The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1879-06-09
LYNCHING In CALIFORNIA.
SHOOTING AND 1FTERWIRD HANGIN0
THE YO1KUM BROTHERS.
VigiIantes Making their ThIrd Descent Upon
Bnkersnrid sanguinnry aud Terrible -
Forcing the JAN Doors nt - o'clock \. VI.


After the inquest into tho cause Of tho
death Of William Yonkum and Thomas Yoa-
KUN. Killed in the Kern County Jail ut Bakers
field by a mnskcd mob on tho morning Of Wed
nosiluy last the bodies were plnccd in metallic
conins and put aboard the Los Angeles train at
l0' oclo or Thursday night The remains
lrothcr-in-lnw Of the victims of the lynchers.
Tn" burial WIS in the family burial plot in tho
Willum Ymkum went to Kern County in
1904 In 1872 he was deputy sheriff 81 tho
county Ile located a trnct of land that included
the rnurc town Of Bakersfield. and he antaEon-
ia"i nearly the whole oi That community hy
suit To obtain tho possession OF IT, which suit
WIS decided in his favor in the Court below.
hut the decision WIS subsequently reversed 10y
tn" SUPP me G lurt Notwithstanding that this
ilnrl decision was rendered some years since,
his friends claim thut the luminosity tn" SUIT
N'trd WIS never Hllayrd. AMI that he and his
brother were SHIN, not by men onrngcd that
their trial for murder had been deferred, but hy
the people r"v.nEiug themselves Tor past
fright. who used that MS u trttcNt.
Tuomns loakum did not 20 to Kern County
The particulars Of the crime for tho commits.
sion of which tho brothers were mt the time ot
their lrnth under iniictment-ihat ut waylny-
ing William johnson and Hamilton J, Tucker,
rival claimants OF the Long Tom Mine. nnd
shooting Them down from behind "A sto'kade
Will" tn"y wore quietly riding along the road,
one Tow the side oi his vii" and the other by an
other hdy-hnye already lccn told. william
| Tucker and was acquitted. I'm February fol-
| lowing lc was tried Tor the murder OF william
70
| iirst lnEr''. Ihumas was never tried tuon
nm appeal to the supreme Court from the result
| linn. that court made It's decision on the 2itn ~
| May last granting "a new trial, and ordering the
venue 81 AL tho cas's ngainst tho brothers
| changed to Fresno County.
This fatally successful effort WINS not the first
| nor tie second that had been made t. torrstall
| the law ON tho LIST Of July last there was n
| large gathering Of armed and unmnsked men.
| in broad daylight. in Bakersfield, Tor the OPENLY
| nnnoun ed purpose Of hanging the prisoners.
| Tho publicity OF the movement put the peace
! officers on their guard. and for that time de-
| fated its object. though the sheriff had even
| then 10 delegate H. Hrshfeld and others 10 rca-
| son with the vigilantrs. ana with all their per
| sun son 1t was midnight before the threatening
assembly dispersed and temporary immunity
There was another portentous gathering
| making similar declarations, on the 18Th OF the
| sam" month. but TINT, too, WAS nppcased.
| On Tuesday last Bakersfield was preternat-
| urally quiet. At o'clock OF Wednes lay morn
| ing. in answer 10 n rap on the Jail door. Deputy
| sheriff aud JAller Reed unlocked II. and care
J fully opened Il II few inches, lust sufficient to
peer out, He instantly slammed the door
locks for that one swift look disclosed
! To- him the wide hall OF tho Kern County
| luts men. Tho man who had knocked. not
| yet realizing that the artice had been detected,
! shouted that he wanted 90 see Orms6y as Orms-
| ny's wife had been suddenly taken dangerously
! I'LL. The reply Was that Ormsby went cut II
the Jail al O'Clock. Then. throwing of all dis
| guisc. Immediate udlittnnce was imprt lousy
| demanded 10y tho crowd. This was refused
| The Bakersfield Court House is ON swampy
! ground and the first floor on which the jail Is
| situated is SO elevated that the hallway is
! rcnchcd from tho street 10y u short flight of
! stairs. The hall Is covered with cocoa mating.
! which had enabled the sixty or seventy men of
the vlgilantcs To- mass themselves in i without
| their footsteps having been heard. The door
| from the hallway into the Jail WIS not an I'M
usually strong one and when Reed had posi-
/ lively refused TO open II. the crowd outside
quietly compressed themselves against it, and
| at the second effort carried away the whole
inner grating with the bolt sockets and
| poured in.
