large Sheriff's posse were searching
the neiphborhood. Curry was arrested
when his wife told officers he had come
home with bis clothes stained on the
night Of the murder.
Crime Planned Months.
Curry is understood to have told his
captors that Jones anG Varney and him
self had planned the crime since last
January The original scheme was TO
attack two other women as well as Miss
Awsley on the same day and in rapid
succession.
According to farmers living near the
scene OF the murder Miss Awsley's
screams were heard twice on the eve
ming Of the attack, some twenty-five to
thirty minutes apart. They paid no at-
tention TO the cries, believing n child
was being spanked Officer here said
this seemed to indicate the girl was held
captive nearly thirty minutes by the
negroes before she was killed.
TEAouE, Texas. May e.-Two white
men were detained to-day for further
investigation of their actions preceding
the murder OF Eula Awsley. for which
three negroes were burned at Klrvin
this morning. No charges were filed
against the men, according 10 reports
here.