Black Body is Riddled

Case(s)
Source Type: Newspaper
Author: n.a.
Publisher: Chattanooga Daily Times
Place of publication: Chattanooga, TN
Date of publication: 3/25/1907
Transcript:

BLACK BODY IS RIDDLED. Florence Mob Lynches Negro For Attempted Assault. HUSBAND OF VICTIM FIRES THE FIRST SHOT Mrs. Rice Fully Identifies Her Assailant Who Afterwards Confesses— Woman Was Saved By Faithful Dog—Thousand Shots Fired. FLORENCE Ala March 24—The negro Cleveland Harding who attempted to assault Mrs Ben F Rice near here Friday and who was driven off by Mrs. Rice’s shepherd dog was summarily exeeuted -today by his intended victim’s husband and some two hundred or three hundred sympathizers – Tied to a tree with his arms up the negro was riddled with bullets the first shot being fired by Rice following which it is stated every man in the crowd — emptied his revolver at the prisoner. It is stated that over 1000 shots were fired. The negro was captured today half a mile below town and was taken before Mrs. Rice who fainted at sight of him. Upon recovering she fully identified her assailant and on being asked what should be done with him told the negro’s captors to do as they thought best. Harding was taken a short distance from the Rice home where a conference of the mob leaders was held. Some said burn him but shooting was decided on. Beyond confessing his guilt the negro had nothing to say and was stolidly indifferent, it seemed, to his fate. The body was left tied to the tree by the mob, members of which made no attempt to conceal their identity The sheriff overtook the crowd before the lynching but his appeals were unavailing.

Citation:

“Black Body Is Riddled.” Chattanooga Daily Times (Chattanooga, TN), March 25, 1907.