| Case(s) | |
|---|---|
| Source Type: | Newspaper |
| Author: | n.a. |
| Publisher: | Wilkes Barre Times Leader |
| Place of publication: | Wilkes-Barre, PA |
| Date of publication: | 3/25/1907 |
| Transcript: | FIRED 1,000 SHOTS INTO NEGRO’S BODY. MAN WHO ATTACKED WHITE WOMAN LYNCHED BY AN ALABAMA MOB. Florence,. Ala.. March 24. Cleveland Harding, the negro who attacked Mrs. Benjamin F.- Rice, near here Friday, and who was driven off by Mrs. Rice’s shepherd dog, was summarily executed today by a mob of 200 or 300 person.. Tied to a tree, with his arms up, the negro was riddled with bullets, the first shot, it is said, being fired by Rice, following which every man in the crowd emptied his revolver atthe prisoner. Over 1,000 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 persons favored burning him, but shooting was decided on. Beyond confessing his guilt, the negro had nothing to say and seemed indifferent to his fate. The body was left tied to the tree by the mob, the members of which made no attempt to shield their identlty. The sheriff overtook the crowd before the lynching, but his appeals were unavailing. |
| Citation: | “Fired 1,000 Shots Into Negro’s Body.” Wilkes-Barre Times Leader (Wilkes-Barre, PA), March 25, 1907. |