that he aimed to kill him. He then tied the slave behind a horse and
dragged him over a fifty acre field until the slave was dead. As a
punishment for this terrible deed, master Thompson was compelled to
witness the execution of his own son, one year later. The story is as
follows:

A neighbor to Mr. Thompson, a slave owner by name of Kay Van Cleve, had
been having some trouble with one of his young male slaves, and had
promised the slave a whipping. The slave was a powerful man and Mr. Van
Cleve was afraid to undertake the job of whipping him alone. He called
for help from his neighbors, Daniel Thompson and his son Donald. The
slave, while the Thompsons were coming, concealed himself in a
horse-stall in the barn and hid a large knife in the manger.

After the arrival of the Thompsons, they and Mr. Van Cleve entered the
stall in the barn. Together, the three white men made a grab for the
slave, when the slave suddenly made a lunge at the elder Mr. Thompson
with the knife, but missed him and stabbed Donald Thompson.

The slave was overpowered and tied, but too late, young Donald was dead.

The slave was tried for murder and sentenced to be hanged. At the time
of the hanging, the first and second ropes used broke when the trap was
sprung. For a while the executioner considered freeing the slave because
of his second failure to hang him, but the law said, "He shall hang by
the neck until dead," and the third attempt was successful."