Democratic Sentinel, Volume 16, Number 6, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 26 February 1892 — NEGRO ROASTED ALIVE. [ARTICLE]

NEGRO ROASTED ALIVE.

Horrible Punishment Meted Out to An Arkansas Criminal. Five thousand people stood on the public street this afternoon, says a dispatch from Texarkana, Ark., and with sullen faces, unmoved by anything savoring of pity, watched while Ed Coy, a negro, was burned to death for criminally assaulting Mrs. Henry Jewell last Saturday. Mrs. Jewell is th 3 young wife of a respectable farmer living two miles south of town, and since his crime Coy succeeded in eluding the officers until this morning, when he was discovered at the home of Ed Gaines, colored, four miles north of here. He had a mistress at the home of Gaines, and it was she who disclosed his hiding place, fear for the safety of herself and family acting as the incentive. The posses in search of Coy suspected that he was being harbored by Gaines, and two or three times this week a rope was put around the latter’s neck to make him give information. He was also assured that death would certainly be his portion should ho fail to notify the posse upon the first appearance of the hunted man.

This morning early the mistress of Coy went to the house of A. B. Scott, a white neighbor, livjng near by, and told him that Coy was at the ho rse of Gaines. Scott at once sent a message with the news post haste to town, and a posse immediately went out to arrest the negro. Meantime, however, Coy had left Gaines’ house, but was apprehended and taken in charge by Mr. Scott and two sons, who held him until the arrival of the men from town. The latter immediately brought their prisoner in, and, placing him in a carriage, conveyed him to the Jewell farm, where Mrs. Jewell, without hesitation, identified him beyond all doubt as the man who assaulted her. The trembling wretch was then returned to town, where the leaders, after a consultation, decided to hang the negro to a telegraph pole on Broad street, at the *State line, the most public place in the city. Cos wAs accordingly marched to this point with a view to carry out this programme, but when the crowd saw the rope and divined that hanging had been decided upon there were thunders of protests. “Away with the rope! Hanging is too good for him! Burn him, burn him!” was the shout that went up from. 5,000 throats.

Coy was strapped to the body of a tree with iron fastening, and coal oil was poured over his entire person in liberal quantities. There was a moment of silence and then another shout went up: “Let Mrs. Jewell, apply the match! Let Mrs. Jewell set him off!” Walking slowly, very pale but collected, the woman emerged from the crowd. Her appearance before them set the crowd wild and a mighty cheer went up that almost shook the ground on which they were standing. The crowd fell back at her approach, making a pathway for the brutal negro’s victim, who, leaning on the < r.n of a male relative on either side, walked unhesitatingly forwarded to where the negro stood pinioned, struck a parlor match, and with the utmost deliberation fired the negro’s clothes in two places. In a second the poor wretch was one mass of flames, but even then his wonderful nerve, exhibited ever since his arrest, never forsook him, and while suffering the tortures of fire he actually called to the men of the assembly and in a clear voice requested of tdem: “Move back so that the ladies can s%e.” He referred to the negro women, a large number of whom witnessed the execution. Death came in twenty minutes. The excitement over the horrible affair having largely subsided, the people are coming to their sober senses, and general regret is expressed. That Coy should have been hanged or shot is generally admitted by everybody, but burning the poor wretch at the stake was a shock to civilization. The mob was mostly composed of young railroad men who lost their reason in their thirst for revenge. There is strong talk among influential citizens of calling a mass meeting to denounce the burning of Coy as barbarous. The citizens feel that unless some such step is taken the affair will result in the permanent injury of the town.’