, 1864-07-31
LXN CH LAW IN IOWA.
MOB in Ottumwa-A Murderer Taken
Out Of the jail to be Hanged.


Yesterday was an exciting day in Ottum-
wa. 1t wHe the day on which 4. McCo,nb
wae sentenced to BIZ hung, aud on which he
would bAye neen hung bud not an appeal to
the Supreme Court eta.ed the proceedings
and postponed the execution, Durin. thu
forenoon IL Has Noticed that people in uu-
usual nuiub' N were couling iuto town until
BY morn the streets were crowded. Tue peo-
PIC did not seem excited, uo threats were
lhadt, an1 IN tact up to this time nothing
tr"nsIt:ed to Indicate any unlawful purpose
I'll the part Of tic assembl multitude, esti-
mate 10 amount t., 1000 men, woIne', and
children. The citizens ysnerllly supposed
that the crowd, unarpr,stt Of Ih. POSTPONE
nIe1't OF the execution, had come In jmpelltd
By curiosity tn see McCotnh hung.
About twelve o'clock, however. inpelicd
.athercu about the Jail, aud the leaders, en-
hnsd 10 some doz"n persons, arowe,i their
purpose to get hold Of ihr prisoner. Me-
Comb. and nany him. Sheriff Desb. was u.
LIS post and resisted the execution Of tueir
pu1 p.he to Tue best Of his ability, knocking
Gown Some Two or fhrcc OF the rlu.slealers
He slso culled for assist ,nce, and VA. as-iss-
ed by few. Senator Df1ou, Judge Ueader-
sbott. Hon. E Il Stiles, aud Capt i. i, Stu
art addressed the crowd. urt Ing them to de.
sset, md let the law take Its cJurde. Al,
nn"rF yer, bal nU apparent restr. lining eject.
\ Woman mounted I be fel,.e, and uAac an
exciting haranGrc, uFri + gu the mob; and
say 3irg If the, would Leave it TO the wame,,
they would attend to 1t themselves. vote
Was tat Ell, = hfch wus decided to be in fayur
u The hanging. A. rush was nov made for
The front Guur Of tie jail one telIo y braud-
1slilng Il Eledge.hatntner. But Sheriff Derby
aud the fe* assisting him made sucll eiTecsuil
resistance that It Ii probable tue atteuut
might have been foiled had not part OF the
crowd gone round to the back side Of the
building, ,aud knocking OF Ewo or three boards
NJ fkt1,f fn Nn r..ls r..
M entrance, after hfch, with sledge ham.
ner, the outer ducr uaa broken oEea and
'hep the locks in the cell in which ucColnb
vas eon1Led were broken, aud the prisoner
dragged ont. He a-ked for an hour, which
WITT given him, TO prepare fur Death 1 cler-
- nan was sought, aud he WAS fi4alty taken
1bfo the Caflollc Church and baptized by
father hreckle, the crowd following. Aftcr
this 1e Was led down town oy way or Court
aud Front streets to the corner OF Market
ARD Was thtn placed In a wagon and startrd.
necon, panied uy an Immense mul.uudr, 1t
wa given out, tor tue other side OF the river
near Where the rerHuioB of the grl were
iou"d, but II suca was tue purpose, it was
Changed after hall the cr.,Wd h ID fJrtlrd th<.
Iiyer, and they tlLally moved of duwn Front
street lheJ went out about mile on the
agency road, "lere preparations were eom.
nencta ioF the execution. \ rope was tied
aruuud the neck OF the prisoner. SoAe
speaEipg and ZONE fIghsfng Anung the crowd
followed. After short haff, faclflies for
sn execution were not deemed satisfactory,
aud they cruseed over tue 1idga and halted
under bent tree, but the ground wss sv uu-
even that 1t Was difficult to keen tue W,.pon
Stationary. They l4ully, however, got The
rope adjusted, slcComb assisting, ard we-,:
about throwing 1t over liub. before this
Mas done, however. McComb requeste per-
mission TO Lake u few rcuIarks. He said:
hsse the rope around NY neck as you ser,
and have only few moments to lire, but
an IN innncent man. II ron Will give ne
nbtn the next court will prove thai George
L~wre4cs Ii living, and that did not murder
Lura Harvey" At this point a cry wis
back" Stake lin % back, ''ss sccom, o,n.
pabied by the CRY Of "hang him.
''haus him." The leaders fcariug th.t tho
tide eas turning, said tnat It Was getting Late
ard they could walt 10 longer. An 4tteupt
Was nude 10 throw tue rope over the linb,
ont y hile this was being done several resp
lutte men. tome Of them from Oftunga,
Jumped Into the wagon, aud selling the rope
attempted to wrtst it from the executsoners
i short struggle for the possession Of thr
rope followed. when some one called nut
''cut it-h No sooner said than done. Th.;
rope whs cut, Mccomb hustled ont Of that
wbgon 1Ato another and driven r1pid1f to
tow n, a here they arrived little s1ter six
o'clock, and lodged McCumb safety In his
old qusTteFs ugain. during the evening, the
Sheriff, assisted BY q detachment OF rhc
"GuAIds !" Arrcstru six or eight pe.soIs,
reccgt lied as leaders OF the moo,
lodging some III jail aud releasing Others On
bali.