Burned at Stake

Title

Burned at Stake

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

Our Southern Home

Publication Place

Livingston, AL

Publication Date

10/11/1900

Transcript

BURNED AT STAKE For Assault Upon White Woman Negro Is Tortured to Death. ENRAGED AVENGERS SHOWED NO MERCY Fearful Scene Was Enacted In the Little Town of Eclectic, In Elmore County, Alabama. A special from Wetumpka, Ala., says: Winfield Townsend, alias Floyd, a negro, was burned at the stake at Eclectic, a small town in Elmore county, about 12:30 o'clock Tuesday morning for an attempted criminal assault on Mrs. Lonnie Harrington. Monday about 1 o'clock in the after noon, a negro named Winfield Townsend, who is a nephew of the Floyd who was hanged in the Wetumpka jail week before last for attempted assault. attempted to outrage Mrs. Harrington, the wife of Lonnie Harrington, whose home is situated about one mile east of Eclectic. Mr. Harrington was engaged at gin in Eclectic. 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 that she had no change. Then the negro left, but returned in about ten minutes. According to her story, he told her his purpose and grabbed her by the throat, at the same time throwing her violently to the floor. She gave one scream, which was heard by Bob Nichols, who was passing along the road at the moment. He rushed to the house just in time to save Mrs. Harrington from the assault, The negroes him coming and rush- ed out of the house and away. Mr. Nichols found Mrs. Harrington unconscious with the blood streaming out of her mouth and nose from t the clutch of the negro, and instead of pursuing the negro at once gave his attention toward restoring Mrs. Harrington to consciousness, As soon as she recovered he gave the alarm. The news spread rapidly. All the dozen stores at Eclectic were closed: the ginneries and sawmills stopped; the people left their wagons in the road, their plows in the field and joined in the pursuit. The crowd divided, some of the crime, while others went to the pentientiary for the bloodhounds. The dogs were taken to where the negro's tracks disappeared and a most exciting chase ensued. The dogs stopped at a tree in front of Odion’s store on the the tree north outskirts of Wetumpka and the crowd coming up discovered the negro sitting on a limb. He was brought down at once and carried to the scene of his crime. There he was confronted by his victim, who positively identified him as the gnilty man. The preparations for death were quickly made. A rope was flung over the limb of a big oak and a hundred men stood ready and anxious to snatch the brute into eternity. Then a vote was taken as to how he should die and by an almost unanimous vote of the hundreds on the ground it was decided to burn him. The stake was prepared and the negro was bound to it with chains. Pine knots were piled about him and the flames, started by the husband of the negro's victim, quickly leaped to the least of flesh and blood, and with wild cries upon God for mercy and help the brute paid the penalty of his crime. The crowd looked on deaf to his bound, The that burned confessed he negro, also implicated the before crime being cries. and to said was with Alex of the weeks Miss Floyd, Kate ago who for Pearson attempted hanged attempt assault couple was a an on in the at time. He said that he and Floyd had planned for other crimes of like character, but that Floyd being hang- ed put a stop to them. OTHER NEGROES IMPLICATED. A dispatch from Montgomery says: The negro Townsend burned in Elmore county made a confession implicating seven other negroes in his crime. One of them, Virgil Miller, was in jail at Wetumpka charged with burglary, and as threats of lynching were made Miller was removed to the Montgomery jail for safe keeping. The deputy sheriff had a wild drive of the and in fourteen reaching had who he been miles Montgomery thirty through minutes country later a crowd of came have men city intercepted implicated two other in him. the negroes by After train alleged reaching would to the be crime were Floyd by the and Zeb deputy. Jake Floyd, Floyd, They were arrested lynched Frank brothers of the negro who was near Wetumpka on September 9th. A singular coincidence is that Mrs. Harrington, who was assaulted Mon- day, is a kinswoman of Miss Pearson, who was assaulted on September 3d, for which Zeb Floyd was lynched. It is believed the conspiracy is directed against the members of a white family. Three negroes are now in jail in Montgomery and some trouble may arise.

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