, 1879-07-19

A Court Convened Under & Tree, Judge
Lynch Presiding.
Prisoners Found Guilty, and Shot to
Death Promptly.

sec the high degree Of cul ltlvatton which has
bccu built up In this region, tho tales ol hafd@
salp md scmf-barbrbarism Whtch a3e
told by the old ponacra soupo more
like tho mythical legends of ethe easf
Spants buccaneers than tho actual oceur5snees
OF cvorrtlay life only forty yeara nEo' bn. lofty
ysnra In tho life OF Western society co1nprhcs its
inception as we'll as the full Development ol 11s
wonderful accomp plshmnut, and where now afe
thriving cities md we'l-ordercd socsety, tncn
wcrc but the virgin soil and few adventurous
pioneers, who had just began to open INC way
for the mighty tide Of immigration which has
since swopt over the West.
Wbtlo most Of the early settlers Hcro men who
camc here With an honest purpose to build up
for themselves home, there also came large
portion Of the criminal classcs, who came TO
cscape Tic penalty Of tho 1aw which was press
til, them In the older md murc settled COM
mtinlttcB.
Rock River Valley Was not exempt from this
latter Glass; aud about tic year 1911 their ope-
rations became 30 bold that tho regular process
Of law vas not sufficient to protect honest men
from their Jcprcdhtions.- In fact, so we'll or
raalxcd had the tandltti become that the courts
were often controlled aud governed BY their
sacn,e. This condition Of nfTnirs induced tho
eett'c17 " " 'ss"'@s '"t ~ -
perhaps tne NUS e1eeas,,o NV, otsan'z44oi =. .'o
klud ever ATTEMPTED III 4s''no's was oFeanl@eo 10
Oclc County tn ISL
Along Hock Aater the oatfages eommaEted
upon property and person became 60 numcr;
ous-property was stolen and men murdered
TINT tho whole community WAS under reign Of
terror, which intsnidated the officers IN tho exc.
cution Of tho 1nws. This state Of affairs en-
coafaeeo STU ;oo'ocF nesaon on t"c part
Of tho .oatn"s' nns'! Inc cN'sens
were loscea 70 COMBINE 1or he'r
own protection ma 10 rlo inc country o.
inc oahaltt'. IN hpf1a. 4o4i' le" oetettnhoo
mon lnet ana or9an'zeo u society 1of 'ne paF-
pose oil ftudtng the country Of the criminals who
infested II, even II 1t was necessary to take the
law Into their own hands ia accomplisb
thts n,,rnoac. 1bo me,nbcr,bin of tbIs sorictv
.a's pu'poss Ane ~ s.s',l,. si. s ps -" ~
eoon increased 20 aS 10 lneluuo nearIy I'll TUG
nuaess e.e']ens' ,..-..--
lhe'F n'st opc'at'ona "e1o eouuoea 10 nottJ'
tne & some ol tae mora prominent OF tac oan-
u'''. " tea"o u'o sou"t's' a1'e, II. s"1s VI IT.
'asa', to 'Htet tono sescfe Aaeehaaone.
~ uhu carry pa't " ule spfn's VI io4A 'aseo
numpee y! nolec'tu.escs "cfc eao'urca ano
lougeo ~ ING Ja1' a. o1eGon 1os t9'at az tne en-.
suing term OF u,c Circuit Court. a now Court
House had hcan built, md uas to
bQ fC0uF 1Of tho 0CCCmmOdnDOu M thR
Court Int IN TIN nirht nrcceafnr
s "s hA' possa"
Tue opening u ue session u "as SCI OIL nle ana
destroyed. Tic undouesoa object OF the In
liz nrisoncrn wero to bo trfcd. aud n,rhans In
tbo en,,f,.,on - A.. H.. .,,a;aoi, !, -.sasat,,s
~ VAC |''Aas'o' " .'o NV suseeeo ~ te.eas.u6
them anu sp'rtt'nK them away. Luckily, tho
11ouse mi, thr rromntness of tha ritfxnna nrc.
-.o,,.o, .,. ,o,,,or, ,,ot.1 o.oo,.
'en'eo .ne e.n.'Ap Ap'atsu sssape'
20 ooa haa lac eanuNt. oeeonao mat Judge
c,os,ur tho session Of the court. took occasion
to s,.,, ~~'~3'oAA
- 10y. o,.
obliged % fGF sp9f y' es 'Ssssa e aea ~ ts PC
despcraa9ss E dare to in1ure them while nm
eone, VIII come BACK, call my neighbors to-
Gener, and 1o!low ttltm until ! hafs oyortaEen
zen; in,,s when tho hrst tFes shall be Their Gal'
These circumstances mudc tho wnr between
tAe two classes of community moro bitter. and
cycry pups,,mont Indicted py ihc rern,ators vs..
mn, hs snno no, I m ~ ,, ' s.,.M pn pne
moss Of contemplated wholesale murder On the
part of tic baul[ttI were circulated, In which It
WA allcre,l tint I'll ,tf,e mcmhcta ~ Yhe rcnr.
,s,or, wsrc tn In r,,cn. mi m sur,,o, % tto
H. ~ s os ht &c c aa.se"t ~, q.
," ~ Ta7 h sly. !" uss W t"o
i. u ,", .n,so ,rass,n ~ 4'n s .;
nmnnv III .o;taa.s ~ re Geatsst M cteetneut
~" cor,sr n,,a nu @ " was 70 PHI
n%t tu, ~ Wy H. ~ Wtn
NJ tbc iaw Il ~ s'I ,ho 1% Monna n Hssh ugess
1ands nf mcm frnn, u 'i9nuaY nr"nn 'oioMG % S1etSa
"S e, t" ~ ss q to seeao ot te Hr
cnvsrv f III. m,,,r!c1dat. t'e' ri pams ,or Inc as
inr. noted th;ef by IT, no;nn ~ II b samS nt0'; mosn
wa srrested Dy tt shorI Of or1e Spa1 Gnn.n s,