Townsend Paid the Penalty

Title

Source Type

Newspapers

Publisher

The Weekly Democrat

Publication Place

Natchez, MI

Publication Date

10/10/1900

Transcript

Winfield Townsend, alias Floyd. a negro, was burned at the stake in the little town of Eclectic, 15 miles from this place a half hour after midnight this morning. The negro's crime was an attempted assault on Mrs. Linnie Harrington whose husband set fire to the brand 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 attempted assault, at- tempted to outrage Mrs. Harrington. Mr. Harrington was engaged at a cotton gin in E lectic 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 the house but returned in about 10 minutes and made the assault. 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 restored 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 bloodhounds. The dogs were no t brought to the scent 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 discovered 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 hundred men was in the little village. He was taken to the edge of the village and being surrounded by the mob, shivered with fear. The preparations for death were quickly made. A rope was flung over the limb of a big oak tree and a hundred men stood ready to lend a hand Then a half was called and the manner of death discussed by the mob. To decide the matter a vote was taken and the balloting showed a majority of the crowd favored death at the stake. The stake was prepared and the negro was 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 to God for mercy could be heard at a great distance The crowd looked on deaf to his cries and half an hour the negro was reduced to ashes. The negro made a confession implicating seven other negroes in his crime. As this is the second white woman assault. ed there within a 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 and placed in the Montgomery county jail. The deputy sheriff had a wild drive of 14 miles through the country and had he been 30 minutes later in reaching here a crowd of men who came by train would have intercepted him. Two other negroes who implicated in the crime were arrested by the deputy. They are Frank Floyd and Jake Floyd, brothers of the negro Zeb Floyd, who was lynched near Wetumpka or Sept. 9. It is believed the conspiracy is directed against the members of a white family. Three negroes are now in jail in Montgomery and trouble may arise in protecting them.

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