The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-12-25
LYNCH LAW.
Particulars OF the Hanging of Charles
Howard by Mob at Des moihes'
|

Howard by a Mob at Des Moines,
Iowa.
fFrom the Des Moines Re yister.l
Mr. Wise saws that at balf-past two
o'clock he was awakened by knock at
the door of his bedroom, in the base
ment of the Jail. He answered the
knock, supposing it was policeman
with a prisoner. As he opened the
door, large man, masked, drew q
hatchet upon him. Mr.. Wise caught
him by the throat, but back OF the
vigilant was large crowd OF ten or
fifteen confederates, who bore down
upon him, pressing him back into the
room, when he was thrown upon the
floor, and tied hand and foot. A large
man was left to guard him, which he did
with his knee on Wises breast and
cooked revolver at his head.
They took his keys from him. Not
word was said by any of them during
their encounter with him.
They took the keys, and went directly
to the cell where Howard was and where
he was in bed with his wife. They
knew all too well what was coming, for
the mob has its awful forewarning In
its mere murmur, as the earthquake has
it's awful, terrifying warning in its
faintest rumble. Breaking into the
room they surged up to the bed amid
the frantic and agonizing yells OF his
wife. AS they laid hands upon their
victim, his wife threw her body directly
across his breast and neck, evidently
thinking they meant to kill him there
with powder or blade. She chung to
him so desperately, INTERVIEWING her
self about him with such superhuman
strength that the vigilants could hard.
ly unloosen her grip and reach the man.
And it was not till Howard himself
iron erved and dauntless TO the terri
BILE last-took hold of her arms and
with his gigantic strength pushed hel
back that she released her frenzied
grip. He did this with the ejaculation
"Let me loose, and will go Will
them, if l must" The rope was ther
put about his neck, and he was dragged
out of the bed and across the floor out
of the door-his wife following hin
with tb: most agonizing screams Of
which the human voice, in its dires
agony, is capable-screams which, SEQ
field and Walker and the guards say
will never die from their memories, sc
full of terror and supplication were
they. The door was slammed to az
they went, and the woman was left
alone in the palpable darkness, with nc
companion but the grisly horror which
is worse than death.
As he came out of the outer Jail door
five or six men had hold OF the rope,
and he trotted along after them, clao
only in a short undershirt, holding hi:
two hands in front, grasped upon the
rope. He trotted ny the middle stairs
the route taken, and when at tn,
head of the steps more men grabbed
hold of the rope. which jerked hin
down upon the floor. He was not giver
time to rise up, but was dragged along
through the hall, down the front steps
and along the serpentine walk, as rap
pidly as twenty strong men could draw
him. Mr.. Quincy says he saw him al
he was going up the middle stairs, ant
that he had not up to that time spoken
word that he or any of the rest ha(
heard, and he was then turning blacl
or purple in the face. The guards also
say they heard nothing from him aftel
he left the courtroom, but the boys il
the postoffice, who were awakened by
the firing which was commenced al
around the courthouse about this time
say they never heard such awful, terri
BILE, startling, agonized yells, -nearl,
a dozen shrill, piercing, unearthly
screams in quick succession.
OF the rest of the work little is
known. All that was known that We
could print, in the short time we had
was the dangling body of Howard
swinging with his face next the re
morseless iron of the lamp-post, hi,
form nearly naked, his legs all drag
gled, and begrimed, and bruised, and
bleeding, and apparently six or eight
bullet-holes in his feet and the lower
part of his legs. He was hung with {
half-inch hemp rope, thrown up Over
the two iron arms just below the gas
lamp, put around his neck double, with
the knot under his right ear, and the
two ends of the rope tied, one to the
front of the hitching. frame, back Of
him, thu other to the top of the iron
fapca