Reed had seated himself on n table TO await
| results, and as soon as the vgilantes got in tho
forward man swiftly advanced TO HIM and
! gun To his breast. ordered perfect iuiescence
| and delivery Of the cell keys. This latter Reed
refused. Deputy Sheriff Coons. who had been
| sleeping in u room leading on the first one in
| which Reed was. being aroused by the noise.
| now appeared NJ the door and was Immediately
masked leaders then said that they had come
Tor the loakum boys ana ordered MN 70 pro-
nccis we're then forced into a cell fitted as a
| sleeping room aud locked in.
Tho kcys. wore quickly found and the crowd
, hust"ncl first To William 1oNkum. The pris-
oners were confined in adjoining iron tank
| cells. not reaching 10 the ceiling % the room.
| aud with an open grating AZ the top. Thomas
was not ironcl. hut on Williams legs were
chains large enough 10 weight down nm ele-
plant. Whom his cell door was opened rs many
Of the crowd rs could pushed IN and shot him
with guns and reviewers until he Tell. ~ they
supposed. dcad. Those of the crowd behind
mulles oi the weapons were close 10 MS nody.
and the anchored and hopeless man. in striking
away the barrels Of the merciless firearms
wounded several ot the assaiants. The leader
| thus had one OF his arms so terribly shattered
that on Thursday u had 10 be ampu,ated.
| man. whose name las not yet been dlsclt sed
was -o badly wounded that when the yigllantes
finally retired he had to be borne away on d
| shutter.
Believing William Yoakum TO be dead the
| men next went 10 the cell OF Thomas Open ms
the door they rushed in. seized him. maze d
| al naNu hal III
rope. Of which they had brought an abundance
round his neck passed the other endup through
| the grating on top OF the cell TO others who hat
climbed there. and IL being then dropped ovei
the side OF the cell, they hoisted the poor wretcl
utes they lowered him and babe him confes,
that he and his brother committed the murders
for which they were indicted. But though five
different times they repeated this hail hang ing
every time the victim was lowered he agait
rcsolutely reiterated his entire innocence.
But William had not been killed. COminG
again to his senses, seeing through his opeI
cell door the masked men swarming In the cor
ridors, listening to their demands for comics
sion. and to his brothers. denials and pcadingi
, for trial. and feeling himself shot 10 his death
, he made one effort to save the lie Of BIZ
here. and VIII yen you al, Tom is innocent
, ! alone am guilty. did all the shooting
, Then the crowd rushed in again on him. an,
again fired another murderous yolley OF mis-
, ceaneous missiles into him. He was dcaC
} then indeed. but TO make sure work OF II THU
time the loop Of another rope was passed roun,
? his neck. and he was hauled up rs his brothe
/ had been. The united weight Of himself an,
, his heavy chains snapped the cord. and an
: other ono being procured he was RgaiI
, hanged, and left hnnging 10y making the othe
end Of the rope fast TO the hinge OF his eel
= door. Hopeless Of making Thomas confess
they then hanged him finally In q similar way
Five OF the crowd were unmasked, and thei
: bloody work having been completed the door o
7 | the cell in which the iaiers had been cOntine,
| was unlocked. They we're sternly thteatene
I | that il they ever disclosed the name OF any par
s | ticiuant IL would be their turn next.
An unwontod Hight in the Court House hn
I | attracted the attention OF Sheriff Bowers. 4
T. | he stepped inside the entrance he was immedi
| Htcy covered by the guns Of men who had bee
u | left on watch. and held a helpless prisoner
q The officers, Of course. disobeyed the partin
q | iniunctions, and instantly cut down the mcI
@ The neck OF neither had been broken. Thoma
70 WIS strangled 10 death. and William WAS dea
. before he was hanged.
> II is openly said that no officer will be pei
mitted to arrest any one Tor participation in th
Il lynching, and That II any one should be impris
70 Oncd therefor the Jail Will be broken open an
e the prisoners released.
= Murder Confessed.
u Frout he Gahlesrie NiafhfoL
4 mysterious crime has been brought 10 ligl
y In the ncighhuri ODD OF GAINESVILLE Ahuuttw
man named Mutaco uystcrouslY di,HpIeHrc
n tins ula and his family could never obtain an
o Information about him. Ahuut month ago one Jam
. gang tor pcut larceny stated to Harrison Martin, viii
truu Up ud mn T. ven mi