Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1881-02-23
LYnched,

joined in plot to kill him. The muir
der was one of peculiar atrocity, and
aroused the neighborhood to a great
pitch of excitement. Two men, Jack
Bell and Arch Jameson, the latter
colored, were believed guilty and
promptly lynched September Is. Be
fore their death they made sworn
statements, which were written down
by the mob. These statements i'm
plicated seven others, nearly all ne
groes. One of them, named James
Higgins, was taken, and after tortur
ing him by burning his feet horribly
to make him disclose the story a con-
fession was secured, which agreed
with that of the others.
THE CRIME
Higgins said that the party of nine
went to Laprade's house on the night
of September 8. Going in the rear
of his dwelling, one of them knock
ed at the door, and initiating the
voice of Laprade's brother asking ad-
Laprade opened the door
without thought of harm. The nine
black fends rushed in upon him,
knocked him down and then demand
ed all his money. He gave them So,
SAYING that was all he had. This but
enraged his assailants. Throwing a
rope around his neck they dragged
him around his grounds, hanged him
to the limb of a tree repeatedly until
he was almost unconscious, singed
his body with torches and lacerated
and mutilated him with knives in the
endeavor to compel him to admit that
he had money, but always
with the same result. Finally, made
desperate by their repeated failures
to extort from him the place of con-
cealment of his supposed wealth, the
demons proceeded to still more in
human tortures. With the rope he
was dragged about the yard and
nameless outrages were committed
person. Finally his legs
were cut and hacked and the tendons
torn from their places from the knee
down. Then his skull was crushed
with an axe, after which the body was
hidden under some bushes in a neigh
boring thicket and subsequently
thrown into sink-hole. Higgins in
his confession gave the names of
James Elder, Loch Mallory, Lou and
Robert Thweat, Andrew Duffy and
Bill Murphy. They were all arrest
ed and thrust into Jail. There was
some talk of lynching them, but it
luieted down as the time for their
trial approached. On the 14th of
the present month, however, about
half-past ten at night, twenty-five
men rode into town, coming
from the west, and proceeded to the
Jail. They came armed with guns,
pistols, etc, and were evidently bent
On taking the prisoners. They were
addressed by Judge Stark and At
torney General Bell, who both urged
the mob to desist. ass,Ging thela that
The prisoners shoufn have a-&3 and
trial, and, if foundsfsuilty
should be punished to the full extent
Of the law. They went c!f apparent
" satisfied. but to guard against
accidents the troops were called out
and placed on guard at the Court
House The trial began and the
greatest interest was manifested.
Murphy and Duffy turned States
evidence and werereleased last Thurs
day to return to their old haunts.
This evidently excited the crowd,
who feared that there might be some
hitch by which the others might
escape.
THE LYNCHING.
The trial of the remaining five pris-
Mallory, Lou and Rob
ert Thweat, james Elder and James
in progress all yester-
day. Late last night it came to an
end and Judge Stark delivered his
charge to the jury. The prisoners
were given to the Sheriff, who had
got as far as the door with them
when two hundred men, at a signal,
sprang upon him, yelling like demons
and firing pistols in the air. Taking
the prisoners, the mob hurried to the
second story of the Court House,
put nooses, which were already pre-
pared, around their necks and swung
them out of the windows. They
iie;a, without stuggle, except Jim
E.der. vino bad to oe thrown heavily
to the floor, tied and then hanged.
The crowd in the court room. which
which bad been listening to the AZ
5ument of the counsel, jumped from
he windows to the ground and rush
ID in every direction. Hundreds of
shots were fired, but none at the
prisoners. The bodies were guard
I'd by the mob until it was certain
hat they were dead, when the leader
gave orders to disperse. My men,
% your homes" was his command,
md they Immediately departed. They
came in on horses, bus went to the
ourt House on foot and we're not dis
until they met the prisoners at
The door. No outsider was allowed to
approach the scene until ali we're pro
dead, and then il was announc-
ID that the man who cut them down did
80 at his peril. Higgins aud Elder in
their death struggle got their ropes
twisted. and next morning we're hanging
Is if by one rope. Citizens SAY that the
cause OF the lynching was the relt ase
,f Murphy and Duffy the nigh: before.
The latter returned TO the scene of the
crime, which greatly excited the neigh
borhood, where they were believed
guilty.
TWO MORE MEN LYNCHED.
After the lynchiBg It vas freely pre-
iIcted that Duffy and Murphy would
also be hanged before many hours
The mob divided aud went IN search of
Ibem. The predictions we're not un-
warranted. 1t now appears that one