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diff --git a/old/64426-0.txt b/old/64426-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 58bf51c..0000000 --- a/old/64426-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,1345 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg eBook of Lynch Law in Georgia, by Ida B. -Wells-Barnett - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and -most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms -of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you -will have to check the laws of the country where you are located before -using this eBook. - -Title: Lynch Law in Georgia - -Author: Ida B. Wells-Barnett - -Release Date: January 31, 2021 [eBook #64426] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -Produced by: Chuck Greif and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at - http://www.pgdp.net (This file was produced from images - available at The Internet Archive) - -*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LYNCH LAW IN GEORGIA *** - - - - - +------------------------------------------+ - |Transcriber’s note: The city of Newnan, GA| - |is many times referred to as Newman, Ga. | - +------------------------------------------+ - - - - Lynch Law - in Georgia. - - BY - - IDA B. WELLS=BARNETT - - A Six-Weeks’ Record in the Center of Southern Civilization, - As Faithfully Chronicled by the “Atlanta Journal” - and the “Atlanta Constitution.” - - ALSO THE FULL REPORT OF LOUIS P. LE VIN, - - The Chicago Detective Sent to Investigate the Burning of - Samuel Hose, the Torture and Hanging of Elijah Strickland, - the Colored Preacher, and the Lynching - of Nine Men for Alleged Arson. - - - This Pamphlet is Circulated by Chicago Colored Citizens. - 2939 Princeton Avenue, Chicago. - - - - -CONSIDER THE FACTS. - - -During six weeks of the months of March and April just past, twelve -colored men were lynched in Georgia, the reign of outlawry culminating -in the torture and hanging of the colored preacher, Elijah Strickland, -and the burning alive of Samuel Wilkes, alias Hose, Sunday, April 23, -1899. - -The real purpose of these savage demonstrations is to teach the Negro -that in the South he has no rights that the law will enforce. Samuel -Hose was burned to teach the Negroes that no matter what a white man -does to them, they must not resist. Hose, a servant, had killed -Cranford, his employer. An example must be made. Ordinary punishment was -deemed inadequate. This Negro must be burned alive. To make the burning -a certainty the charge of outrage was invented, and added to the charge -of murder. The daily press offered reward for the capture of Hose and -then openly incited the people to burn him as soon as caught. The mob -carried out the plan in every savage detail. - -Of the twelve men lynched during that reign of unspeakable barbarism, -only one was even charged with an assault upon a woman. Yet Southern -apologists justify their savagery on the ground that Negroes are lynched -only because of their crimes against women. - -The Southern press champions burning men alive, and says, “Consider the -facts.” The colored people join issue and also say, “Consider the -facts.” The colored people of Chicago employed a detective to go to -Georgia, and his report in this pamphlet gives the facts. We give here -the details of the lynching as they were reported in the Southern -papers, then follows the report of the true facts as to the cause of the -lynchings, as learned by the investigation. We submit all to the sober -judgment of the Nation, confident that, in this cause, as well as all -others, “Truth is mighty and will prevail.” - - IDA B. WELLS-BARNETT. - -2939 Princeton Avenue, Chicago, June 20, 1899. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -NINE MEN LYNCHED ON SUSPICION. - - -In dealing with all vexed questions, the chief aim of every honest -inquirer should be to ascertain the facts. No good purpose is subserved -either by concealment on the one hand or exaggeration on the other. “The -truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth,” is the only sure -foundation for just judgment. - -The purpose of this pamphlet is to give the public the facts, in the -belief that there is still a sense of justice in the American people, -and that it will yet assert itself in condemnation of outlawry and in -defense of oppressed and persecuted humanity. In this firm belief the -following pages will describe the lynching of nine colored men, who were -arrested near Palmetto, Georgia, about the middle of March, upon -suspicion that they were implicated in the burning of the three houses -in February preceding. - -The nine suspects were not criminals, they were hard-working, -law-abiding citizens, men of families. They had assaulted no woman, and, -after the lapse of nearly a month, it could not be claimed that the fury -of an insane mob made their butchery excusable. They were in the custody -of the law, unarmed, chained together and helpless, awaiting their -trial. They had no money to employ learned counsel to invoke the aid of -technicalities to defeat justice. They were in custody of a white -Sheriff, to be prosecuted by a white State’s Attorney, to be tried -before a white judge, and by a white jury. Surely the guilty had no -chance to escape. - -Still they were lynched. That the awful story of their slaughter may not -be considered overdrawn, the following description is taken from the -columns of the Atlanta Journal, as it was written by Royal Daniel, a -staff correspondent. The story of the lynching thus told is as follows: - - Palmetto, Ga., March 16.