The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, November 17, 1900, Page 1

SAN FRANCISCO, SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 17, 1900. PRICE FIVE CENTS. JEATH AT THE STAKE THE AW e Chained o an lron I Rail Preston Porter Murderer of Louise Frosl, Ex- piates His Crime Amid the Flames. ———— "Father of the Slain Gi Ligtts the Pyre and 300 Stem Avengers e Nego's Dymg Agony. Watc red citizens of re the negro commi ) w. oW st piteous ¢ ut the fire until ed and then back to for their seem to realize hat he was des- he had exhibited y of his crime, ken al- al e of brol He was was spot the flame to the a little fiickering flame arose ther oil blazed up. sperks flew into the air and the wood be- gan to Almost instantly the negro's trousers caught fire. Even though | the flesh must have been scorched he did not u e flames crept up- ward on his clothing, the sparks flew up in a cloud of pale smoke. Porter turned his head and a frightful expression changed his face. With a sudden con- isive tugging he stretched his head as from the rapidly increasing flames | o k-1 and vttersd a ory of appeal. “Oh, my God, let me go, men, I've got something more to tell you. Please let me go; oh my G64, my God.” terrible screeches these words, the first he had uttered aloud, came from the negro. A terrible tugging at the chains cession of awful groans and screams— he negro’s awful agony was at last ng down his sullen composure. Not escaped him, but he begged and be shot. Suddenly the rope his hands burned through. Then head and shoulders slipped the chain. For an instant the 3 erect. the arms were raised in while burning pieces of cloth from them. The body then fell y the fire, the head lower than were etill fastened to the o cet, whick his was the end. and after a few mo- men were disconcerted. only remaining wou If this had oc- rred the partly burned human being | 4 have dashed among them with, £ garments. red to capture him again. But the chain The body was then in such a that only the legs were in the | 'he cries of the wretch were re-| bled and he again begged to be shot. | ts the stolid t t the give way ey feared cld fast ! aged 16 year. from the Sheriff and burned The scene of the terrible execution was tted his fiendish crime cight days Frost, father of the slain ‘child, ap- e funeral pyre and 300 of his neighbors, v hands, encircled the dying lad Lincoln took s, the confessed murderer of a Colo., County, the youthful 1o ppeals for mercy:. . and the terrible heat and lack of rendered the victim bringing death a few moments s terrible ceremony out on the e concluded the second trag- spot—the terrible vengeanca ickly nncon- sclous T ling p later. edy u ha of the first. Through the entire affair but little was sald. As they had calmly prepared for he vengeance e east- | ; S =0 the people of the east-| preaman was to board the train alone in Denver so as to throw might form in Denver ey ern part of the State carried out thelr | plans, coolly and deliberately. There was | not a hitch in the entire proceedings. Not | a weapon was drawn. There was no angry | discussion, and after the fire burned low | they bade each other good-night and went | home. They did not stop to discuss the affair. LOUISE FROST'S FATHER DECIDES UPON BURNING Suggestions of Mutilation Are Mot Heeded by the Parent of the Murdered Child LBy | The train bearing the negro, in custody | of Sherift Freeman and his deputies, from Denver arrived in Limon &t 3:45 p. m. It was at first announced that the negro was | to be executed by hanging. Many, includ- ing the father of the negro's victim, pro- tested that such a death would be too asy, and it was finally decided to leave method of death to the outraged father. He decided upon burning at the | ake. About three miles from Limon, | an ar the scene of the negro’s crime, the whole party left the train and began preparations for the deed of vengeance. Suggestions of mutilation before burn- ing were made, but Mr. Frost declared against it Wagons were dispatched for wood and upon their return a score of men assisted in preparing it for the fire.” When at last preparations were completed a further delay was made, because it was known many were en route from Hugo and other parts of the