The National tribune., 1882-06-17
LYNCHING OF A BOY.
A PRECOCiCUS MURDERER SWUNG UP
BY 4 MINNESOTA MOB.
4 Scene OF Savage Interest in the Early
Morning MoonliGht-A Confession OF
the Terrible Crims-I1Necutions
In Virginia, Indian Terri
tory and Texas.

iu Virginia, Indian Terri
tory and Texas.
John Tribbetts, lad Of fifteen years, was
Iynched by mob at Pcrham, Mimi, on the
Sth instant, after having confessed himself
guilty Of double murder in which he alone
participated. 4 special telegram gives the
following particulars of the remarkable crime
and the swift vengeance that overlook the
prococious criminal: Trbhetts was brought TO
Perham on Thursday morning and taken before
a magistrate, but little was done as the princi-
pal witnesses were twenty miles distant, and
Marshal Pettingin went after them. All day
people were gathering in the streets and dis
cussing the propriety Of lynching the young,
1iend. Towards nightfall the sentiment be-
came more pronounced, in fact almost unani-
NOUS, in favor Of lynchiug. and large crowd
gathered around the jail, talking III low
tones. About one o'clock about twenty
reSolute men broke through the surrounding
crowd and began to batter in the outside door
of the jail. II offered little resistance, and they
were soon inside. The lynchers found hard work
IL breaking open the door Of Tribbotts' cell:
the sounds of the blows upon it could be heard
at a great distance. The crowd kept coming
closer and closer, but were warned back in
menacing tones by the lynchers. As the door
yielded to the blows and the victim was at
their mercy they took hold Of him roughly,
when he exclaimed, Don't boys, this IS TOO
rough" CO d you, you viii think 1t
is rough" was the harsh answer.
,,-y,r-- ~. .r>,y,r l. aFT-rrrEn-,
He was taken cut, and the lynchers carried
him to the railroad track, a few rods away,
and began preparations to finish their terrible
work 4 ladder had been provided and was
braced up against telegraph pole, rope was
then thrown over one of the rounds placed
around the neck of the murderer, and in
few minutes all was over. No one but the
lvnchers was allowed to come near the scene of
the hanging; all others We're warned to keep
away and the warning was enforced by the
showing of revolvers. They stayed long
enough to assure themselves that life was
extinct and then left in different directions.
Several persons started to follow them, but the
CLEAN of pistols showed them that it was
dangerous business. The moon had just risen
and those who ventured to approach saw
body stiff in death swaying to and fro. 1t was
about half-past one o'clock when the lynchers
departed.
CONFESSION OF GUILT.
Tribbetts made full confession. He said
he was alone in committing the deed and told
calmly the full story of the bloody affair. He
laughed at the crowd which met him on his
return. but after being arrested became de-
pressed and sent for Father Buh and was
baptized into the Catholic Church. There is
no clev to any of the lynchers, and it is
probable that no attempt will be made to find
ont who composed the party, as the general
se,tin,-lt Is decidedly in approval of the
whole an',i~.
rlrE Of THE DOUBLE MURDERER BOY.
',.. history of the life and crime Of TTfb-
], iis reveals the result of vicious training.
81 All been permitted to read trashy litera-
ts.. and cultivated naturally depraved dis
T., ,s.t on lie had often boasted that he would
make a strike to join the cowboys on the
l,.:as, and, as the sequel shows, the Black
ills was his objective point. His favorito
literature was the life of the James boys, the
Younger brothers, the life Of Billy the Kid,
Burton, the stage robber, and when he could
not get anything more blood curdling would
draw on the blood and thunder trash with
which Western homes are flooded. The boy
was only fifteen years old, but Of robust de-
velopement, vet looked but little more mature
than his age would indicate. He was large of
frame, but muscular; had a most vicious cast
of countenauce and an unsteady, wandering
black eve but his firm set lips and square jaw
betrayed resolution. The father and mother
of this prccociOus villain live at Perham and
have the reputation of being very worthy
people, but careless as to the developement Of
their children. His character may be measured
by a scene on the train when he was being
taken to the place Of the murder. A gaping
crowd on the Northern Pacific Railroad were
looking at him as they would have done at a
wild beast, and others were crowding into the
car when he shouted to the sheriff to lock the
doors and charge an adnittancc fee. Then he
asked how he looked. A bystander said he
would look better under a tree, to which sally
be remarked he supposed there would be q
picnic Of that kind at Perham perhaps.
TRIBBETTs' CRIME.
The scene Of the murder was Rcdeye, in
Otter Tail county, Northwestern Minnesota,
Sunday, May .. The victims were Edward
Washington, surveyor Of the Minnetonka Mill
Company, late of Bay City, Mich, aged about
thirty-fve, and George FehTmbacker, aged
twenty-three, a German, in the employ Of
Washington, recently from New York city,
and who had been living in Perham three or
four months. They left Perham Thursday,
May D. stating that they were going 20 look
after lands. They were supplied with tent
and camping outfit, maps plats, &c. On Sun
day, May %, they stopped at the house OF
John Dornbusch, farmer living near Redeyc.
They arrived there about ten o'clock, in com
pany with John Tribbctts, the lynched boy,
with whom the deceased had stopped and left
a part Of their outfit the day before. Tribbctts
carried double shotgun. which he had bor-
rowed that morning Of a neighbor named
Richardson, one barrel Of which was loaded
with buckshot and the other with fine shot.
TribbCtts started off in the timber, leaving the
two mcn at Dornbusch's house, where they
STAYED to dinner, leaving there at one o'clock,
and stating that they were going to Section -
which was pine timber land carrying with
them an axe and revolver, and each having
4 silver watch and chain.
FOUND BUTcHERED N TIE WOODS.
They not returning, search was made for
them. and their bodies were found, one On
Friday, and the other on Saturday morning,