--A mob of more than 100 desperate men, - armed with Winchesters and shotguns and pistols and wearing masks, - rode into Palmetto at 1 o’clock this morning and shot to death four - Negro prisoners, desperately wounded another and with deliberate - aim fired at four others, wounding two, believing the entire nine - had been killed. - - The boldness of the mob and the desperateness with which the murder - was contemplated and executed, has torn the little town with - excitement and anxiety. - - All business has been suspended, and the town is under military - patrol, and every male inhabitant is armed to the teeth, in - anticipation of an outbreak which is expected to-night. - - Last night nine Negroes were arrested and placed in the warehouse - near the depot. The Negroes were charged with the burning of the - two business blocks here in February. - - At 1 o’clock this morning the mob dashed into town while the people - slept. - - They rushed to the warehouse in which the nine Negroes were guarded - by six white men. - - The door was burst open and the guards were ordered to hold up - their hands. - - Then the mob fired two volleys into the line of trembling, wretched - and pleading prisoners, and to make sure of their work, placed - pistols in the dying men’s faces and emptied the chambers. - - Citizens who were aroused by the shooting and ran out to - investigate the cause were driven to their homes at the point of - guns and pistols and then the mob mounted their horses and dashed - out of town, back into the woods and home again. - - None of the mob was recognized, as their faces were completely - concealed by masks. The men did their work orderly and coolly and - exhibited a determination seldom equaled under similar - circumstances. - - The nine Negroes were tied with ropes and were helpless. - - The guard was held at the muzzle of guns and threatened with death - if a man moved. - - Then the firing was deliberately done, volley by volley. - - The Negroes now dead are: Tip Hudson, Bud Cotton, Ed Wynn, Henry - Bingham. - - Fatally shot and now dying: John Bigby. - - Shot but will recover: John Jameson. - - Arm broken: George Tatum. - - Escaped without injury: Ison Brown, Clem Watts. - - The men who were guarding the Negroes are well known and prominent - citizens of Palmetto, and were sworn in only yesterday as a special - guard for the night. - - The commitment trial of the Negroes was set for 9 o’clock this - morning. - - Bud Cotton, who was killed, had confessed to the burning of the - stores in Palmetto, and had implicated all the others who had been - arrested. - - The military having been sent by Governor Candler arrived at 10:40 - o’clock this morning on a special train under command of Colonel - John S. Candler. - - The Negro population of Palmetto has fled from town and it is - believed the Negroes are now congregating on the outskirts and will - make an assault upon the town to-night. - - The place is in the wildest excitement and every citizen is armed, - expecting an outbreak as soon as night shall fall. - - The Negroes left the town in droves early this morning, weeping and - screaming and dogged and revengeful. - - Business has been entirely suspended and Palmetto, formerly a - peaceful agricultural village, is running riot with intense - excitement and anxiety is expressed by every one. - - The lives and property of citizens will be protected at any cost, - and the white people, while condemning the act of lawlessness of - the mob, are determined to meet any attempt the Negroes may make - for revenge. - - It was just past the hour of midnight. The guards were sleepy and - tired of the weary watch and the little city of Palmetto was sound - asleep, with nothing to disturb the midnight hour or to interrupt - the crime that was about to be committed. - - Without the slightest noise the mob of lynchers approached the door - to the warehouse. Not a false step was made, not a dead leaf was - trod upon and not even the creaking of a shoe or the clearing of a - throat broke the stillness. - - With a noise that shook the buildings and threw every man to his - feet the big fireproof door was suddenly struck as if with the - force of a battering ram. - - The guards sprang to their guns and the Negroes screamed for mercy. - - But there were rifles, shotguns and pistols everywhere. - - The little anteroom was packed full of armed men in an instant. The - men seemed to come up through the floor and through the walls, so - rapidly did they fill the room. And still others poured in at the - door, and when the room was filled so that not another man could - enter, the door was slammed to with awful noise and force. - - The Negroes were screaming at the top of their voices. - - “Hands up and don’t move; if you move a foot or turn your hands I - will blow your damned brains out,” came the stern and rigid command - from a man of small, thick stature, his face wholly concealed by a - mask of white cloth and holding in his hands a couple of dangerous - horse pistols. - - The guards threw their hands up above their heads, all except one - guard, James Hendricks, who lifted only one hand, while the other - firmly grasped his revolver. - - “I’ll blow hell out of you in a minute if you don’t put that hand - up,” came the warning, and the hand followed the other one. - - The command was then given to move, and move quick. - - “You guards, move, and move quick, if you don’t want to get your - brains blown out,” cried the low man, who was the mob’s leader. - - The guards were then placed in line, six of them, and marched - around the room and then marched to the front of the room, near the - door through which the mob had entered. - - They were placed in line against the front wall of the building and - ordered not to move at the cost of their lives. - - They did not speak, neither did they move, and not a word was said - by the guard to the mob. - - The men then walked around where they could get a good look at the - trembling, pleading, terror-stricken Negroes, begging for life and - declaring that they were innocent. - - There was a moment’s pause of deliberation. The Negroes