Carden&#039;s Murder is Avenged

Title

Carden's Murder is Avenged

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

Birmingham Post-Herald

Publication Place

Birmingham, AL

Publication Date

06/18/1898

Transcript

CARDEN’S MURDER IS AVENGED. Four of the Negro Captives Were Lynched. WERE EXAMINED BY A JURY. Louis Speers Gave the Details of the Horrifying Deed. MILITARY FOUND THEM SWINGING. In 1883, Mr. Carden’s Mother and Father Were Murdered and the Avengers of This Latier Murder Participated in Yesterday’s Affair. Special Dispatch to the Age-Herald. Montgomery, 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 old Mr. and Mrs. Carden and the latter’s uncle, James Carlie, 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, proceeded in a systemic and painstaking way to weave a net of evidence about them, and finally daylight Louis Speer, one of the negroes, broke down and confessed to all the facts. They Divided the Cruel Work. He stated that four of them entered Mr. Carden’s house during Tuesday night. He dispatched Carden beating his brains out. Ham Thompson crushed Mrs. Carden’s skull, while Sol Jackson cut old Mr. Carlie’s throat. Reese Thompson stood guard at the door, secured the $1,200 and assisted in firing the dwelling. The other negroes corroborated Speer’s story and told where they had hidden the money, part of which has today 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 or hanging the victims to be adopted, and they were swung about 9 o’clock this morning from the limbs of some large trees, while thousands of bullets were fired into them. The military came along an hour afterward and found them swaying in the breeze, the mobbers having departed. Lynchers Will Be Indicted. Governor Johnston sent a state solicitor ot Wetumpka tonight to indict the lynching and the state will prosecute them for murder with all vigor. The jail was stormed in board daylight and no effort whatever at conceaiment 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 murder was caught and lynched fifteen years ago today, and many of those who participated in the necktie party this morning had helped to avenge the murder of the father and mother.

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