Lynching of Preston Porter Jr.

Porter was taken by the mob to the site of Louise's murder, where they began preparations. After the decision was made that Porter would be burned, the mob gathered and prepared wood for roughly an hour; during this time, Porter did not speak. He appeared "sullen" according to a reporter from ''[[The New York Times]]'' and was "trembling with fear" according to ''The Courier-Journal''.<ref name="cj"/> He passed much of this time reading from the [[Gospel of Luke]] out of a Bible given to him by a jailer in Denver. The execution was originally scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m., though it was delayed by nearly an hour to allow for spectators to arrive from elsewhere in the county.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |title=Boy burned at the stake in Colorado; terrible vengeance on Negro murderer by a mob |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1900/11/17/archives/boy-burned-at-the-stake-in-colorado-terrible-vengeance-on-negro.html |access-date=June 11, 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 17, 1900 |location=[[New York City|New York, New York]] |page=1}}</ref> Ultimately, the crowd of spectators numbered in excess of 300;<ref name="rareearth"/> ''The Courier-Journal'' claimed that roughly "700 people witnessed the execution".<ref name="cj"/>

Porter was taken by the mob to the site of Louise's murder, where they began preparations. After the decision was made that Porter would be burned, the mob gathered and prepared wood for roughly an hour; during this time, Porter did not speak. He appeared "sullen" according to a reporter from ''[[The New York Times]]'' and was "trembling with fear" according to ''The Courier-Journal''.<ref name="cj"/> He passed much of this time reading from the [[Gospel of Luke]] out of a Bible given to him by a jailer in Denver. The execution was originally scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m., though it was delayed by nearly an hour to allow for spectators to arrive from elsewhere in the county.<ref name="nyt">{{cite news |title=Boy burned at the stake in Colorado; terrible vengeance on Negro murderer by a mob |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1900/11/17/archives/boy-burned-at-the-stake-in-colorado-terrible-vengeance-on-negro.html |access-date=June 11, 2025 |work=[[The New York Times]] |date=November 17, 1900 |location=[[New York City|New York, New York]] |page=1}}</ref> Ultimately, the crowd of spectators numbered in excess of 300;<ref name="rareearth"/> ''The Courier-Journal'' claimed that roughly "700 people witnessed the execution".<ref name="cj"/>

Upon being directed, Porter approached the stake—the mob opted to use a steel rail<ref name="co-en">{{cite web |title=Preston Porter, Jr. |url=https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/preston-porter-jr |website=[[Colorado Encyclopedia]] |publisher=[[History Colorado]] |access-date=June 9, 2025}}</ref>—though he knelt to pray and was allowed adequate time to do so. He then arose on his own and walked to the stake, assumed a position with his back to the rail, and was secured to the rail with ropes and chains by six men. Porter obliged some members of the crowd who requested souvenirs by handing out pages torn from his Bible.<ref name="nyt"/>

Upon being directed, Porter approached the stake—the mob opted to use a steel rail<ref name="co-en">{{cite web |title=Preston Porter, Jr. |url=https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/preston-porter-jr |website=[[Colorado Encyclopedia]] |publisher=[[History Colorado]] |access-date=June 9, 2025}}</ref>—though he knelt to pray and was allowed adequate time to do so. He arose on his own, walked to the stake, and assumed a position with his back to it. Six men bound him to the rail with ropes and chains. Porter obliged some members of the crowd who requested souvenirs by handing out pages torn from his Bible.<ref name="nyt"/>

After Porter was secured to the stake, [[kerosene]] was poured on the wood surrounding him; the fire was lit shortly afterward by Richard Frost at 6:23 p.m.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="tsj"/> Porter's pants were the first to catch fire, though he remained silent until the fire had grown considerably closer to his face. For much of the remaining time that he was conscious, Porter begged the crowd for mercy; specifically, he repeatedly asked to be shot. He fell to the ground when the rope securing his hands burned; this concerned the crowd, but they were put at ease when Porter's feet remained fastened to the stake. Now, with only his feet burning, more wooden boards were laid atop his body and lit on fire, quickly leading to a loss of consciousness and death after approximately twenty minutes.<ref name="nyt"/>

After Porter was secured to the stake, [[kerosene]] was poured on the wood surrounding him; the fire was lit shortly afterward by Richard Frost at 6:23 p.m.<ref name="nyt"/><ref name="tsj"/> Porter's pants were the first to catch fire, though he remained silent until the fire had grown considerably closer to his face. For much of the remaining time that he was conscious, Porter begged the crowd for mercy; specifically, he repeatedly asked to be shot. He fell to the ground when the rope securing his hands burned; this concerned the crowd, but they were put at ease when Porter's feet remained fastened to the stake. Now, with only his feet burning, more wooden boards were laid atop his body and lit on fire, quickly leading to a loss of consciousness and death after approximately twenty minutes.<ref name="nyt"/>