thought it - meant that the assassins hesitated in their bloody deed, but the - men hesitated only because they wanted deliberate action and a - clear range for their bullets. - - The Negroes, helpless, tied together with ropes, begged for mercy, - for they saw the cold gun barrels, the angry and determined faces - of the men, and they knew it meant death--instant death to them. - - “Oh, God, have mercy!” cried one of the men in his agony. “Oh, give - me a minute to live.” - - The cry for mercy and the prayer for life brought an oath from the - leader and derisive laughter from the mob. - - “Stand up in a line,” said the man in command. “Stand up and we - will see if we can’t kill you out; if we can’t, we’ll turn out.” - - The Negroes faltered. - - “Burn the devils,” came a suggestion from the crowd. - - “No, we’ll shoot ’em like dogs,” said the mob’s leader. - - “Stand up, every one of you and get up quick and march to the end - of the room.” - - The Negroes slowly stood up. The mob came closer and pressed about - the stacks of furniture that had been stored in the room. - - The leader asked if everybody’s gun was loaded and the men answered - in the affirmative. - - The Negroes pleaded and prayed for mercy. - - They stood, trembling wretches, jerking at the long ropes that held - them by the waist and about the wrists. - - “Oh, give me a minute longer!” implored Bud Cotton. - - “My men, are you ready?” asked the captain, still cool and composed - and fearfully determined to execute the bloodiest deed that has - ever stained Campbell County. - - “Ready,” came the unanimous response. - - “One, two, three--fire!” was the command, given orderly, but - hurriedly. - - Every man in the room, and the number is estimated at from - seventy-five to one hundred and fifty, fired point blank at the - line of trembling and terror-stricken bound wretches. - - The volley came as the fire from a gatling gun. - - It filled the warehouse with smoke and flame and death and brought - a wail of horror that chilled the helpless guard. - - The volley awakened the peaceful town of Palmetto and from every - house the excited citizens ran. - - “Load and fire again,” shouted the captain of the mob, and his - voice was heard above the screaming and death cries of the wounded - and dead. - - The men rapidly loaded their guns, then fired at the given command. - - “Now, before you leave, load and get ready for trouble,” came the - captain’s order, and then men loaded their guns and got ready to - leave the bloody room. - - The guard was not relieved, however, until every man had left the - building and all was safe for their hasty flight. - - “I wonder if they are all dead,” said one of the mob, when the - order was given to leave the building. - - “I reckon so,” said one of the mob. - - “But we had better see,” said the captain coolly and assuming an - air of business. - - A detail of probably a half dozen men, probably a dozen and maybe - more, the guard does not remember just how many, was sent forward - into the blood and brains and into the twisting mass of dying men - to examine if all were dead. They were given orders to finish those - who were not dead. - - The detail rushed forward. - - The men jerked the fallen, twisting and writhing and bleeding - bodies about. - - The first man they reached was not dead. He was still groaning, and - the breath was coming in great, quick gasps. - - A pistol was placed at his breast and every chamber was emptied. - - “He’s dead now,” laughed one of the crowd. - - Other men, wounded, bleeding, moaning and begging, were caught, - turned over and pistols emptied into their bodies. - - But the shooting had made so much noise that the mob concluded its - safety lay in flight. - - The Negroes were quickly examined and with a parting shot and a - volley of oaths of warning the mob left the warehouse and rushed to - their horses. - - The men ran from the warehouse to the little spot in the center of - the town, where horses are tied by countrymen and merchants. - - They mounted quickly and began their ride for life. - - With a sweeping of falling and echoing hoofs the cavalrymen dashed - down the principal street at breakneck speed. - - Mr. Henry Beckman, who lives a few hundred yards beyond the scene - of the murders, heard the firing and ran from his house to the - railroad tracks. - - The horsemen, using the lash and urging their horses to their - highest speed, dashed into view. - - “Hello,” said Beckman, “what does all that firing mean?” - - Beckman was answered with an oath and told to get into his hole as - quickly as possible. “If you don’t, we’ll kill you on the spot,” - was the warning. - - Beckman flew for life, ran through the yard and entered the house - as quickly as possible. - - Dr. Hal L. Johnson saw a crowd of men on foot running down the - sidewalk. - - He hailed them, but there was no response. - - “There must have been more than one hundred men on horses,” said - Mr. Beckman this morning, in telling the Journal of his wild night - experience with the mob. - - When the mob left, the guards, who had been held against the - warehouse wall at the points of guns and pistols, turned their - faces toward the scene of carnage and death. - - The furniture in the room had been splintered and wrecked with - bullets and the contortions of the Negroes. - - On the floor, near the center of the room, were two Negroes, still - tied with the rope, locked in each other’s embrace. Near their - bodies streams of blood were dyeing red the floor and spreading out - in pools. - - Just beyond were two more bodies. These Negroes were dead, too. - - Near the fireplace was John Bigby, twisting and writhing in his - agony. Blood was spouting from a number of wounds. - - Under the beds and tables and piles of furniture were other bodies, - every prisoner apparently dead, except Bigby, who was fast - regaining consciousness. - - The guards opened the door cautiously, but there was no sign of the - mob, save the echoing footfalls on the country road. