Bullets, Husband of Woman Fires the First Shot-General Fusilade

• Cleveland Hardin

BULLETS. HUSBAND OF WOMAN – FIRES THE’FIRST SHOT GENERAL FUSILADE VENGEANCE FOLLOWED AT TEMPTED OUTRAGE OF LADY BY NEGRO Florence Ala March 25 — At 4o’clock Sunday afternoon a crowd estimated at between 200 and 800 dealt summary justice to the negro Cleveland Hardin who attempted to outrage Mrs. B F Rice Friday. The negro was captured a mile below Florence on the Tennessee river bank at 2 o’clock sitting under a walnut tree by half a dozen men out for a stroll, He did not deny his identity and offered no resistance. His captors started at once for Rice’s house with incredible rapidity the news spread and before they got two mile from town the crowd had grown to 150. When the negro was brought before her Mrs. Rice fainted and was revived with difficulty. Asked what should be done with the negro she told them to do anything they wanted and fainted again.The negro was perfectly stolid and beyond confessing his guilt never opened his mouth from the time of his capture. He was made to walk all the way from Florence. A large part of the crowd was for burning him but the husband of Mrs Rice said shoot him. He was taken a mile from the Rice home tied to a tree with his arms up and the crowd stood back while Mr Rice with a 44 Winchester rifle fired the first shot. This was instantly followed by fusilide every man in the crowd emptying his pistol. It is estimated that a thousand bullets were fired into the body The mob was orderly and no attempt was made to conceal anyone’s identity. The body was left tied to the tree. The sheriff overtook the crowd on the road and tried to persuade them to surrender the negro but they refused to do so.

“Bullets.” The Chattanooga News (Chattanooga, TN), March 25, 1907.