Knoxville journal. [volume] (Knoxville, Iowa) 1874-1986, 1874-12-24
Lynch.Law in Des Moines.
DIES MorxEs, Iowa, Dec.

DIES MONIES, Iowa, Dec. IS.
Monday afternoon, in the District
| Court of Des Moines, Charles Howard
/ was sentenced for life in the State Peni-
| Tertiary for the murder of John john
son. in this city, in June last. This morn
| ing at three O'Clock some 500 Vigilantes,
| with their faces blackened, surrounded
the Jail, overpowered and bound the
taller hand and foot, and took his
| KEYS, and then overpowered in
the same manner the Deputy Sheriff and
the special guard of FIVE men who had
been detailed by the Court TO guard the
prisoner. Unlocking the doors, they
| found their way to Towards cell, where
he was ia bed with his wife, the latter
being now under indictment as acces-
sorry to the murder The woman, see
| ing them coming, threw herself
over the breast and her arms
about the neck of her husband; but
| she was soon thrown of, and rope
thrown about Towards neck, when he
was Immediately jerked out of bed, six or
eight Vigilantes leading him with the
rope At the door some twenty more
took hold of the rope and he was
dragged, with no clothing on but an
undershirt, through the hall, down the
steps and out through the Court House
yard, the Jail being IN the basement
of the Courthouse, and hung to lamp
post at one of the gates. The whole
thing did not occupy fifteen minutes.
They stayed about the body about five
minutes, when they separated. The
night was very dark and they were soon
out of sight; when thepolicemen reached
the body life was extinct.
1t is supposed that the lynching was
done by three aDti-horse-thief societies
in this county, aided by unknown parties
In this city, but nothing definite has been
decided yet.
The excitement which has led to this
foul result has been growing for some
| time, several mysterious murders
| having been committed here recent
ly--seven in the space of four years.
The trial of Howard was protracted
and exciting, and the jury, being out for
nearly four days, finally compromised on
verdict of murder in the second degree
| 1t was feared Howard would be lynched
last Friday night, the jury not then hay
ing agreed and it being generally thought
they would agree to disagree. But pre-.
cautions were taken to prevent it then and
on Saturday morning the verdict was
returned. On Monday afternoon he was
sentenced, and Judge Maxwell imposed
upon him the extreme rigor of the law
| Imprisonment for life. Everybody here
in the city seemed satisfied, and the
lynching fell upon the city to its
surprise and horror. But Towards
behavior during the reading OF the
sentence, laughing in the face OF
the Judge and receiving his doom with
frmness, and his attempt to smuggle a
revolver into the courtroom for the pur-
pose, avowed afterward, OF shooting the
Judge AS he was delivering the SEN
tence; his boast that he would es-
cape from the Penitentiary before six
months and return here to kill all
who had appeared against him in the
trial, and the appeal of his case to the
Supreme Court, reached the ears of the
Vigilantes last night and the result was
as stated above.
The whole proceeding is most bitterly
| felt by the citizens here, and the perpe
| traitors are denounced in most un
measured terms. A large meeting OF
citizens passed resolution 10 this effect
this afternoon.