Death at Stake for Negro Rapist

Title

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The Macon Telegraph

Publication Place

Macon, GA

Publication Date

10/03/1900

Transcript

DEATH AT STAKE FOR NEGRO RAPIST Winfield Floyd Burned by I Mob in Alabama. HIS FEARFUL CRIME HE ATTEMPTED AN ASSAULT ON 1 WHITE LADY. He Was Ran Down By Dogs and the Crowd Voted That Hanging Was Too Good for Him-His Uncle Recently Hanged for a Similar Offense to His. WETUMPKA, Ala., Oct. -Winfield Townsend, allais 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 to assault on 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 hanged in the Wetumpka jail week before last for attempted assault, attempted to outrage Mrs. Harrington. Mr. Harrington was engaged at a Eclectic and lives one cotton mile the house out gin of in The Mrs. Harrington him to get town negro came to and told that her husband had sent 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 restored to consciousness Nichols gave the alarm. The news spread rapidly. All of the stores at Eclectic were instantly closed the ginneries and saw mills shut down, the people left their wagons in the road and the work in the fields and gathered for a pursuit of the negro. The crowd divided. some scouring the woods near the scene of the crime, and others went to the penitentiary for bloodhounds. The dogs were not brought to the scene until nearly dark. They were taken to where the negro tracks disappeared, and an exciting chase ensued. The dogs stopped finally at a tree in front of Odion's store in the northern outskirts of Eclectic 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 men was in the little village. The negro was taken to the edge of the village and surrounded by the mob. The preparations for death were quickly made. 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 and 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 bound to it with chains. Pine knots were piled about him and the flames were fired by the husband ot 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. The crowd looked on deaf to his cries and in an hour the negro was reduced to ashes. Townsend, before being bound. confessed to the crime. and said he was also implicated with Alex Floyd, who was hung a couple of weeks ago for an attempted assault on Miss Kate Pearson. He said he and Floyd had planned for other crimes of like character. but that Floyd's being hung put a stop to them. Townsend made a confession implicating seven other negroes in his crime. As this is the second white woman assaulted in this 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 charged 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 a few minutes later the crowd of men who left here by train would have intercepted him. After reaching Montgomery, two other negroes who are implicated in the crimes were arrested by the deputy. They were Frank Floyd and Jake Floyd, brothers of the negro Zeb Floyd, who was lynched near here September 9. A singular coincidence is that Mrs. Harrington, who was assaulted yesterday, is a kinswoman of Mrs. Pearson, who was was assaulted on September 3, for which Zeb Floyd was lynched. More trouble may arise.

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