Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1871-12-02
Ku.kiux Lfnching In Iudiana.

Last night, about o clock, band OF
men in disguise, numbering between TT
/ " and seventy five, entered - .rleston,
county seat OF Clark County, Indiana,
and went to the Jail where three ne
croes, named George Johnson. Squire
| Tavlor and Charles Davis. who were
charged with the brutal murder of the
/ Park family. near Hcnryyille. ON Satur-
. day night last, were confined, and en-
tered the iail Tor the purpose Of rcmov-
inc them. They demanded tie KEYS Of
| Sheriff Baxter. who refused 70 givethem
up. They threatened him, and in ysri-
Gus WAYS tried TO force him TO give up
the KEYS. but he refused TO the last.
They then broke down the doors. Sc
cured the victims. and took them abou;
two miles from town, on the Nov Mar
kct Road. aud there hung them IN tie
most horrible and unmcrciIul manner.
/ From the appearance Of the victims
and surroundings ii was evident that )a-
. Wis had been hung first, in the presence
of the others, for the purpose OF making
/ them confess their guilt. \ fire had
been kinded. and Taylor had been ter
riblv tortured, his ri"ht hand was burn
ed to crisp. and his back had been
, tcartuIlv burned. and then he WAS hung,
SO that his feet touched the roots of the
tree. IN fact he WAS not hung. but WAS
merely chokcd to death. The rope was
fastened around the trunk OF the tree
below the lowest Branches. Ills neck
was not broken, aud he died from tor
,urc and Straugulaiion
Johnson was hung 10 n limb of the
same tree and he Was the only one whose
neck appeared To he broken. None OF
the Victims faces were covered, and
they presented honid spectacle Tay-
,or, when found this morning, was with
ont clothing.
The men who did the hanging were
completely disguised They each wore
A white hat, with visor over the iacr,
and they were dressed in old soldiers
Elouscs. coats, DC They were IN ihc
iail an hour before they succeeded IN
getting the poor negroes out. When
/ they came into tine town, whencyerthey
saw any one watching them. they thrca-
/ tened to shoot il an alarm WAS raisei.?nd
a Guard was placed over each person
/ who was ioani on the streets and each
| house where any one WIS found looking
| out. The correspondent # the Louis
/ Vile Couricr-Jourull, who Was on the
/ q,n rirs Cor IN item, was arrested by
/ them and held until the work WAS done.
J I 1 In nf -
| keeping nj a safe distance, aud witness
/ cd the whole affair, but was too far away
too see or hear all that was going on.
The bodies were cut down and taken
to Charleston in a wagon, where they
remained and were gaAcd upon by
men. women and children. The feeling
in the vicinity is intense, The greatest
excitement prevails, and ~ iar as il is
known here it is the only theme of con
ycrsa,ion.
Good people everywhere dcpIorc the
hanging OF the negroes i'm the first
place it is regarded as doubtful whether
they were guilty of the murder of tho
Park family. and il they were guilty II
is believed they were only the accom-.
pliccs or tools Of others who were mora
guilty than they The opinion is freely
expressed that the negroes were hurg
bv parties who knew a. much about The
murder a. the negroes, and that tie
hanging was done to hide the blood on
their own hands The Grand Jury has
! been in session three or four days, and
had heard all the testimony against the
negroes, and yet they were unable 10
find n true bill against them some be
licycd the negroes were al guilty and
deserved their fate, bgt they hoped tho
law would take it, course, and possibly
the investigation would lead 10 other
facts. and other parties would have been
found to have been implicated. As III"
matter stands, :he whole affair is great
mystery, and the death Of III" three G".
grocs cuts OF what was considered the
best clue 10 the guilty parties.
There secms to have been n terrible
/ feud between certain families in Mr..
/ Park : neighborhood in which The Clcg-,
/ Parks, Pralls, Kinks, and others, were
mixed up, and it is asserted that written
threats had been made against Mr. Park
and one or two others; and there il
belief among some that the murder was
: done By Mr Parks enemies ia this feud,
or instigatcd by them. II IS thought
( possible that the necrocs WHO have been
50 sulnnariy dealt with may have done
. the bloody wo.k at 'hc mitigation Of
others But, # course, no one il meant.
From t1c feeling to-day, Il isnot,iA.-
. ly the investigation will stay there.
Saratoga girls organized an anti i-kiss-
ing society, recently, the rules Of tho
society imposing a tine Of 81 for every
kiss bestowed dpon the masculine gen
der At the enI Of The first week some
/ of those girls were actually indebted to
the society in sums ranging from 81 10
225. The association was disbanded.
a clergyman at Council Bluff, Iowa,
( has made new departure IN the matter
Of 'hitching up folks He has swept
away the old rules Of marrying for fee,
and announces that be shall hereafter
marty by weight, charging four cents
per pound for the happy man and two
cents for the BRIDE The idea is q nov
el one.
4 st. Louis lawyer attempted TO try
a case the other day, while he was half
d-rtpk bt,t tha TuH,,o o.c,,ai kiun kv