Lynchburg daily Virginian. [volume] (Lynchburg [Va.]) 1852-1861, 1855-02-01


was sustained aud the claims rejected, and the
decision wns substantially ns in the case OF the
Florida bonds, though the umpire TO whom these
cases were referred went somewhat into the
merits, and showed very clearly That there could
he no claims against the United States"
Colonel Thomas, the solicitor for the United
States claimants, returned by the Pacific.
TuE CAIIFoRNiA NEWS is without Importance
and yet full OF important incidents. Lynch Law
is vet sovereign in many parts of tho State,-
and often commits atrocious excesses. There
are too many of these Lynch LAW trials going
ON 10 tell them all but ono is peculiar in its thirst
for blood, and SO out of the ordinary run, tina. II
merits notice,
At place called Town Hill near Auburn, one
VIM. Johnson commonly known IA Long John
son. stabbed Montgomery on the morning
after II Firemnu's Ball First, johnson knocked
Montgomery down. when the latter subsequently
procured pistol which, ,upcn the two again meet
ing, he fired at the former. The pistol hung fire,
and johnson avoided the shot by dndglng, and
Immediately drawing n knife, stabbed and cut
Montgomery in II terrible manner III several plh-
Ces.
Now, no mnn who sees another armed with
pistol seeking his life, will fail to defend himself,
and this man (Johnson) unfortunately having
knife on his person. drew 1t after ho had been shot
ut, md badl,, if not mortally, wounded his foe.
Under such circumstances u jury lniPHt hUNc
brought in II verdict of juetilinbe homicide. yet
the mob took the mnn out under tho most revolt
lug circumstances, and hung him, Everything was
done deliberately and murdeInusly. The com.
mittee of murderers, who called themselves aJu-
ry, were out nearly all night delibernting, and
when they had brought in their verdict, the mob
proceeded 10 the exeoutl III, utter the following
fashion:
"rhc prisoner was taken to II convenient tree,
md ha I,rt th.t ,viat II tn
friends of his melancholy fate. But no. HI.
hands are tied and he cannot write, So IA gentle.
mdn-(a gentleman in such II crowd noted
down his remarks. He then requests that some
one in the crowd who owes him small amount
of money, will pay To person to whom he - IN
debted. Then he asks that II ring may be TIA
ken from his finger, Bnd sent to his mother and
sister; but the demons had tied his hands 80
tight that they had become swollen, and the ring
could not be removed When all was ready the
prisbner requested to be allowed to climb the
limb of the tree and jump off This was refused.
Had it been granted his struggles aud agony
would have been brief, and the bloody thirsty
wretches it would seem, did not like to be cheat
ed in that way of their ecstntic delight in seeing
him struggling. writhing and twisting III the
throes of death. lie died like brave man, and
two thousand persons looked on aud the at
rucons deed consummated. On what times have
we fallen -
9ucn TRANSACTIONS are hubClous, III my NoIt VI
civilization, and can only be accounted for as
| proceeding from an innate thirst for blood
| ! here was no occasion for such lawlcss oXocu-
tion,-for the forms of law might hive been 10
sorted to, and the criminal might have been prop
crly defended.
The California Chronicle thus groups other
scenes -
"Some terrible affairs happen every now and
then in the mining districts. There, there is lit
tie law, save that Of the strongest The revolver
and bowie knife nre better protectors to the hon
est man thnn n mounted patrol und whole u-
dietary staff in the capital. The following story
is making tho round OF the papers In Rocky
Canon, Placer CO. on the 10Th inst, three men,
out II gold prospecting expedition, were at
tackled by n band of eleven robbers. One of the
three, named Jan,es G. Mcdonald. of Alabama
was shot dend before he had time to draw pis-
tol. Another of the three, Doctor Bolivar A.
Sparks, Of Mississippi, after shooting twice at
the banditti, fell, badly wounded. Capt. Jonathan
K. Davis, of South arolina the last of the three,
on the first fire of the robbers. bt gan an inces-
SAINT firing on them, with his reyolvers-every
bali forcing its victim to ''bitc the dust'-until
all the loads of both parties seemed to have been
discharged. The surviving robbers then made
rush upon Captain Davis with heir bowie knives.
In the end, the latter who seems to lave had a
charmed life, and been very devil for slaughter
managed to kill disable the whole bnnd.-
Ten of the robbers dr of their wounds; and the
eleventh will never be 1.-THE same man agan."-
The last said that the band composed of
four Americans, one Frenchman, five Sydney
men, four Mexcans, and two men just arrived
from London, and that none of them knew the
names of the others He said, also that they
had just commenced operations having killed
six Cinnamon three days before, and four Ameri-
cans on the next day. As for the redoubtable
Capt. Davis, it is said that twenty eighty bullet
holes were counted in his hat and elothes-sev
enteen through his hat, and eleven through his
coat and shirt. Yet he only received two very
be considered certainly fabulous in any other
nonn.ru ia nnita in character with things that of