Wetumpka Lynching
- Title
- Wetumpka Lynching
- Source Type
- Newspapers
- Publisher
- The Times-Democrat
- Publication Place
- New Orleans, Louisiana
- Publication Date
- 06/18/1898
- Transcript
-
WETUMPKA LYNCHING Some Details of the Horrible Affair. A Mob Jury Tried the Four Negroes. They Were Pronounced Guilty and Hanged. Sheriff Held the Troops Back Until Too Late to Do Good. A Strange Coincidence to This Murder Occured Fifteen Years Ago. Special to The Times Democrat Montgomery, Ala., June 17. The following particulars come from an eye-witness at the scene of to-day's near Wetumpka of the four negro brutes who killed the Cardens and Carlee. Capt. Westcott in charge of the Montgomery military was informed on his arrival that the jail had been broken open and the prisoners carried off. After marching the company up town and holding a conversation with citizens. Capt. Westcott decided to march to the State penitentiary. one mile distant, and there had get wagons to go where the negroes been carried, six miles distant. He arrived at the penitentiary at 10:30 and was strongly advised not to proceed after the mob. Rumors said the mob was 600 fully armed men: some said 590, some 300. After another consultation it was decided to call up the Governor over the tele- phone. The Governor said Sheriff McCoy would be the authority to give orders. McCoy hesitated to give the order to move on Finally, at o'clock a. m., McCoy ordered the company to move on the mob. and they arrived there at 4 o'clock and found that the prisoners had been spirited away. All of the above relates to the company movement. The informant says: "I left the penitentiary at 11 p. m. in company with Col. T. J. Williams, and arrived an hour later at the rendezvous, a weird scene. The country people from miles around gathered there around big bonfires and all had guns. The mob's camp was right at the ashes of the Carden homestead. Smoke was still arising from the ashes. The mob was very orderly. laughing and joking, while the jury of twelve prominent citizens deliberated over the negroes. I went to where the jury was and they were taking one negro at the time, giving him a full hearing and going very slow and to death, each blaming the other for the carefully. The negroes were nearly scared crime. Finally, Sol Jackson confessed that he stood in the door and watched while Camp Thompson, Reese Thompson and Lewis Speer went in and committed the crime. This confession started the ball. Camp and Reese Thompson and Lewis Speer then confessed. The only thing that delayed the hanging or burning was the hope to get back the buried money. At 1:30 o'clock I started back to the penitentiary and met the company en route to the mob's headquarters. Arrived at the scene after the result.'
JACKSON'S STORY. Sol Jackson's story is that when they went to the house the dog barked. Mr. Carden came to the door and they attacked him; that they beat Mr. Carlee to death with sticks. He did not remember how Mrs. Carden was killed. Says only one shot was fired, and that at Mr. Carden; did not know who fired it. The mob finally accomplished its purpose, and about 9 o’clock the four were hanged. Louis Speer confessed to killing Mr. Carden and he and Ham Thompson, who killed Mrs. Carden, were hanged on the same limb. Sol Jackson who confessed to killing Mr. Carlee and Reese Thompson, who watched outside the burning house, were hanged from the same limb. The men told where the money was to be found, and $500 was found in the curbing of a well, and another sum of money in a ditch. The troops returned to Montgomery this evening. The latest development is that the mob arrested another negro and smuggled him to where the other negroes were. The negroe’s name is Steve Kendrick. As is the case with every happening of any moment there are coincidences and this no exception to the rule. On the 15th day of June 1883, just fifteen years ago on Wednesday, the father and mother of Mr. Wm. Carden were brutally murdered at their home near Rockford in Coosa County. In very short order the murderer was arrested and strung to the nearest tree by the outraged community. On Thursday the son and his wife were murdered, and some of the mob who came to Wetumpka to take the suspected murderers from jail, were the very men who had taken part in lynching the murderer of the father and mother fifteen years ago. In the smouldering embers of the fire were found the melted remains of some silver money, and in a field in front of the house was found top of a snuffbox that was Mr. Carden kept some gold pieces in. The negro Sol Jackson is not a native of this part of the country, but drifted in here with the commencement of work on the government locks and river improvements. Some time ago he borrowed $2 from Mr. Carden, and the other day he made a proposition to work it out by cutting wheat. Jackson bore a very bad reputation generally, and the other negroes shared that honor with him.
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