The southern press. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1850-1852, 1851-03-20

assist in developing the resources of this region
An opportunity is now open for working the
| valuable mines known to exist upon the trbuta-
res Of the ella, which have heretofore been
debarred from the access Of white men by the
hostility of the Indians. do not hesitate to
| predict that in very short period one of those
| magic creations Of American energy and enter
prise, of which San Francisco and Sacramento
City are types, will spring up upon the Colorado
of the West
Very respectfully, your ob'dt servant,
III. s. H., Assistant Surgeon, U. S. A.
LYNCH LAW IN THE GoLD DIGGINGs.-A cor
respondent Of the New York Journal Of Com
merce, writing from Nevada City, California,
January "a, has the following:
Some of my previous letters have given
you peep into our election scenes, and our AL
calde's method of proceeding in civil cases.
Here are one or two instances Of q very common
mode of administering justice to criminals in our
midst.
A drunken Englishman, named Divine, muir
dered his wife under circumstances Of unusual
cruelty. During their whole residence in George
town, she had supported him and their children
| by her own industry. He asked her one morn
ing for some money to gamble WITH but she told
him to wait till he was sober. He rushed across
the room for a pistol, but she anticipated him
and threw it into a bucket of water He then
leaped into the street, snatched rifle from the
shoulder of passer-by, returned and shot her
through the heart.
1t was Sunday, and as usual the places Of re-
sort were filled by miners, who invariably spend
| that holiday in town The report of rifle in the
street was nothing unusual, but the tale of hor-
ror flaw ne nply Nv nd inE o,,,,n
the house was filled. In such country rs ours,
and under such circumstances as these, men act
rather than speak. A neighboring Round
| Tent" our gambling houses are often turned
into conrt-rooms on account of their size was
selected as the scene oft trial. The prisoner was
led in, and then, before word was spoken an
| other party brought in the body of his wife, lust
as she fell, with the dark blood oeziRg from her
breast. She was gently laid on large table
near her husband This sight stung the people
into frenzy. No one thought of wasting words
| in trial, The prisoner was seized and hurried
toward little emnenoe overlooking the village,
where the moose of lariat swung significantly
| from a tree
just at this moment, man of great influence
with the people of that vicinity attempted to
persuade them to postpone their design until
Coroners inquest should be held upon the
body, and Summary trial. but still trial, had
after their verdict With much difficulty he
succeeded, on condition that the inquest and
trial should both be held upon that day and
"a the Coroner was at Columa, four O'clock was
given as the last moment An express was sent
to Columa, and, to save time jury empanneIed,
to act instantly upon his arrival, They sat to-
gether In the tent with the prisoner and the
body. The mob waited outside, but W ere not
unemployed. deep pit was dug at the foot
of the tree; and all the solemn furniture of the
grave prepared.
As four o'clock approached, the silence of the
mob was broken by deep whispers and hoarse
murmurs. Rifles, pistols, and bowie. knives
were freely displayed This did not escape the
notice Of the jury, and they began, not unnatur.
ally to fear for their own safety. At last
when the sun was low in the west the mob
could wait no longer, but tore up the sides of
the tent and rushed in, just in time to see the
last luryman escaping by q backway. They
went at their task without word. At the head
OF long procession, the murderer marched to
his galows, and the body of his wife was borne
close behind him, The chdren--thank Heay-
enl--were not there; but even In that stern
scene they were not forgotten. a small box,
marked =" For The Orphans" was nailed to the
tree, and many an ounce was poured into il from
the purses of those who followed the father to
his death.
The body Of the murdered woman was low.
cred into wide pit, and even while the wretehed
man gazed upon it, and upon that empty but in
significant box by his side, the cord suddenly
frightened around his neck and he swayed in
the AIR. The mob sat on the bill side and sternly
watched him.
AT the end Of half an hour, he was cut down
aud laid IN the grave by the side of his wife. In
iive minutes, Georgetown was as still as that
lonely grave upon the hill Not man was
to be seen in the streets mo one knew any
thing of that lawless mob,
In the evening the Coroner arrived, and upon
hearing the story, summoned his jury for morn
ing. They net at sunrise upon the hill, and
stood around the untitled grave, while at the end
of n cut cord dangled above their heads. They
exchanged few words, and after laying slip
of paper upon each one Of the bodies, proceeded
to il UP the grave. Upon one of the slips was
written, Murdered by---D,vine, her husband"
and upon the other, "Died according to the win
ofGod by the Justice Of men,"
Yesterday evening, Doctor Lennon, from
Scotland, was shot while sitting in bis Office
This morning, man who had often menaced
his life, was seized on suspicion, and examined
before the proper autho ities. During the eya-
mlnation, several circumstances were discovered
which left SC RELY doubt of his guilt. Just
before the end Of this examination, n party Of
men with BACKED faces rushed into the room,
and their leader, with a dexterous whirl of the
RATA, assoed the criminal across the room, and
in moment dragged him outside, Every ono