county to take part in the effair. It had been annuonced that 5:30 would be the hour for starting the fire, but it was nearly an hour later when the word was finally given. A strange feature of the affair was that of souvenirs. The negro had since his confession been devéting every moment of daylight to the perusal of a Bible given him by the Denver jaller. Even while waiting for his execution he sat by a bon- ® e e e e el el | him to the carriage. TE OF A COLORADD CIRL-SLAYER - | THE | | LOUISE FROST. RoBERT W ¢ FROST. GIRL'S FATHER- that scent mob the any off Porter was not at all afrald when he was ! preparing for the trip. but when he saw the buggy and the officers he suspected where he was going, and, flinching, he hung back. Sheriff Jones half dragged The ride to Mag- nolla was without incident. At the sta- tion the two officers took Porter between them to lead him to the tr: He walked confidently enough until Me saw Frost, father of the girl he had murdered, lean- ing out of a car window watching him. Then Porter's knees trembled and almost gave way under him. The murderer and avenger rode to the execution in the same train, but in dif- ferent cars. Porter was taken Into .the rear coach and placed in a seat about the center alongside Sheriff Freeman, “I guess you know vou are going now?” sald Capfaln Armsirong, answering question Porter had asked on the w *“‘We are going to takc vou to Hugo jail “They'll get me at Limon and that will be the last of this poor nigger,” replicd Porter. He was trembling and a sickiy yellow. He opened the Bible which he had held in his hand all along and pre- a tended to read. Presently he seemed to regain his composure and lapsed into ab- solute sllence, speaking only when he was spoken to and then briefly. He repeated his confession of gullt with perfect calm- Just before the train pulled into Limon, the rear door nas locked and Por- ter looked up at Sheriff Freeman. “Do you think you can keep them off”" be asked, with a glance at the Sheriff’s revolver. “I guess so,” said the Sheriff, Then, as the train pulled into Limon and no one was in sight on the platform, Porter's face lighted up for 2 moment. The com- mittee of sixteen hiding behind the sta- tion sprang out over the platform and Porter’s face fell. He had thought for a moment that he was safe. The train was already moving on to Lake Station by the time the sixteen iad battered in the door of the rear coach. Porter fixed his eyes on the Bible before him and did not release them nor betray any motion when the door was burst in and the lynchers swarmed about him. ‘When Sheriff Freeman was overpowercd after a little parley, » rope was thrown ness. fire reading from the Gospel of St. Luke. Just before he was tied to the stake, upon request for souvenirs, the boy tore the le: from the Bible and distributed them among his executioners. JOURNEY OF PRISONER T0 SCENE OF LYNCHING Until the Mob Takes Him From the Two Guarding Offcers, | —_——— | DE? VER, Nov. 16—Preston Porter Jr., Not many would have | better known as “John” Porter, the i6- | opinion regarding the year-old murderer of Louise Frost, spen: this morning in his cell in the Arapaioe County Jail pretending to read his Bible. During the morning Sheriff krceman de- clded to take him to Limon. It was around Porter’s neck. He made not the least resistance as he was carried bodily out of the car. Clinging only to his Bible, he was led by the neck, literally like a lamb led to the slaughter. COLORADO'S GOVERNOR UENES RESPONSIBILTY [he Doomed Negro Remains Hopeful | People of Denver Approve the Execu- tion but Deprecate the Method Adopted, DENVER, Nov. 16.