Lynched Four Negroes

Title

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The Sun

Publication Place

New York, NY

Publication Date

06/18/1898

Transcript

LYNCHED FOUR NEGROES. An Alabama Mob Convicts Four and Lets One Go for the Carden Murder. MONTGOMERY, Ala., June 17.—The band of Elmore county farmers who stormed the jail at Wetumpka last night and secured the five negroes suspected of having murdered Mr. and Mrs. Carden and the latter's uncle, James Carlee, hanged four of their captives this morning. The lynchers spent the night dodging the military and interrogating their prisoners. The jury of twelve lynchers, who were to determine the guilt or innocence of the negroes, went in a systematic way to weave a net of evidence about them, and finally after daylight Louis Spier. one of the negroes, broke down and confessed to all the facts. He stated that four of them entered the Carden house on Tuesday night. He killed Carden by beating his brains out; Ham Thompson crushed Mrs. Carden's skull. while Sol Jackson cut Mr. Carlee's throat. Reese Thompson stood guard at the door while they secured the $1,200 and assisted in firing the dwelling. The other negroes corroborated Spier's testimony and told where they had hidden the money. part of which has to-day been recovered. All of them exculpated the fifth negro, and he was released. It was intended that the negroes should be burned to death if found guilty, but fear that the soldiers might come upon them caused the "old reliable" method of hanging the victims to be adopted. and they were swung from the limbs of some large trees while bullets were fired into them. The military came along about an hour later and found the bodies swinging, the mob having departed. Gov. Johnston sent a State solicitor to Wetumpka to-night to indict the lynchers. and the State will prosecute them for murder with all vigor. The jail was stormed in broad daylight and no effort whatever at concealment was made. Mr. Carden's father and mother were murdered in their residence, not many miles from where their son lived, on the night of June 15, 1883. Their murderer was caught and lynched fifteen years ago to-day, and some of those who participated in the bee this morning had helped to avenge the murder of the father and mother.

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