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -TORTURED AND BURNED ALIVE. - - -The burning of Samuel Hose, or, to give his right name, Samuel Wilkes, -gave to the United States the distinction of having burned alive seven -human beings during the past ten years. The details of this deed of -unspeakable barbarism have shocked the civilized world, for it is -conceded universally that no other nation on earth, civilized or savage, -has put to death any human being with such atrocious cruelty as that -inflicted upon Samuel Hose by the Christian white people of Georgia. - -The charge is generally made that lynch law is condemned by the best -white people of the South, and that lynching is the work of the lowest -and lawless class. Those who seek the truth know the fact to be, that -all classes are equally guilty, for what the one class does the other -encourages, excuses and condones. - -This was clearly shown in the burning of Hose. This awful deed was -suggested, encouraged and made possible by the daily press of Atlanta, -Georgia, until the burning actually occurred, and then it immediately -condoned the burning by a hysterical plea to “consider the facts.” - -Samuel Hose killed Alfred Cranford Wednesday afternoon, April 12, 1899, -in a dispute over wages due Hose. The dispatch which announced the -killing of Cranford stated that Hose had assaulted Mrs. Cranford and -that bloodhounds had been put on his track. - -The next day the Atlanta Constitution, in glaring double headlines, -predicted a lynching and suggested burning at the stake. This it -repeated in the body of the dispatch in the following language: - -“When Hose is caught he will either be lynched and his body riddled with -bullets or he will be burned at the stake.” And further in the same -issue the Constitution suggests torture in these words: “There have been -whisperings of burning at the stake and of torturing the fellow, and so -great is the excitement, and so high the indignation, that this is among -the possibilities.” - -In the issue of the 15th, in another double-column display heading, the -Constitution announces: “Negro will probably be burned,” and in the body -of the dispatch burning and torture is confidently predicted in these -words: - -“Several modes of death have been suggested for him, but it seems to be -the universal opinion that he will be burned at the stake and probably -tortured before burned.” - -The next day, April 16th, the double-column head still does its -inflammatory work. Never a word for law and order, but daily -encouragement for burning. The headlines read: “Excitement still -continues intense, and it is openly declared that if Sam Hose is brought -in alive he will be burned,” and in the dispatch it is said: - -“The residents have shown no disposition to abandon the search in the -immediate neighborhood of Palmetto; their ardor has in no degree cooled, -and if Sam Hose is brought here by his captors he will be publicly -burned at the stake as an example to members of his race who are said to -have been causing the residents of this vicinity trouble for some time.” - -On the 19th the Constitution assures the public that interest in the -pursuit of Hose does not lag, and in proof of the zeal of the pursuers -said: - -“‘If Hose is on earth I’ll never rest easy until he’s caught and burned -alive. And that’s the way all of us feel,’ said one of them last night.” - -Clark Howell, editor, and W. A. Hemphill, business manager, of the -Constitution, had offered through their paper a reward of five hundred -dollars for the arrest of the fugitive. This reward, together with the -persistent suggestion that the Negro be burned as soon as caught, make -it plain as day that the purpose to burn Hose at the stake was formed by -the leading citizens of Georgia. The Constitution offered the reward to -capture him, and then day after day suggested and predicted that he be -burned when caught. The Chicago anarchists were hanged, not because they -threw the bomb, but because they incited to that act the unknown man who -did throw it. Pity that the same law cannot be carried into force in -Georgia! - -Hose was caught Saturday night, April 23, and let the Constitution tell -the story of his torture and death. - -From the issue of April 24th the following account is condensed: - - Newman, Ga., April 23.--(Special.)--Sam Hose, the Negro murderer of - Alfred Cranford and the assailant of Cranford’s wife, was burned at - the stake one mile and a quarter from this place this afternoon at - 2:30 o’clock. Fully 2,000 people surrounded the small sapling to - which he was fastened and watched the flames eat away his flesh, - saw his body mutilated by knives and witnessed the contortions of - his body in his extreme agony. - - Such suffering has seldom been witnessed, and through it all the - Negro uttered hardly a cry. During the contortions of his body - several blood vessels bursted. The spot selected was an ideal one - for such an affair, and the stake was in full view of those who - stood about and with unfeigned satisfaction saw the Negro meet his - death and saw him tortured before the flames killed him. - - A few smoldering ashes scattered about the place, a blackened - stake, are all that is left to tell the story. Not even the bones - of the Negro were left in the place, but were eagerly snatched by a - crowd of people drawn here from all directions, who almost fought - over the burning body of the man, carving it with knives and - seeking souvenirs of the occurrence. - - Preparations for the execution were not necessarily elaborate, and - it required only a few minutes to arrange to make Sam Hose pay the - penalty of his crime. To the sapling Sam Hose was tied, and he - watched the cool, determined