—When asked his burning of the negro assallant and murderer, Preston Porter, at Limon, to-night, Governor Thomas declined to make any statement whatever. Early in the week In an in- terview the Governor was quoted as say- Some wanted to throw him over into the | planned that at 11 o'clock Sheriff Jones | ing that he had nothing to do with (he fire: others tried to throw ofl upon him. | PBoards were carried and a large pile made | and Captain of Detectives Armstrong should take Porter 0 ldagnolia, fiftecn matter. Sheriff Freeman of Lincoln County, af- who | | sat with a drawn revoiver in his hand. mained on the train and presumably went to his home at Hugd. He was stroncly opposed to the execution, and only con- sented to take Porter back to Limon fram Denver under the strongest pressurc from the people of his county. The general sentiment expressed in Den- ver approves the execution of the nigro, but deprecates the method adopted. FIENDISH CRIME FOR WHICH PORTER PERISHES Waylags, Assaults and Mortally Stabs Louise Frost, Aged 11 VYears, While Retuming Home, — e The crime for which John Porter paid | the penalty not provided in Colorado’s law was the outrage and murder of 11-year-old | Louise Frost, the daughter of a rancher | near Limon, a small station on the Rock d road sixty miles from Denver. rly in the afternoon of Thursday, No- E vember § last the little girl left her home | over the prosirate body. They were soon ! 'miles out on the Kansas Pacific. Sheriff | ter the prisoner was taken from hini, re. | sleepy. but did not seem to understand when asked who stabbed her. We looked | about and saw the signs of a struggle she had made against her assailant.” The dying girl was removed her | | home, where she died an hour later wi } out having regained consclousness. Sev- | | eral times in her delirlum she would say: | | “Don’t. Don’t,” but was not able to an- to in & bUgEY to go to the postoffice, a mile | Wer questions asked. She recognized her and a half away. Not having returned | when darkness had set in, nor the next morning, her parents became alarmed, | and calling on neighbors started out on a search for the missing child. She was | found at dusk of Friday evening. | Charles E. Wamsley, one of the search- ers, tells the story of the finding of the dying girl: “Mr. Frost, Louise's father, had twice passed along the road without finding her or any trace. I was alone, following the searching party and at some distance be- hind them, keeping to the left of the road in the thought that if any accident hai befallen her and she had been thrown from the buggy she would be found a lit- tle to the side of the road, very likely. It was thought something might have frightened the faithful old horse she was driving. It was growing dark by that time and the moon was not yet up. Com- ing upon a bundle of newspapers which she had got from the postoffice just before starting for home, I knew I was on the right track, and. called her name. I thought I heard a moan in reply. I called again, after moving a few steps in the di- rection of the weed patch from which the sound seemed to come, and was then cer- tain that a low moan answered. Going about ten steps nearer the source of the sound, I said, ‘Is that you, Loule? and a faint ‘Yes' came in reply, which startled me, for 1 was not more than six feet from where she lay. “While I wasapproaching her two horse- men who had come out to join the party rode up, and when I called to them that I believed 1 heard a voice they seemed afrald of the worst, or did not understand and did not come to my ald. But as soon as I was near her I hurried to stoop down over her, and as soon as my hands touched her I knew she was covered with biood, 1 raised her head and asked her if she knew me, and she said, ‘Yes. “+Help me up,’ she said, and I lifted her to her feet. By this time Dick Beistline and Mr. Jewell, the blacksmith, had come up, and the three words were the most <he uttered befcre she died. I asked her if she could tell us who treated her so badly, and she seemed to have lapsed into the unconsciousness of terrible pain, from which she only rallied for an {nstant. She murmured something about being | mother and those about her shortly after reaching home, but unfortunately could not tell anything of her brutal assailant The last coherent words she uttered | were ““Open the door,” just a little while | before her spirit passed away. An exam- ination of the body revealed sixteen knife | | wounds, bloody testimony to her strug- | | gles and the fiendishness of her assail- ant. News of her death was quickly brought to town and immediately couriers were dispatched to ranchmen's liomes to se- cure horses and men for the man-hunt, which began at once. Bloodhounds wer2 put on the trail, and the country was scoured. Footprints were founi leadins from the scene of the murder toward the | eabin occupied by a scction gang on the raflroad. The . pecullarity of the foot- | prints was that in the he€f of each shoe | four nafls projected in such a way as to | leave a distinct impression in the ground | In the section gang’s cabin was found a | pair of shoes.partly burned stained | apparently with blood, 1n the heels in each : of which four nails projected. They fitte] | | the footprints. | The shoes belonged to | | John Porter, a negro 15 vears old, who | lived in the cabin. Porter, his father and brother were a.