Something About Brutes. - How Some Citizens Punished an Alabama Negro's Crime · Alabama Memory Project

Title

Something About Brutes. - How Some Citizens Punished an Alabama Negro's Crime

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The Rock Island Argus

Publication Place

Rock Island, Illinois

Publication Date

08/02/1884

Transcript

SOMETHING ABOUT BRUTES. How Some Citizens Punished an Negro's Crime, ANNESTON, Ala., Aug. -Reports - have reached here of the punishment of a woman's assailant which are of a more horrible character than the crime with which the victim was charged. On Tuesday morning the daughter of a well-known citizen of Tuscaloosa, who lives on the outskirts, Went into town. On her return home in the evening she met Andy Burke, a negro, who asked her some question which she was answering when Burke flung his arm around her waist, lifted her up, and holding her mouth closed with the other hand, ran into a copse with her. As he ran, the girl lost her hat. A gentleman riding by saw the hat in the road, and, seeing tracks leading into the woods. and hearing muffled screams in that direction, he followed the steps and sound. As soon as Burke saw that rescue had come to the girl he released her and escaped, but was soon captured and lodged in jail at Tuscaloosa. When the negro was taken from the jail he was first emasculated, and, after letting him suffer for a while, the suggestion was made that he be scalped. The act was accordingly done. By this time the crowd became fully committed to the policy of torture, and he was partially disemboweled. All the time the wretch begged piteously for the final act which would put him out of pain. When the party had satiated itself with the criminal's suffering, he was strung up to a tree, and all who had revolvers fired bullets into his swinging body.

Sources for

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