Wilmington journal., 1873-07-11
KU-KLUx IN INDIANA.
LYNCH LAW IN THE LAND OF
LOYALTY.

LOYALTY.
A MURDERER HUNG BY A MASKED
MOB.
Within the last four years, at least
twelve persons have been hanged by
vigilants in Southern Indiana. Deloss
Heffren, who was lynched at Salem on
the 2Sth ult., being the latest victim.
Perhaps others have shared this fate of
whom no public mention has been
made. Six members of the notorious
Reno gang of express robbers were
hanged by a vigilance committee less
than four years ago. Two years stree
three negroes were lynched in Clerke
county for numbering the Park family,
and in October, 1870, two burglars,
named Pickett and Tougatt, were
seized by a mob in Orange county,
while on their way to Jail and sum-
marily executed. Speaking of these
numerous lynchings the Indianapolis
Journal says
"Of course, all good citizens must
deprecate and condemn mobs and vio-
lence under any circumstances, but
the cause of these outbreaks is Obvious
enough. The administration of law in
certain portions of southern Indiana
has become SO loose, not to say corrupt,
that men in sheer desperation have
taken the law iii their own hands,
Crime had become SO bold and ram
pant in that section, and the courts
seemed SO powerless or unwilling to
protect life and property, that men
were compelled in self-defense to or
ganize sort of vigilance committee
committee in the counties of Brown,
Jackson, Orange, Washington and
Clarke, which during the last few years,
has done some bloody work. Mob law
law is terrible thing, and the perpe-
traitors of this act should, if possible,
be ferreted out and punished. Yet
when bad men succeed by a system of
terrorism or corruption in preventing
the execution of the laws and defying
justice, it is hard to say that society
shall quietly submit to their depreda-
tions and make no efforts to defend
itself againsS scoundrels who snap
their fingers at the law. This very
man Heffren committed an atrocious
murder few years since, and was
| acquitted by local jury, in the face
of overwhelming evidence of his guilt.
The jury not only acquitted him, hut
at the close of the trial bore him on
their shoulders to the nearest drinking
saloon and drank to the health of the
escaped murderer. And it s well
known that not only juries but judges
have proved the fast friends of crimi-
nails in some of the counties above
named. Such things are hard to bear,
! and come as near furnishing iustifi-
| cation for mob violence as anything
possibly could. AS near, we say, fo1
after all there is no justification for @
violation of law"
| lFrom the Couricr-Journal, June SOL
The Vigilance Committee of South.
| ern Indiana perpetrated another ter
rible and bloody crime yesterday
morning. On the Goth of this montl
Delos Heffren, of Salem, Washington
county, Indiana, thirty-five miles from
New Albany. shot and killed John De
Halstead. The full particulars of the
tragedy were given in the Courier.
JQurnai of Friday. Since the murder
there has been much excitement il
Washington county, and those who
knew best the feeling out there pre-
dicted the bloody sequel.
Early yesterday morning a dispatcl
was received in New Albany stating
that Heffren had been taken from the
jail in Salem at = o'clock this morning
and hung by mob. This news ere
ated the widest excitement through
out the entire city, for Heffren is vel
known there, personally and by repu
tation, and his last murder has beel
the chief topic of conversation for the
past ten days
1t is stated that one night last weel
a party of thirty or forty horseme1
rode into thu town of Salem, and. aftel
viewing the surroundings of the Jail
silently took their departure. At the
preliminary examination of Heffren
last Thursday, the motion for a chang,
of venue, although made, was not in
sisted upon, and the result was that :
feeling prevailed in the county tha
if Het1ren was tried there, he woull
be acquitted, as he was on similar
charge before. Then it was. tha
public opinion became set that Heffrel
would be taken from the jail and hung
SO when the news reached New AL
bany yesterday morning that Heffre1
| had been liunC, though the peopl,
were startled at the horrible tragedy
they veFe not surprised.
Iilere was a circus in Salem Satur
day night, and large crowd of peo
pie from the surrounding country wa.
i'll attendance. After the oirons wa:
over Knots of men were to be seeI
standing on the street, talking in low
tones. Iii a short time they dispersed
and the town was left quiet, and bore
the usual deserted look, only a few
struggling citizens being out.
AT about half-past one o'clock Il body
of masked men rode quietly into the
town and Immediately threw out senti
nels and took into custody all persons
who were out on the streets. The
! captain of the gang was powerfully
! built man, dressed in common country
clothing. and issued his orders in :
. low but firm tome, distinctly heard by
the citizens who We're held prisoners.
After the invaders had made. them
selves safe from any outside interrupt
ton, they surrounded the Jail. Deputy
Sherif Craycraft was aroused and 9
| demand was made IpOn him for the
keys of the prison. He refused to give
up the keys, positively and determin-
edly, or to tell where he had secreted
them, and was Immediately seized and
confined Ill one of the rooms of the iail
residence. The vigilants then con.
nnenced close but rapid search for the
keys; but after hunting for about ten
minutes without success, they gave il
up, and set about other means to force
an entrance into the Jail
To accomplish a forcible entrance
they had brought with them large
sledge- hammer, with which they com
menced to hammer down the doors.
The work of demolishing the doors
consumed over an hour. The heavy
| blows of the ponderous sledge- ham
iaef, welded by the powerful arms of
the regulators. resounded through the
town, and doubtless each blow fell lis
If upon the heart of the doomed man,
who waited in his cell like a Gagged
tiger for the avenger of blood. At last
>Ae Aqlt3 tat held the last door were
beateD off and je3Ox u aftrep ctnoI J,o