- rested in Denver Monday, but strongly protested their innocence. Under repeated “sweatings,” however, young Porter con- fessed his crime Wednesday last as here- tofore detailed in The Call. “Well, I done it,” he sald at last, under repeated questionings. Little by little the horrifying details were dragged from him. In substance Porter stated that he had lain in wait for the girl and as she drove up to where h: hid, he stepped out and seized the horse's bridle. He ordered the girl to get out of the buggy, which she did. He then lel the horse farther up the road in order, as he stated, mot to attract attention. Then he seized the girl by the back of her neck and threatening her with a knife forced her into the weeds. | ‘When asked if little Louise hal screamed or resisted, the n.- rderér re- plied: “Oh, she cried a little.” Alvord Case Called. | NEW YORK, Nov. 16.—The case of Cor- , nelius L. ‘Alvord, former note teller of the First National Bank, was called in the United .States District Court to-day and counsel were given until next Friday to file briefs. S JOHN PORTER — —_— ‘.,,‘f’////4'7/,/// 7l 4// .,,1,4”/(,’,/‘ ,’//’ // Ve ) Il&a/u/’ 9 / | | | | | | | | | | | \ | | g | [ | | l { | | | { | [ | i J | | | B | | | TAKING PORTER FROM THE TRAIN. fass P Lot S e e AL 3 BURNING AT THE STAKE OF PRESTON PORTER JR., A NEGRO YOUTH WHO ASSAULTED AND THEN STABBED A LITTLE WHITE GIRL, LEAVING HER DYING FROM XTEEN KNIFE WOUNDS. ‘“THE EX ECUTION OCCQURRED ON THE SPOT WHERE THE CRIME WAS COMMITTED, THE SLAIN GIRL'S l FATHER APPLYING THE MATCH TO THE PYRE. LAWS VENCEANCE 1S VSTED UPON FIVE COAST MURDERERS Willam Sullivan Hanged at San Quentin for the Killing of Spencer Gillard--Remarkable Nerve of Brothers Executed in Arizona, ———— 3pecial Dispatch to The Call. AN RAFAEL, Nov. 16.—Without a word or a tremor of fear, Willlam Sullivan, the murderer of Spencer Gillard, went to his death on the gallows in the old furniture fac-| tory at San Quentin this morning. Up to| the last the condemned man protested his | innocence. He was attended by Fathers | Eagan and Sesnon of this parish. { This morning the condemned man’ Fe- | quested Warden Aguirre to give him a| | = bunch of violets and thanked him for his| | many kindnesses. The flowers were pro- | cured and fastened to the lapel. of his | coat, where they remained to the last. The strain of the last few days told| heavily on Sullivan, and he wasted away | considerably. At most he never had but faint hopes that the Governor would in- | terefere, and last night when no reprieve | arrived his last hope was gone. Sullivan | proclaimed his innocence of the crime for | whieh he was executed. He declared he was the victim of reward hunters who | wanted the $1500 offered for a conviction. The man who killed Gillard, he sald, | subsequently committed suicide. Almest his last werds as he left the condemned | cell on the march to the gallows were | those declaring his innocence. The physicians in attendance were Dr. The execution was set for 10:30, and | P. T. Casey, resident physiclan at the about sixty persons gathered to witness | prison; Dr. Emile Herwig and Dr. G. M. it. Like all other executions at the prison, | Freeman of San Francisco. machine-like procedure marked its every | S P g .7 stage. Without a hitch the affair was| JEST WHILE ON GALLOWS. brought to a close. Sullivan’s body shot - throwgh the trap before many ot the | Brother x“rd;'i;;fi Death Coolly ors had seen him. I x 1 :2:;:1: tidm. the. thme sum?.;nlix:n;ele' PATKBANKS.. Aia.. Novt M- nd Willlam Halderman, who killed Dep- cell the trap was sprung and his neck — broken. (Continued on Second Paga) + o4 1 + WILLIAM SULLIVAN, HANGED AT SAN QUENTIN FOR THE MURDER OF GILLARD,