The Corvallis gazette. [volume] (Corvallis, Or.) 1862-1899, 1881-04-15
History or a Hack.

| luhuJ VI our IcddSIS Will ToEA0uD6
well the daring assault and robbery COM
mitted many years ago by John Ryan,
| alias Black Jack, and two other men, on
the person of Henry Fiegel, while he
was walking on the tow-path of the Wa
bash and Erie canal, near the present
site of the agricultural works. Mr.. Fie-
gel was agent for the Bloomingdale
brewery, and collected all the moneys
for that institution, which he usually
deposited in the bank. On the day of
| the time above referred to, he did not
complete his collections in time to de-
posite his money, SO he started for the
| brewery and on his way there stopped
into saloon, where he met Black Jack
Ryan, whom he treated, and related that
he was late for banking hours, and felt
| uneasy, as he had large sum of money
on his person. Mr.. Fiegel then went to
the brewery and transacted some busi-
ness, and Black Jack started to town to
secure companions to help him carry out
the hellish design that had taken pos
sion of him-that of waylaying and rob-
bing Fiegel on his way home. As Mr..
wards his home (which was north
of the French brewery along
the then lonely toe-path, until he ar
rived at the place above mentioned, he
was met by three men who stopped him,
| and one of them, whom he recognized as
Jack Ryan, said to him, 1--WE want your
money" to which demand he replied:
"Jack, this money don't belong to me.
It belongs to the brewery, and if I give
| it to you will have to pay it back out
of my own pocket, and that can't do,
as have family to support" With
out any further ceremony they knocked
| him down and relieved him of $500 and
watch and chain. AS they were about
to leave they noticed that he was recov-
ering, and one of them, turning to his
companion, said: "Dead men tell no
| tales" SO, picking up a huge stone,
struck the helpless man terrible blow,
leaving him for dead, and then returned
to the city. In the course of few
hours Mr.. Fiegel recovered sufficiently
to go back to the residence of Harry
Whitmore, to whom he related what had
occurred. Mr.. Whitmore Immediately
came to town and notified Captain Ward
and City Marshal MCGEE of the affair.
who, short time afterwards, arrested
Jack Ryan and two other men and lodged
them in Jail.
The city has been and was then infest-
ed by gang of pickpockets, highway
robbers, cut-throats and murderers, and
the people resolved to put a stop to this
high handed lawlessness in manner
that would teach others q lesson, and
fully resolved to lynch the would-be
murderers. Business was almost entire
ly suspended, and crowds of excited men
gathered on the street corners, eagerly
| discussing the state of affairs. Mr.. Fie-
gel, in the meantime, was lying very low,
and it was expected that he would not
1.-Two long, SO Mayor Randall ordered
Marshal MCGEE and Captain Ward to
take the prisoners to the injured mans
bedside, in order that he might recognize
them and establish their guilt ere his
spirit would depart from this earth.
Marshal MCGEE endeavored to get hack
to convey the prisoners to the house
whore Fiegel was, but all refused for fear
of being killed by the mob, until finally
he consulted Jack Swayne, who ordered
his men to hitch up his best team to
hack, and told his son George, the pres
ent driver of the hook and ladder
excited people, upon hearing that
the prisoners were to be taken to the
then supposed dying mans bedside,
fully decided to lynch whoever he re-
cognized as his assassins, and with that
end in view, they detailed a man to stay
in the room, and, as soon as he could, to
announce to them the result, which he
did, stating that Black Jack, and man
whose name we cannot recall at present,
were two of the guilty men, and that the
third party who was arrested, was inno-
cent. Now came the fight for life. Out
side was the crowd, which had COM
pletely surrounded the hack, and were
demanding the lives of tine guilty par
ties. The marshal and chief of police,
faithful in their charge, resolved to re-
torn the prisoner back to the Jail
unharmed, and pulling their revol-
vers, escorted the prisoner to
the hack, the door of which had scarcely
been closed when Mr.. Swayne struck the
already frightened steeds, and they
dashed through the immense crowd of
people, receiving as they went volley
Of stones, clubs and brick-bats, COM
pletely demolshing the lamps and every
window in the hack. Mr.. Swayne drove
toward the river bridge which leads to
blockaded, so turning his team down
the steep embankment he again made his
way through the crowd which had fol-
lowed closely behind. He then went by
way of the French brewery, and came to
the jail, only to find the crowd in
possession of it, and also completely
filling Water street, SO he was again
compelled to run the gauntlet, only
to be saluted by volley of
bullets and stones and pieces of
iron from the foundry, and to have one
o his horses struck with club bya man
who now resides in the west end Of town.
George then drove the parties southwest
to Mr.. Links farm, where Marshall Nc
Gee and Captain Ward escorted the pris-
ners across the prairie to the poor-house,
where George Swayne called for them la
ter in the night and conveyed them to the
jail. The city had to pay for the damage
done to the hack, and the other day
Mayor Zollinger purchased it altogether
for the purpose of conveying smallpox
patients to the pest-house. Truly, that
vehicle could tell an interesting tale
were it able to speak. It deserves to be
preserved.
Desirable Ornamental Trees
Suggestions for making attractive
homes upon the position of perhaps
only one or two trees, or upon their ap-
propriateness, often may depend much
OF the beauty of place. What an ap-
pearance of comfort and repose does q |
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