Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1874-12-25
The Des Moines Murder.


O'clock he was awakened by a knock
at the door of his bedroom, in the
basement of the Jail. He answered
the knock, supposing it was police
man with a prisoner. AS he opened
the door, a large man, masked, drew
a Ratchet upon him. Mr.. Wise caught
him by the throat, but back Of the
vigilant was a large crowd of ten or
fifteen contederates, 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 thigh ON
Wise's 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.
This is all he knows about it-as he
was not released until all was over,
and the Jail guard came and unloosed
him.
Mr.. Walker and Mr.. Quincy, two
of the guards, were in the Auditor
office, when they heard a rush of feet
in the middle hall. Going out, six
or eight men, masked or blackencd,
were in the hall, while the door and
doorway were full, and apparently no
end to the line of men stretching four
deep, away down into the yard. Mr..
Walker says everything moved along
smoothly, not Il word being spoken
by any of the vigilants, different men
being assigned to different work.
They knew the whole situation, and
had apparently assigned certain men
to take charge of the jailor and each
of the suards-for there was no con-
fusion, and every one seemed to do
Just what had been allotted him.
They allowed Mr.. Walker to pass
down the middle stairway into the
basement, where they followed him,
and made him behave himself under
cover of a battery Of rcvolvers. The
same course was followed in regard
to Deputy Sheriff Scofield and all of
the five guards. Mr.. Quincy says
they took the keys and went directly
to the cell where Howard was, and
where he was in bed with his wife.
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 vie
tim, his wife threw her body directly
across his breast and neck, evidently
thinking they intended to kill him
there with powder or blade. She
clung to him so desperately, inter
twining herself about him with such
superhuman strength, that the vigi
lants could hardly unloosen her grip
and reach the man. And it was no,
until Howard himselt-iron-nerved
/ to the terrible last-took hold Of hen
arms, and with his giant strength
pushed her back, that she released
her frenzied grip. He did this with
the ejaculation: ''Let me loose, and
will 90 with them if | must
The rope was then put about his
neck and he was dragged out of the
bed, and across the floor out of the
door-his wife following him with
the most agonizing screams Of which
the human voice in its dircst agony
is capable-scrcams which Scoiield
and Walker and the guards say, will
never die from their mcmories-so
full of terror and supplication were
they The door was slammed to as
they went, and the woman left alone
in the palpable darkness, with nc
companion but the grizzly horror
which is worse than death. AS he
came ont Of the outer Jail door, five
or six men had hold of the rope, and
he trotted along after them, clad only
in short undcrshirt, holding his two
hands in front grasped upon the rope,
He trotted up the middle stairs-the
route taken-and when at the head
of the steps, more men grabbed hold
of the rope, which jerked him down
on the floor. He was not given time
to rise up, but was dragged along the
hall, down the front steps, and along
the serpentine walk, as rapidly as
twenty strong men could draw him.
Mr.. Quincy saw him as he was going
up the middle stairs, and that he had
not up to that time spoken a word
that he or any of the rest had heard,
and he was then turning black or
purple in the face. The guards also
say they heard nothing from him
after he left the Court Room, but the
boys in the Postoflice, who were
awakened by the firing which was
commenced all around the Court
House yard about this time, say that
they never heard such awful, terrible,
startling, agonized yells-nearly Il
dozen shrill, piercing, and unearthly
screams in quick succession.
OF the rest Of the work little is
known. All that was known thatwe
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 iamp-post, his
form nearly naked, his legs all drag
gled and begrimcd 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
a halfinch 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, the other to the
top of the iron fence. His face was
not much distorted, although his
tongue, black and bloody, protrlided
from hia mouth, through his teeth,
looking very like . ghastly, sickenlng
lump of chewcd and mangled raw
liver His eyes were not protruded
hardly at all, nor was there upon his
face or in his countcnance hardly an
appearance of pain, saying nothing
Of agony.
The lamp was not iighiel during
the hanging. The Vigilantcs had a
few lanterns with them. But it is
said by those who saw the execution
Cd Il II I I II.