men who went about arranging to burn - him. - - First he was made to remove his clothing, and when the flames began - to eat into his body it was almost nude. Before the fire was - lighted his left ear was severed from his body. Then his right ear - was cut away. During this proceeding he uttered not a groan. Other - portions of his body were mutilated by the knives of those who - gathered about him, but he was not wounded to such an extent that - he was not fully conscious and could feel the excruciating pain. - Oil was poured over the wood that was placed about him and this was - ignited. - - The scene that followed is one that never will be forgotten by - those who saw it, and while Sam Hose writhed and performed - contortions in his agony, many of those present turned away from - the sickening sight, and others could hardly look at it. Not a - sound but the crackling of the flames broke the stillness of the - place, and the situation grew more sickening as it proceeded. - - The stake bent under the strains of the Negro in his agony and his - sufferings cannot be described, although he uttered not a sound. - After his ears had been cut off he was asked about the crime, and - then it was he made a full confession. At one juncture, before the - flames had begun to get in their work well, the fastenings that - held him to the stake broke and he fell forward partially out of - the fire. - - He writhed in agony and his sufferings can be imagined when it is - said that several blood vessels burst during the contortions of his - body. When he fell from the stake he was kicked back and the flames - renewed. Then it was that the flames consumed his body and in a few - minutes only a few bones and a small part of the body was all that - was left of Sam Hose. - - One of the most sickening sights of the day was the eagerness with - which the people grabbed after souvenirs, and they almost fought - over the ashes of the dead criminal. Large pieces of his flesh were - carried away, and persons were seen walking through the streets - carrying bones in their hands. - - When all the larger bones, together with the flesh, had been - carried away by the early comers, others scraped in the ashes, and - for a great length of time a crowd was about the place scraping in - the ashes. Not even the stake to which the Negro was tied when - burned was left, but it was promptly chopped down and carried away - as the largest souvenir of the burning. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -ELIJAH STRICKLAND, A COLORED PREACHER, LYNCHED. - - -Sunday night, April 23d, a mob seized a well-known colored preacher, -Elijah Strickland, and, after savage torture, slowly strangled him to -death. The following account of the lynching is taken from the Atlanta -Constitution: - - Palmetto, Ga., April 24.--(Special.)--The body of Lige Strickland, - the negro who was implicated in the Cranford murder by Sam Hose, - was found this morning swinging to the limb of a persimmon tree - within a mile and a quarter of this place, as told in the - Constitution extra yesterday. Before death was allowed to end the - sufferings of the Negro, his ears were cut off and the small finger - of his left hand was severed at the second joint. One of these - trophies was in Palmetto to-day. - - On the chest of the Negro was a scrap of blood-stained paper, - attached with an ordinary pin. On one side this paper contained the - following: - - “N. Y. Journal. We must protect our Ladies. 23--99.” - - The other side of the paper contained a warning to the Negroes of - the neighborhood. It read as follows: - - “Beware all darkies. You will be treated the same way.” - - Before being finally lynched, Lige Strickland was given a chance to - confess to the misdeeds of which the mob supposed him to be guilty, - but he protested his innocence until the end. - - Three times the noose was placed around his neck and the Negro was - drawn up off the ground; three times he was let down with warnings - that death was in store for him should he fail to confess his - complicity in the Cranford murder, and three times Strickland - proclaimed his innocence, until, weary of useless torturing, the - mob pulled on the rope and tied the end around the slender trunk of - the persimmon tree. - - Not a shot was fired by the mob. Strickland was strangled to death. - He was lynched about 2:30 a. m. - - The lynching of Lige Strickland was not accomplished without a - desperate effort on the part of his employer to save his life. The - man who pleaded for the Negro is Major W. W. Thomas, an ex-State - Senator, and one of the most distinguished citizens of Coweta - County. - - Sunday night, about 8:30 o’clock, about fifteen men went to the - plantation of Major Thomas and took Lige Strickland from the little - cabin in the woods that he called home, leaving his wife and five - children to wail and weep over the fate they knew was in store for - the Negro. Their cries aroused Major Thomas, and that sturdy old - gentleman of the antebellum type followed the lynchers in his - buggy, accompanied by his son, W. M. Thomas, determined to save, if - possible, the life of his plantation darky. - - He overtook the lynchers with their victim at Palmetto, and then - ensued the weirdest and most dramatic scene this section has ever - known, with only the moonlight to show the faces of the grim, - determined men. - - It had for its actors the Negro, apparently unconcerned even with - the noose around his neck; the old white-haired gentlemen, pleading - for the life of his servant, and attempting to prove the innocence - of the Negro to men who would not be convinced. - - Lige Strickland was halted directly opposite the telegraph office. - The noose was adjusted around his neck and the end of the rope was - thrown over a tree. Strickland was told he had a chance before - dying to confess his complicity