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[ Back to African American Resources | Mob Violence, Extra-judicial Killings, Lynchings ]
HANGED AND BURNED
Tom Williams, a Negro, Given Rough Treatment by a Mob at Sulphur Springs Yesterday.
CRIMINAL ASSAULT ATTEMPT
Girl Had Started to a Pasture and Was Followed by the Negro Who Threatened Her With a Knife -- Her Screams Brought Assistance -- He Fled, Was Captured Five Miles Away and Taken to Town.
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS
Sulphur Springs, Tex., Aug. 11 -- Tom Williams, a negro about 30 years of age, was hanged and burned on the public square at this place this morning by a mob composed of 3,000 persons for attempted criminal assault of Miss Nettie Griggs, who lives two miles southwest of town, about 6 o'clock this morning. News of the attempted assault was phoned to the officers directly after the occurrence and immediately people began leaving the town in squads hunting for the negro. Soon a perfect army of people was scouting the country for the brute and he was caught by City Marshal Hail, Wilbur Chaney and Gran Corbin, walking on the Katy Railroad track about two miles east of town and five miles from the scene of the crime.
He was carried to the scene of the crime, but on arriving it was found that his victim was suffering from nervous prostration and the negro could not be taken into her presence for identification until a physician arrived and administered a potion for quieting the nerves. The victim of the assault is a young woman 19 years of age, single and living with her married sister, Mrs. J. E. Ellis. Her father is named Jesse Griggs and resides near Como. Her mother is dead. Dr. M. Smith arrived at the house about half an hour after the negro was carried here and after quieting the nerves of the young lady with opiates and stimulants she was led to the front door of the room and permitted to view the negro. Immediately and without hesitation she exclaimed, "Yes, that's him; my God! my God! that's him!"
This was enough for the waiting crowd, numbering perhaps 1,000 or 1,500 people. The march to town was then begun. As they neared the town the crowd increased in numbers until they reached a point about a mile from the square. Here Sheriff Jerry Lewis met the crowd and went to the side of those having the negro in charge. He asked that the law be allowed to take its course, that no violence be done, and that the dignity of the law be upheld. A thousand voices shouted, "No. he is in our hands, and he shall not be given a court house trial.
"The safety of our wives and daughters will not permit that such brutes be allowed to live. We can take no chances."
The best people of the town were in the crowd that had the negro in charge and among them was an ex-Sheriff. Realizing that he was powerless, Sheriff Lewis fell back to the rear of the crowd and the march to town was resumed. Two thousand guns bristled in the early morning's sun, presenting a scene of an army.
Nothing could have stayed the anger of the mob. It was a thirst for the life of the negro and it would have it at any cost. Cooler heads counseled moderation, but to no avail. No one in the crowd favored a court trial. At least, if they did, they did not say so.
Arriving at the city hall, a mob of 5,000 people met the party with the negro. Here several persons ran to the buggy in which the negro was handcuffed and attempted to drag him from the vehicle. At this juncture the only unpleasant feature of the affair occurred.Seeing that they were about to kill the negro before a confession could be obtained, a party, editor of the Gazette, ran to the buggy and tried to impress upon those who were scuffling to get the negro that the negro had not made a statement. Further, that other crimes had recently been committed and perhaps by exercising due prudence the mystery of the attempt to chloroform a prominent woman here a few nights since could be cleared up. His purpose was misunderstood and he was somewhat roughly handled. However, he still persisted and finally got some of the persons to listen to him, and the march to the square was resumed. The anger of the crowd broke loose again after they had gone about fifty yards and some one brought a rope to hang the negro. The party again tried to plead with them for a trial by the citizens. He told them he was in favor of hanging the negro, but thought it would be foolhardy to hang him until a statement could be had from him. But the people would not hear and the negro was dragged to the band stand in the center of the square by a rope, coal oil was poured over his body and a match stuck to it, and the negro was hanged, burning in mid air.
Soon the rope burned in two and the body fell. More oil was poured over him and the blaze continued to be replenished with oil until all the flesh was burned from his body.
The victim of the assault is resting well at this hour and though nervous and badly frightened is not in a dangerous condition. She had started to a nearby pasture to drive the calves to the lot for the morning's milking. When she had gone about 200 yards from the house she looked over her shoulder and saw the negro about ten steps behind her. He sprang to her side immediately with an open knife in his hand, and told her if she screamed or made any noise he would cut her throat. However, she screamed loudly and her sister in the house heard her sream and ran to her, she screaming also. This frightened the negro and he ran away without accomplishing his purpose.
No blame can be attached to the officers. They did the best they could. Had they done more it would have resulted in bloodshed and the lives of innocent persons would have been sacrificed. While the cooler heads regret that the action of the mob was so hasty that no statement was secured from the negro, it is generally expressed that quick death was the only adequate penalty for his crime.
NEGROES SCURRY AWAY.
Leaving Sulphur Springs on Every Train--Lynching in Center of the Town.
SPECIAL TO THE NEWS.
Dallas, Tex., Aug. 11.--Representative C. A. Shelby of Hopkins County who was in Sulphur Springs a short time after the negro was burned on the public square, came on to Dallas at night. "When I reached Sulphur Springs," he said, "the crowd had dispersed, Business men were at their places of business and things were about as quiet as though nothing of the sort had ocurred. The negroes were very restless, some boarding the trains with money to pay their way but a few miles.
"They were willing to do anything to get away from Sulphur Springs. I heard them making this remark, and the conductor on the train said one negro said to him: 'Boss, I ain't got much money, but jest take me away fum heah.'
"At the band stand in the middle of the great square, in the very center of the town, the negro was burned. When I reached there they had cut down the hanging skeleton, which was badly charred. The negroes refused to let the body be buried in any of their burying grounds because of superstition, I suppose.
"Sulphur Springs and its vicinity is made up of a fine citizenship. They purpose to protect their women. The people were making preparations for burying the body when I left and curiosity seekers were securing momentoes of the tragedy."
Both articles from the Galveston Daily News, Saturday, August 12, 1905, Page 1
Another black man, Jim Cherry, confronted men in the crowd. He was beaten with a baseball bat and nearly killed, then ordered to leave the town. He returned the following week, but left again soon after.
The Commerce Journal, Friday,August 11,1905, Commerce,Texas
I could find no Thomas Williams in the immediate area in the 1900 Federal Census. I did, however, find Nettie M. Griggs. The following year, 26 JAN 1906, she married E.B. Stephenson in Sulphur Springs. The couple moved to Tyler. Mrs. Stephenson died of pneumonia 17 DEC 1921. Maryann Emma Wiggins Ellis was Nettie's eldest (half) sister. Her husband, Jacob A. Ellis was a Syrian immigrant who arrived in the US in 1895. The Ellises manufactured candy.
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