The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1875-09-30
Uhe 2utlaad daily Glohs.
THURSDAY. SEPTEMBER 80. 1878.
The Lynchingof schell-A Midnight
Hanging in the Yard Of an Ohio
Court House.

COLUMBUS, ONO, September rs.
Miss Allie Laugblin, the daughter of a
highly respected and well-to-do farmer of
Logan county, in this state, met her death
In horrible manner the other day at the
hands of James w. Schell, tenant on
Mr.. Lsughlin's farm. When the people
of Bellefontaine became acquainted with
| all the details of the crime their indlgna-
ton scarcely knew bounds and soon after
Schells Judgment in Jail on Thursday night
| 1t became evident that he would be dang
ling between heaven and earth before sun
| rise the next day. Yesterday the sturdy
| farmers began to assemble in Bellefontaine,
and at 6 o'clock p. M, the town was full
of persons greatly excited, and groups
stood around the streets conversing quietly.
| There was no brag, no bluster and no
whisky. f5ae ei 10.
| The 10 o'clock train from the south
brought about one hundred men from
along the road. About II o'clock the most
active participants went to brick kiln ia
| the outskirts of the town and organized in
| four companies of about twenty-five men
| each. The companies and the men were
all numbered. Fer masks they had hand
| kerchiefs tied across the lower half OF their
| faces, and some had their coats turned in
| side out and their hats slouched over their
eyes. Company One carried an iron rail
| taken from some switch, and the process
sion marched through the principal streets
of the town to the court house, turned
down the street Immediately south of it.,
and SO round in front OF the Jail, which is
in the rear of the court house.
GATHERING DOWN THE JAIL DOORS.
Here they came TO a bault, and man
who acted as leader stepped up to the jail
door, knocked at it, and called ''Mr. Sher-
| iff' in O loud voice three times. No an
swer being ELECTED, he turned round to the
quietly watching crowd and said, "Com-
| pany One, do your duty" Company One
advanced, carrying the rail. In quick sue
cession they delivered q series of battering-
ram blows which no doors could long with
stand, and soon forced it from its hinges
| With cold chisels and sledgc hammers they
hewed path to the cell where the doomed
man lay. W Rf9i.lA o. 9soI
In about twenty-five minutes from the
time when they had burst in the outer door
the leader appeared at the entrance and an
nounced to the expectant crowd, ".we've
got bin, and will bring him out and make
him confess this and other crimes" This
announcement was received by the popu-
lace with stern demonstrations of approval,
and after moments delay the committee
appeared, with their prisoner. Emerging
from the jail, they took up their line Of
| march around the court house. Proceed
| ing to the south corner of the fence, they
reached large tree whose boughs stretched
| Il. 1,.,,. ,x:x
attached, was produced, and the moose put
around Schell's neck. A dey goods box
was pushed forward, and on this imprOmptu
| scaffold Schell took his stand for his last
| ten minutes of life. AS he stood there,
| facing his executioners, with the Pickering
| light of u kerosene lamp playing over his
features, his bearing was singuiarly stolid
| and impressive. M ..rt t+,
He was not a bad looking man, with hs
| dark hair and black iroustache and beard.
I He YEAS dressed in aloose, dark sack coat,
asiistcoat, and black plush cap turned up
nj TIE edges. lie was of medium hight,
! iti alr0mpact, sirnngly-kni frame.
an lNyIrATIds To CONFESS,
| Som, d. position was manifested to sum-
! maj (, Inh TIN up at once, but calnler
euup..'ls Itev'iIed, and his seif-constltut,
| p,dno,, snf ,nlng, hin that he had but II
| few inoment- 10 live, invited him to inc
| pluvc Tie time by making confession of
lis crime, Or rather crimes, for there was
more than one count in Judge Lynch's in
dictment Thus urged he opened his lips,
but only to reiterate his denial of the
charges, and accusing his wife with the
commission of the murder, alleging that be
had once bought pound of candy fol-
Miss Laughlin, and that his wife had been
| Jealous ever since. He was then asked
about the murder of Mr.4Torrence. and
denied all completely in his disappearance.
The questioning then became general.
! On being asked again to confess, he replied,
'do you suppose I'd do such thing MIR.
Laughin was my best friend"
Only four minutes of his time remained,
and he was asked what disposition was IA
be made of his body. II should like to be
buried by the side of my little boy" said
he write to my folks in Canada about
this On some one'sobjecting that be die
not wish to let them know, he replied, EN-
phatically, eyes, I do" He spoke in q
! low, monotonous voice, without the shade
of a tremor Permission was extended t6
him to pray. In the same monotone h(
said II hope the Lord will have mercy
on me and on all of you"
| SthElL , DEAIHs
Ten minutes had now elapsed, and thu
leader, detailing four men whom he desig-
mated by numbers. cried, ''push away the
box!" At the word the box WAS knocked
away and Schell was suspended in the air
with his feet about two feet from thu
ground. His body swung back and forth
like pendulum, with the vlbratory motor
Communicated to it by the box in being
removed. His neck was probably broken
as his head was jerked back 30 that the fac'
lay horizontal. su trsq .. .i' si
After hanging about eight minutes some
one in the crowd. either through sympa
b thctic nervousness OF from secret friend
ship for Schell, cried ''cut him down !
The leader jumped on the box and said il
stern aud convincing tones: III any maj
makes his appearance to cut him down
I'll put five balls through that man" an,
pointed and emphaized his remark with
revolver. After Schell had hung abou
fifteen minutes a physician pronouncet
him dead, upon which the leader, turning
to the people SAID, ''citizens, We have me
and done justice now let us dispers
peaceably to our homes" On this Their
was a general cry Of ''home homer AM
in short time all OF the actors in this mid
night tragedy of one act had started TO
their rural homes, leaving their victim
| ba,,ntper t,, tba court house fraa The had,