in the crime. He replied: - - “I have told you all I know, gentlemen. You can kill me if you - wish, but I know nothing more to tell.” - - The Negro’s life might have been ended then but for the arrival of - Major Thomas, who leaped from his buggy and asked for a hearing. He - asked the crowd to give the Negro a chance for his life here on the - streets of Palmetto, and Major Thomas said he would speak in his - defense. A short conference resulted in acquiescence to this, and - Major Thomas spoke in substance as follows: - - “Gentlemen, this Negro is innocent. Hose said Lige had promised to - give him $20 to kill Cranford, and I believe Lige has not had $20 - since he has been on my place. This is a law-abiding Negro you are - about to hang. He has never done any of you any harm, and now I - want you to promise me that you will turn him over either to the - bailiff of this town or to some one who is entitled to receipt for - him, in order that he may be given a hearing on his case. I do not - ask that you liberate him. Hold him and if the courts adjudge him - guilty, hang him.” - - There were some, however, who agreed with Major Thomas, and after a - discussion a vote was taken, which was supposed to mean life or - death to Lige Strickland. The vote to let him live was unanimous. - - Major Thomas then retired some distance and the mob was preparing - to send Strickland in a wagon to Newnan when a member of the mob - said: - - “We have got him here, let’s keep him.” - - This again aroused the mob and a messenger was sent to advise Major - Thomas to leave Palmetto for his own good, but the old gentleman - was not frightened so easily. He drew himself up and said with all - the emphasis he could summon: - - “I have never before been ordered to leave a town and I am not - going to leave this one.” And then the Major, uplifting his hand to - give his words force, said to the messenger: - - “Tell them that the muscles in my legs are not trained to running; - tell them that I have stood the fire and heard the whistle of the - minies from a thousand rifles and I am not frightened by this - crowd.” - - Major Thomas was not molested. - - Then, with the understanding that Lige Strickland was to be - delivered to the jailer at Fairburn, Major Thomas saw the Negro he - had pleaded for led off to his death. This occurred at about 1 - o’clock this morning. - - Strickland was then taken in the rear of the home of Dr. W. S. - Zellars, to the persimmon tree upon which his lifeless body was - left hanging. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -REPORT OF DETECTIVE LOUIS P. LE VIN. - - -The colored citizens of Chicago sent a detective to Georgia, and his -report shows that Samuel Hose, who was brutally tortured at Newnan, Ga., -and then burned to death, never assaulted Mrs. Cranford and that he -killed Alfred Cranford in self-defense. - -The full text of the report is as follows: - -About three weeks ago I was asked to make an impartial and thorough -investigation of the lynchings which occurred near Atlanta, Ga., not -long since. I left Chicago for Atlanta, and spent over a week in the -investigation. The facts herein were gathered from interviews with -persons I met in Griffin, Newman, Atlanta and in the vicinity of these -places. - -I found no difficulty in securing interviews from white people. There -was no disposition on their part to conceal any part they took in the -lynchings. They discussed the details of the burning of Sam Hose with -the freedom which one would talk about an afternoon’s divertisement in -which he had very pleasantly participated. - -Who was Sam Hose? His true name was Samuel Wilkes. He was born in Macon, -Ga., where he lived until his father died. The family, then consisting -of his mother, brother and sister, moved to Marshall, where all worked -and made the reputation of hard-working, honest people. Sam studied and -was soon able to read and write, and was considered a bright, capable -man. His mother became an invalid, and as his brother was considered -almost an imbecile, Sam was the mainstay of the family. He worked on -different farms, and among the men he worked for was B. Jones, who -afterward captured him and delivered him over to the mob at Newman. - -Sam’s mother partly recovered, and as his sister married, Sam left and -went to Atlanta to better his condition. He secured work near Palmetto -for a man named Alfred Cranford, and worked for him for about two years, -up to the time of the tragedy. I will not call it a murder, for Samuel -Wilkes killed Alfred Cranford in self-defense. The story you have read -about a Negro stealing into the house and murdering the unfortunate man -at his supper has no foundation in fact. Equally untrue is the charge -that after murdering the husband he assaulted the wife. The reports -indicated that the murderer was a stranger, who had to be identified. -The fact is he had worked for Cranford for over a year. - -Was there a murder? That Wilkes killed Cranford there is no doubt, but -under what circumstances can never be proven. I asked many white people -of Palmetto what was the motive. They considered it a useless question. -A “nigger” had killed a white man, and that was enough. Some said it was -because the young “niggers” did not know their places, others that they -were getting too much education, while others declared that it was all -due to the influence of the Northern “niggers”. W. W. Jackson, of -Newman, said: “If I had my way about it I would lynch every Northern -‘nigger’ that comes this way. They are at the bottom of this.” John Low, -of Lincoln, Ala., said: “My negroes would die for me simply because I -keep a strict hand on them and allow no Northern negroes to associate -with them.” - -Upon the question of motive there was no answer except that which was -made by Wilkes himself. The dispatches said that Wilkes confessed both -to