New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1857-08-10
LYNCH LAW IN LEAvENwORTH.

have inst returned from enc of those sights
| which sckeu a man of this frontier life The
| Mayors Office is in the second story of little
wooden building on Second street 1t is reached
| by fight Of rough wooden steps running up the
outside The crowd is still pressing round the
basement, through which damned my passage to
| the stairway. On the floor of the little office,
stretched on rough board, lay halfnaked human
body, its hair dabbng in the pool of blood collected
in the hollow Of two panks, and the breast, sides
and shoulder studded with wounds, and smeared
with gore. The paAtaloons were wringng wet
with river water and torn 80 that both the bruised
and bloody knees protruded. The shirt, entirely
redeemed, lay, dripping, by the neck. The hands
were folded smoothly over the breast.
Last night, between and 0 O'Clock, some
boys swimming in the river, near spring hun.
dred yards above the Planters House, saw man
lying on the bank. When they reached him, he
was able only to murnur indis.inct sentences,
| before he rolled over aud died. lie had been
| stabbed, robbed and thrown into the river, from
which he had Just crawled when the boys found him.
n About the same time, man appeared at the door
of drinking saloon on Cherokee street. and beck
| onpd TO one of the persons inside to come out.
| Then he told him that he had gone to walk. along
| the river with friend, half an hour before, when
suddenly both had been seized, and scufe ensued,
from which he had escaped, leaving his companion
| in the bands of the robbers. He was asked if he
had told this story to any one his way half through
the city to Cherokee street. and the reply that he
had not caused him Immediately to be taken into
| custody. Search was then made, and the body
found on the bank, where it had been discovered BY
the boys.
During the evening two other arrests were mado
of persons who had been seen within the week in
company with the murdered man. An excited
crowd gathered around the calabOOse and before
midnight had made two attempts to force the door
and execute Lynch law, from which they were de-
tered by speeches of the Coroner. BY mingled
thrt ats and persuasion q confession was e1tored,
early this morning, from one of the two last
rested, which implicated all three in the crime. He
told where the knife could be found with which the
stabs had been inflicted, and minated where the
dead mans money was concealed. Later IN the
morning be confessed to still another murder, in
which be also implicated his fellow prisoners, stat.
ing that it took place some weeks ago. and that they
buried the body in the sandy bank of the river above
the city. A Committee have been engaged for some
hours in searching for this second body but it has
not yet been found
During the forenoon still another arrest has been
made of grocer belonging in this city, who started
this morning to drive wagon to Osawkee. On his
person were found the $lO0 which, according to the
COME ssiOn was the nducement Of the gang to com
NIT the crime. Life is, indeed, the only commodity
in this region which is cheap.
As | look from the window by the table on which
ON writing, | see dray drawn up before the
Mayor Office, and an implanted pine coffin brought
heavily down the wooden steps and deposited on it.
bell is telling it drives away 1t Is prudent in
the police to bury possible, for the sight
of it was continually maddenng the crowd, which
ia already so excited that every is still appre-
bensye of resort to Lynch law.
The name of the murdered man was Stevens. He
resided at Kansas City, and engrated to the Terri
tory from Kentucky His murderers said to
have belonged to that regiment of villains who were
pilotcd to Kansas by Capt ButOrd, under the pre-
tence of cOunteractiDg emigration from the North.
They are asO cOunterfeiters and on the person and
premises of the grocer were found large quantity
of false coin and bills with which they had supplied
him.
Erening.-Tbe above l wrote during the fore
noon For an hour after dinner heard in my room
the murmurs of the crowd assembled between the
| Mayors Office and tie Leavenworth Hotel opposite,
| where one of the prisoners was confined. went
out into the street at the moment when Judge Lee
compte was mounting the rough and unsteady steps
of the tavern TO address the people, of whom there
were at least seven hundred within reach of his
voice Cries of " Hang them" "Lynch them !"
"God d--n ITEM ''CalabOose, to the calaboOse"
| were continually rising from their midst. more
unfortunate selection of speaker to appease this
| feeling than Judge Lecompte could hardly have
| been made. Almost at the outset of his remarks
he alluded to the fact that conviction for murder
had ever been obtained in the Territory, notwlth-
standing human life was taken daily This allusion
was most ublucky, for stentorian voice immedi-
ately shouted, 1T is your Own fault, and another,
| "How was it about Fugtl" and chorus of fero-
cOus cries arose, which were repeated at intervals
| for a quarter of an hour, their burden being
| that this time at all events, the murderers
| ~ Ind aff al IN
excuse the fact by stating that there was political
feeling pterfused in almost every murder heretofore
| committed; but the excuse did not seem satisfac
tory TO the people, whose shouts were reiterated
more and more loudly. He was, however, listened
| to with more respect than i considered possible,
until rllnor spread that he was only speaking
against time to enable troops to be sent for from
the fort. 1t was in vain that be tried to qnel the
excitement which this rumor added to their feelings
| He bent over the steps, whose railing crashed az
| that moment beneath the weight of the people
climbing on it, and c"ntradcted the statement; but
| with one universal shout of " calabo0se.' the
| crowd, swollen by this time 10 more than thou
| sand swept down the street and across some open
lots to the place where two Of the prisoners We're
confined.
1t is a solid stone building about twenty-five feet
| long end eighteen feet wide. On each side ara
three very narrow apertures to admit light and air.
none Of them more than six inches in diameter, aud
all barred with iron. Attention was, therefore, d.
rected to the door, against which joist was soon
! swung, taken frsm a house being framed near by.
| The lock soon gave way and she exit Of the two
murdeiers was hailed by the crowd with most dis
| cOrdant shouts.
A rush was Immediately made to the foet of
Second street, where a Shiny creek flows into the
Missouri River. The bridge across this creek was
instantly covered as also the bank, on which large
elm tree spread its limbs toward the water Over
one If these rope was thrown by man who
had climbed rapidly up among the branches. II