The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1867-08-08
AMan Hung BY 4 Mob.
iMoRRIs, i'll. July 81 ,,67.

s,a{i, h aittsi tNIOhNiS, lH.JNsy G1BOss
Some months ago, Joseph Tibbets,
Of this place was arrested in Maine;
on the charge OF murdeaing Thomas
Page, brother Of Tibbets being re.
ported to have nude public con.
fession, charsihg him Nith criJnetH
At tho trial his brother refused to
soetify, tho court. sustained hina.4w; tn
the refusal, and the prisoner was ac-
quilted by the Jury. pa,seI 9-
i Much Indignation was manifested
at the verdict, Tibbets being gener-
ally believed, guilty. and a few days
since a meeting was held in the
heighborhood where the Tibbcts re-
side, II, which it was resolved thatiif
they did not both leave the county,
in five days, they should, he lynched,
The two men refused to 60, and the
excitement became intense. S.
Yesterday q large meeting was
held south of the illinois River and
some ZOO citizens resolved to hang
iAionzo Tibbets. In the meantime
the sheriff had committed him to
Jail in the place. s IS. 4.
!, This morning hundreds of the cit
liens Off the country came in, threat
ening to carry Quit their designs, and
resolved to break into tho Jail aud
get Tibbets. They Immediately re-
paired to the Jail, broke open the
iron door with crow bars and took
Tibbets across the river bridge to-
hang him. The Mayor. S. B. Thorn,
.as, Judge, Heating, Judge Grant,
Major Weber, the late Mayor, T..
B. Hanna, and many other citizens
did what couldldone BY them to pre-.
vent it, but ,wero OVERFLOW
cred aud carried away. .byn the
mob bodily. Tho sheriff
left tho jail about noon without leavi:-
ing any guard, and went into the
country to serve some papers. THE
mob took I'ibbets in, wagon across
the river, bridge, put rope. around
his neck, fastened it over = tree and
gave him an opportunity to speak.
He said "My horses were poisoned
by Thomas Page. Had | desired to
kill him, l should have done it then.
| car, lproya;I was not ncarlhere that
day. | krow nothing about it. Ny,
wife knew nothing about II, and / am
innocent Some one from the crowd
asked him if it was his brotheriJo-
scph thai killed Page; lie answered,
ssSince then Joe has told me that he
meant TO kill Page aud did so.'' He
was asked why he did not testify SO
on trial. He answered, "BecAuse he
was my brother.', sstli' Ia sIs.a
Theyitied his hands behind him !;
he knelt, down and prayed about
three minutes. When he rose up
they asked him what he.wanted done
with his body. He rerliedy "Give it
to my wife, He then said sGentle-
men, ! die with clear conscience.
/ am innocent" Some ono then
called to the crowd, care you satisfied
to hang himg The crowd shouted,
"NopP but those in the wagon drove
suddenly away and loft him dangling
in tho air.. Efforts were mado to cut
him down, but all such efforts wei G, 8
in vain. The mob kept all away I'M
til lie was dead. d % Nigil ;l.rt ~
Great excitement prevailed Some
Of the most influential and prominent
men in the south part OF the county
are the leaders i'll it. It was difficult
TO get the exact language used BY
Tibbets, on account ofthe great ex-
element and confusion, but the, fore
going is substantially correct. 4 @
.i --- % ~ ~ III III III
III "A resolution in favor teaching the
metric system Of weights and meas
ures in all public schools and acade-
mics was adopted in the New York
C1aAn Toaohnsa AnnnA;n4sA.>.- - Z