Burned at the Stake

Title

Burned at the Stake

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The Semi-Weekly Messenger

Publication Place

Wilmington, NC

Publication Date

10/05/1900

Transcript

BURNED AT THE STAKE NEGRO PAYS THIS TERRIBLE PENALTY FOR A HEINOUS CRIME AFTER CONFESSION OF GUILT He if Chained to a Stake, Pine Faggots Piled Around Him and the Torch Applied by the Husband of His Victim. He Confesses Implication in a Similar Crime, for Which a Negro Was Lynched a Fortnight Ago, and Others Contemplated. Wetumpka, Ala., October2—Winfield Townsend, alias Floyd, a negro, was burned at the stake in the little town of Eclectic, fifteen miles from this place, a half hour after midnight this morning. The negro’s crime was an attempted assault upon Mrs. Lennie Harrington, whose husband set fire to the brands which reduced Townsend’s body to ashes. Yesterday afternoon about 1 o’clock the negro, a nephew of the negro Floyd who was hung in the Wetumpka jail week before last, for attempted assault, attempted to outrage Mrs. Harrington. Mrs. Harrington was engaged at a cotton gin in Eclectric and lives one mile out of town. The negro came to the house and told Mrs. Harrington that her husband had sent him to get 20 cents from her. She told him she had no change. Then the negro left, but returned in about ten minutes. The woman’s screams were heard by Bob Nichols, another negro who was passing along the road at the time. He ran to the house in time to see the negro escape. As soon as Mrs. Harrington was brought back to consciousness Nichols gave the alarm. The news spread rapidly. All the gins and saw mills shut down; the stories in Eclectic were closed; all the people left their wagons in the road and their plows in the field and gathered for pursuit of the negro. The crowd divided, some scouring the woods near the scene of the crime and others went to the pen, for bloodhounds. The dogs were not brought to the scene until nearly dark. They were taken to where the negro’s tracks disappeared and an exciting chase ensured. The dogs stopped finally at a tree in front of Odion’s store on the outskirts of the town. The crowd coming up soon discovered the negro sitting on a limb. He was brought down at once and taken to the scene of his crime. There he was confronted by his victim who positively identified him. Word was sent to the other searching parties that the negro had been found, and about 11 o’clock a crowd of several hundred was in the little village. The negro was then taken to the edge of the village and, surrounded by the mob, shivered with fear. The preparations for death were quickly arranged. A rope was flung over the limb of a big oak and a hundred men stood ready to lend a hand at the rope. Then a halt was called the manner of death discussed by the mob. To decide the matter a vote was taken and the balloting showed a majority of the crowd to favor death at the stake. The stake was prepared and the negro was bound to it with chains. Pine knots were piled about him and the flames were fired by the husband of the negro’s victim. As they leaped to the wretch’s flesh his wild cries upon God for mercy and help could be heard for miles. Townsend before, being bound confessed the crime and said he was also implicated with Alexander Floyd, who was hung a couple of weeks ago for an attempted assault on Miss Kate Pearson, in the attempt at that time. He said he and Ployd had planned for the other crimes of like character, but that Floyd’s being hung put a stop to them. Wetumpka, Ala., October 2—Townsend made a confession implicating seven other negroes in his crime. As this is the second white woman assaulted in tis vicinity within a month, it is believed there is a conspiracy among the negroes. One of the negroes implicated in the confession of Townsend was in jail here charges with burglary and as threats of lynching were made he was sent to Montgomery tonight for safe keeping. The deputy sheriff had a wild drive of fourteen miles through the country and had he been thirty minutes later a crowd of men left here by train would have intercepted him. After reaching Montgomery two other negroes who are implicated in the crime were arrested by the deputy. They are Frank Floyd and Jake Floyd, brothers of the negro Floyd who was lynched as Wetumpka September 9th.

Sources for

See all items with this value Jake Floyd