the murder and the alleged assault upon Mrs. Cranford. But neither of -these reports is true. Wilkes did say that he killed Mr. Cranford, but -he did not at any time admit that he assaulted Mrs. Cranford. This he -denied as long as he had breath. - -After the capture Wilkes told his story. He said that his trouble began -with Mr. Cranford a week before. He said that he had word that his -mother was much worse at home, and that he wanted to go home to visit -his mother. He told Mr. Cranford and asked for some money. Cranford -refused to pay Wilkes, and that provoked hard words. Cranford was known -to be a man of quick temper, but nothing more occurred that day. The -next day Cranford borrowed a revolver and said that if Sam started any -more trouble he would kill him. - -Sam, continuing his story, said that on the day Cranford was killed he -(Sam) was out in the yard cutting up wood; that Cranford came out into -the yard, and that he and Cranford began talking about the subject of -their former trouble; that Cranford became enraged and drew his gun to -shoot, and then Sam threw the ax at Cranford and ran. He knew the ax -struck Cranford, but did not know Cranford had been killed by the blow -for several days. At the time of the encounter in the yard, Sam said -that Mrs. Cranford was in the house, and that after he threw the ax at -Cranford he never saw Mrs. Cranford, for he immediately went to the -woods and kept in hiding until he reached the vicinity of his mother’s -home, where he was captured. During all the time Sam was on the train -going to the scene of the burning, Sam is said by all I talked with to -have been free from excitement or terror. He told his story in a -straightforward way, said he was sorry he had killed Cranford and always -denied that he had attacked Mrs. Cranford. - -I did not see Mrs. Cranford. She was still suffering from the awful -shock. As soon as her husband was killed she ran to the home of his -father and told him that Sam had killed her husband. She did not then -say that Sam had assaulted her. She was completely overcome and was soon -unconscious and remained so for most of the next two days. So that at -the time when the story was started that Sam had added the crime of -outrage to murder, Mrs. Cranford, the only one who could have told about -it, was lying either unconscious or delirious at the home of her -father-in-law, G. E. Cranford. - -The burning of Wilkes was fully premeditated. It was no sudden outburst -of a furious, maddened mob. It was known long before Wilkes was caught -that he would be burned. The Cranfords are an old, wealthy and -aristocratic family, and it was intended to make an example of the Negro -who killed him. What exasperation the killing lacked was supplied by the -report of the alleged attack on Mrs. Cranford. And it was not the -irresponsible rabble that urged the burning, for it was openly advocated -by some of the leading men of Palmetto. E. D. Sharkey, Superintendent -Atlanta Bagging Mills, was one of the most persistent advocates of the -burning. He claimed that he saw Mrs. Cranford the day after the killing -and that she told him that she was assaulted. As a matter of fact, Mrs. -Cranford was unconscious at that time. He persistently told the story -and urged the burning of Sam as soon as caught. - -John Haas, President of the Capitol Bank, was particularly prominent in -advocating the burning. People doing business at his bank, and coming -from Newman and Griffin, were urged to make an example of Sam by burning -him. - -W. A. Hemphill, President and business manager, and Clark Howell, editor -of the Atlanta Constitution, contributed more to the burning than any -other men and all other forces in Georgia. Through the columns of their -paper they exaggerated every detail of the killing, invented and -published inflammatory descriptions of a crime that was never committed, -and by glaring head lines continually suggested the burning of the man -when caught. They offered a reward of $500 blood money for the capture -of the fugitive, and during all the time of the man-hunt they never made -one suggestion that the law should have its course. - -The Governor of the State acquiesced in the burning by refusing to -prevent it. Sam Wilkes was captured at 9 o’clock Saturday night. He was -in Griffin by 9 o’clock Sunday morning. It was first proposed to burn -him in Griffin, but the program was changed, and it was decided to take -him to Newman to burn him. Governor Candler had ordered that Wilkes -should be taken to the Fulton county jail when caught. That would have -placed him in Atlanta. When Wilkes reached Griffin he was in custody of -J. B. Jones, J. L. Jones, R. A. Gordon, William Matthews, P. F. Phelps, -Charles Thomas and A. Rogowski. They would not take the prisoner to -Atlanta, where the Governor had ordered him to be taken, but arranged to -take him to Newman, where they knew a mob of six thousand were waiting -to burn him. It is nearer to Atlanta from Griffin than Newman. Besides, -there was no train going to Newman that Sunday morning, so the captors -of Wilkes were obliged to secure a special train to take the prisoner to -the place of burning. This required over two hours’ time to arrange, so -that the special train did not leave Griffin for Newman until 11:40 a. -m. - -Meanwhile the news of the capture of Wilkes was known all over Georgia. -It was known in Atlanta in the early morning that the prisoner would not -be brought to Atlanta, but that he would be taken to Newman to be -burned. As soon as this was settled, a special train was engaged as an -excursion train, to take people to the burning. It was soon filled by -the criers, who cried out, “Special train to Newman! All aboard for the -burning!” After this special moved out, another was made up to -accommodate the late comers and those who were at church. In this way -more than two