The Phoenix herald., 1880-11-26

I. not being introduced to lady wh,
= was present, left the room, secured
Il shot gun and fired through the las
IS window on the alley side into
s crowd sitting around the fireplace
e and sevely wounded Lew Baily, now
e of Florence. After committing The
n decd, he started in the direction of
It Washington street and was pursued
}. by number present ut the dance
e He was captured al point where
8 now stands the mercantile establish
/ ment Of NJ. L. Peralia. A rope was
: put around his neck and he was led
e down Center street to Adams street,
2 thence out that street to the east side
of town. What was then done does
5 not appear matter Of record. but
5 his body was found next morning
/ hanging to the limb of cottonwood
: tree The result of his shot was not
known at the time he was hung, but
: it WAS thought to be more disastrous
than it turned out to be. 1t was not
the mans fault that he did not kill
several persons. He richly deserved
his punishment.
THE NExT-LYNcHING
In this town was on August %, 1879,
when two men named Keller and
McC1oskey were hung TO the Gotten
wood trees on the plaza, at about 10
o'clock in the forenoon. Tuesday
evening, August 10, Luke Mcmillan !
was foully murdered while on his !
way home, and within sight Of his |
home and family. He lived a few |
miles south west of town and about |
uiset on The evening above men
toned, while quietly driving along
the road, was shot in the back by
some one hidden in the brushes that
line the road. He fell out Of the
wagon on being shot and his team
went home empty, which caused i'm
mediate search and the wounded
man was found where lie fell. He
was taken TO his house and passsd |
away at 10 o'clock that evening, re-
manning TN conscious to the last
The officers soon tracked down and
conclusiyely proved that man
named John Keller. living on an ad-
joining farm, had committed the
deed. The particulars were all pub
lished in the HERALD at the time.
and are still fresh in the minds of
our readers. Keller was lodged in
jail to await his trial. A. J. Will
COZ son was arrested as an accom-
plice.
The following Thursday, Jesus
Romero, better known as the Il
sABER sLAsHER, a
Shot in the Jail yard while attempt n
ing to escape. Later in the same n
evening news reached town of The o
killing of Il Mexican en- the Gila, "
and the same night, Mr.. John Le- r,
Barr, well known citizen, was,
by rough character named McClos II
key. Mr.. LeBarr was carried home b
and fingered in great agony until p
next morning at 6 O'Clock, when fl
death released him from his suffer | f,
ings. The law would have been al Il
lowed to take it's course in the case
Of Keller, but this last deed was too Il
much for a peaceful community, e
and it was seen that la
PRoHPT AND DECISIVE ACTION
was needed. The town was filled | q
with rough characters, and this +,
bloody work once started, there S.
would be no telling where it would d
end The following account is re-
copied from the Phoenix HERALD a
of August %, 1879: t,
Early yesterday morning, quietly
but determiI.edly, law and order
was organized. and at 10
o'clock proceeded to the Jail and de- f
manded the keys of the cells contain il
ing the murd rers Keller and Nc
Closky. These were surrendered at
the point of the pistol. Quietly, and ii
excitement. the two men
were brought out and told their time
had come. Ropes were tied around Y
their necks and they were led forth Y
through the main street to the plaza
and there hanged to limbs of cotton II
wood trees. Keller made no further "
than simply stating that
the killing of Monihon resulted from II II
IN old grudgc that had existed be- -
-eew them. McClosky's only excuse 81
for his cold bloodcd assault on LeBar c,
was that he was drunk when he com II
messed the hanging, and who had W
been spectators at similar occurrences b.
state tiist they never witnessed
Iynching conducted in SO quiet and
orderly manner. After the execu-
ion the captain of the Committee
made a speech to those who had as
iembled there, numbering between I,
four or five hundred He stated that
lie law was too slow in this cases,
md that justice the manded OF Il . %
.ct. He also gave notice TO all rough
characters to leave town or it might OF
prove unhealty for them.
This now We believe brings the is
crd up 10 the present, when for
he first time the law will take its W
course The particulars of to-day's
business are in full at the beginning
If this article.
til
Atlantic aEd pa cIac X. r.