Death at Stake for Negro Rapist

Title

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The Macon Telegraph

Publication Place

Macon, GA

Publication Date

10/03/1900

Transcript

Wallace Townsend, alias Floyd, a negro, was burned at the stake in the little town of Eclectic, fifteen miles from this place, a Half hour after midnight yesterday morning, The negro's crime was an attempted assault on Mrs. Lonnie Harrington, whose husband set fire to the brands which reduced Townsend's body to ashes. Monday afternoon, about 1 o'clock, the negro, a nephew of the negro Floyd, who was hanged in the Wetumpka jail week before last for an attempted assault, attempted to outrage Mrs. Harrington. Mr. Harrington was engaged at a cotton gin in Eclectic, and lives one mile out of town. The negro came to the house and told Mrs. Harrington that her husband had sent him to get 20 cents from her. She told him she had no change. 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 re- stored to consciousness, Nichols gave the alarm. The news spread rapidly. All the stores at Eclectic were instantly closed; the ginneries and saw-mills shut down, the people left their wagons in the road and their plows in the field 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 blood hounds. The dogs were not brought to the scene until nearly dark. They were taken to where the negro's tracks disappeared, and an exciting chase ensued. The dogs stopped finally at a tree in front of Odion's store, on the north outskirts of Eclectic. The crowd coming up soon dis- covered 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 hun- dred was in the little village. The negro was taken to the edge of the village and surrounded by the mob, shivering with fear. 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 de- eide 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 was brought back and bound to it with chains. Pine knots were piled about him, and the flames were fired by the husband of 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 re- duced to ashes. Townsend, before being bound, confessed the crime, and said he was also implicated with Alex Floyd, who was hung a couple of weeks ago for an attempted assau.t on Miss Kate Pearson in the attempt at that time. He said he and Floyd had planned for other crimes of like character, but that Floyd's being hung put a stop to them. AT MONTGOMERY. Other Arrests Made and Trouble May Follow Montgomery, Ala., October 3.-The negro, Wallace Townsend, burned in Elmore County yesterday morning, made a confession, implicating seven other negroes in his crime. As this is the second white woman assaulted there within the month. it is now believed by the people of that section that there is a conspiracy among the negroes. One of the negroes implicated in the confession of Townsend was in jail at Wetumpka, charged with burglary, and, as threats of lynching were made, the negro, Virgil Miller, was brought here last night and placed in the Montgomery County Jail. The deputy sheriff had a wild drive of fourteen miles through the country. and, had he been thirty minutes later in reaching here, a crowd of men who came by train would have Intercepted him. After reaching here the deputy arrested two other negroes alleged to be implicated in the crime. They are Frank Floyd and Jake Floyd, brothers of the negro, Zeb Floyd, who was lynched near Wetumpka on September 9. A singular coincidence is that Mrs. Harrington, who was assaulted Monday, is a kinswoman of Miss Pearson, who was assaulted on September 3. for which Zeb Floyd was lynched. More trouble may arise.

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