MR. JOHN CHRIETZBERG AND CLAUD KIDD MEET DEATH TO HANDS OF FRENZIED NEGRO

Title

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The Weekly Herald

Publication Place

Wetumpka, AL

Publication Date

11/10/1912

Transcript

MR. JOHN CHRIETZBERG AND CLAUD KIDD MEET DEATH TO HANDS OF FRENZIED NEGRO Peaceful Community of Floyd is the Scene of the Awful Tragedy On last Sunday the quiet and prosperous little community of Floyd, 12 miles north of here was shocked and horrified when two of its most prominent citizens, Messrs John Chrietzburg and Claud Kidd met death at the hands of a half drunken and crazed negro named Burnett. It seems from the best information available that two daughters of Mr. Chrietzburg started to church at Good Hope Sunday morning and on their way met two negroes in the road driving a buggy. The negroes made no effort to give any of the two road. The two ladies gave as much of the road as they could, but in trying to pass, the rear wheels of the buggy driven by the ladies licked the rear wheels of the buggy driven by the negroes, frightening the ladies horse and breaking the harness. The young ladies asked the negroes to help them repair the harness but the negro Burnett replied that he had no knife. About this time some young white men came up, fixed the harness for the ladies and accompanied them to church. The two negroes going on up the road. As soon as the young men and ladies reached the church, the young men, learning of the treatment accorded the ladies by the negroes, immediately started out and overtook the two negroes, stopped them and sent for the father of the ladies, Mr. John Chrietzburg. When Mr. Chrietzburg came up and learned what had happened he became infuriated and started whipping the two negroes with his buggy whip. One of the negroes jumped out and ran but the other one, the one named Burnett, jumped out, drew a pistol and fired, fatally wounding Mr. Chrietzburg. Mr. Chrietzburg died Sunday night. After the negro shot he ran. A posse was immediately organized; sent to the penitentiary here and secured the dogs and notified the Sheriff. The sheriff and his deputy immediately started out in an automobile but the gasoline gave out and they failed to reach the scene of the crime. The posse with the dogs took up the trail of the negro and ran him about 6 miles down to the Friendship settlement when the dogs bayed in a negro's barn. The occupant of the negro cabin, whose name we have not learned, stated to the posse that the negro was not in the barn. However Mr. Claud Kidde and, others went into the barn to search it. Mr Kidde got upon a table and moved some of the plank of the loft when the negro shot him in the face killing him instantly. Those in the barn came out and made the negro owner of the cabin bring Mr. Kidde's body out. The posse then set fire to the barn and the negro Burnett came out shooting emptying his revolver into the crowd but fortunately only a horse was killed. The body of the negro was literally riddled with bullets. The negro did not live in the Floyd community.

Sources for

See all items with this value Joe Burney