thousand citizens of Atlanta were taken to the burning, -while the Governor, with all the power of the State at his command, -allowed all preparations for the burning to be made during ten hours of -daylight, and did not turn his hand to prevent it. - -I do not need to give the details of the burning. I mention only one -fact, and that is the disappointment which the crowd felt when it could -not make Wilkes beg for mercy. During all the time of his torture he -never uttered one cry. They cut off both ears, skinned his face, cut off -his fingers, gashed his legs, cut open his stomach and pulled out his -entrails, then when his contortions broke the iron chain, they pushed -his burning body back into the fire. But through it all Wilkes never -once uttered a cry or beg for mercy. Only once in a particularly -fiendish torture did he speak, then he simply groaned, “Oh, Lord Jesus.” - -Among the prominent men at the burning, and whose identity was disclosed -to me, are William Pinton, Clair Owens and William Potts, of Palmetto; -W. W. Jackson and H. W. Jackson, of Newman; Peter Howson and T. Vaughn, -of the same place; John Hazlett, Pierre St. Clair and Thomas Lightfoot, -of Griffin. R. J. Williams, ticket agent at Griffin, made up the special -Central Georgia Railroad train and advertised the burning at Griffin, -while B. F. Wyly and George Smith, of Atlanta, made up two special -Atlanta and West Point Railroad trains. All of these gentlemen of -eminent respectability could give the authorities valuable information -about the burning if called upon. - -While Wilkes was being burned the colored people fled terror-stricken to -the woods, for none knew where the fury would strike. I talked with many -colored people, but all will understand why I can give no names. - -The torture and hanging of the colored preacher is everywhere -acknowledge to have been without a shadow of reason or excuse. I did not -talk with one white man who believed that Strickland had anything to do -with Wilkes. I could not find any person who heard Wilkes mention -Strickland’s name. I talked with men who heard Wilkes tell his story, -but all agreed that he said he killed Cranford because Cranford was -about to kill him, and that he did not mention Strickland’s name. He did -not mention it when he was being tortured because he did not speak to -anybody. I could not find anybody who could tell me how the story -started that Strickland hired Wilkes to kill Cranford. - -On the other hand, I saw many who knew Strickland, and all spoke of him -in the highest terms. I went to see Mr. Thomas, and he said that -Strickland had been about his family for years, and that he never knew a -more reliable and worthy man among the colored people. He said that he -was always advising the colored people to live right, keep good friends -with the white people and earn their respect. He said he was nearly -sixty years old and had not had five dollars at one time in a year. He -defended the poor old man against the mob for a long time, and the mob -finally agreed to put him in jail for a trial, but as soon as they had -Strickland in their control they proceeded to lynch him. - -The torture of the innocent colored preacher was only a little less than -that of Wilkes. His fingers and ears were cut off, and the mob inflicted -other tortures that cannot even be suggested. He was strung up three -times and let down each time so he could confess. But he died protesting -his innocence. He left a wife and five children, all of whom are still -on Colonel Thomas’ premises. - -I spent some time in trying to find the facts about the shooting of the -five colored men at Palmetto a few days before Cranford was killed. But -no one seemed to be able to tell who accused the men, and as they were -not given a trial, there was no way to get at any of the facts. It seems -that one or two barns or houses had been burned, and it was reported -that the Negroes were setting fire to the buildings. Nine colored men -were arrested on suspicion. They were not men of bad character, but -quite the reverse. They were intelligent, hard-working men, and all -declared they could easily prove their innocence. They were taken to a -warehouse to be kept until their trial next day. That night, about 12 -o’clock, an armed mob marched to the place and fired three volleys into -the line of chained prisoners. They then went away thinking all were -dead. All the prisoners were shot. Of these five died. Nothing was done -about the killing of these men, but their families were afterward -ordered to leave the place, and all have left. Five widows and seventeen -fatherless children, all driven from home, constitute one result of the -lynching. I saw no one who thought much about the matter. The Negroes -were dead, and while they did not know whether they were guilty or not, -it was plain that nothing could be done about it. And so the matter -ended. With these facts I made my way home, thoroughly convinced that a -Negro’s life is a very cheap thing in Georgia. - - LOUIS P. LE VIN. - - - - - -*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK LYNCH LAW IN GEORGIA *** - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the -United States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. Special rules, set forth in the General Terms of Use part -of this license, apply to copying and distributing Project -Gutenberg-tm electronic works to protect the PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm -concept and trademark. Project Gutenberg is a registered trademark, -and may not be used if you charge for an eBook, except by following -the terms of the trademark license, including paying royalties for use -of the Project Gutenberg trademark. If you do not charge anything for -copies of this eBook, complying with the trademark license is very -easy. 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