St. Landry democrat., 1882-08-26
LYNCH LAW.

|
The lIalf-Hansed Men Persist in Their
| Declarations of Innocence, and are Re-
| turned to Jail.
| A Taylorvillc Qll.) special to the Chicago
Ilernld f the 18th gives the following particu-
| lars of the recent attempted lynching at that
! place of the parties charged with the terrible
outrage pnrpctratel upon the person of Miss
| Bond ~ June last:
Nj. Bond. alone, to-day is credited with hay-
! Ing saved the men. 1t is openly stated that no
| attention would have been paid to the appeals
of States Attorney Brennan but for him. The
! prisoners were cheerful this morning in Jail,
/ ard talked with several about the affair. Pet
| It's maintained his usual taciturnity, and could
| not be encouraged to conversation. Mont
| gomery said he felt when up in the air that it
was easy to die, and that he felt just as if in a
| dream. To-day he complained OF soreness in
| his neck, which was somewhat scratched, but
! otherwise he was all right. All three are conf
! dent they will clear themselves on the trial. No
| further violence is apprehended.
| The action of the mob last night was a SUR
I prise to many, for up to nine O'Clock the
| streets were more deserted than they had
/ been during any night since the investigation
began. There was an uneasy feeling among
| those who realized the full significance of the
mutterngs of tho attendants at court that
| trouble was in store, and when, about nine
| o'clock mob began to gather i'll front of the
| Jail it was evident that the hour had arrived
for putting the threats into execution.
AS time went on the mob became
| impatient, and some of them cried:
BREAK the door in and fetch them out" a
! few of the men who were pretty well intoxi-
Gated moved around urging general attack,
and finally succeeded III getting the crowd so
worked up that they walked up to the door Of
| toll hold ,,lr, %I,,v~
The door, which had been opened from within,
was closed in their faces, and they fell back.
In ort time they rallied sufficiently to
make the attempt again, and after many eff
| forts they succeeded in making their way to
! the jail. They then pushed up stairs to where
the cells were. The Sheriff had abandoned the
| jail to tho mob, who now went to work to get
| the prisoners out After half hours work
| Pettis and John Montgomery were pulled out
| through an opening in top of the cell and
handed over to the mob. A brand-new rope
| was sud- My produced and thrown around
4 the necks of the men. Then ensued the most
/ horrible language on the part of the mob.
| They endeavored by blows, threats and every
| means known to them to induce the wretches
! to confess. . I am innocent, gentlemen" cried
| Pettis, in agoniSed voice. Hang mo if
i you will, but l am innocent" ''You lie.
| curse you, you know you did it, II
| know l am going to die, but as God
! is my judge + am innocent" Then there
was surge of the crowd in the small apart
ment, and cry of "Takc them out and hang
them" John Montgomery in the meantime
was whining: II am innocent: don't know
anything" The workers of the Ecb were
searching for Clement, who could not be
found. The cells were all opened by the use
Of a crowbar, and then it was discovered that
! nnf yVaa nf in tha iait pntfiS oo6
Montgomery were dragged down stairs and
into the Jail yard, the crowd looking as they
progressed fora good tree. The trees were all
saplings, and halt was made, during which
confession was sought to be extracted from
Montgomery. The man still protested his
| innocence. ITO the courthouse yard!
some one cried, and other voices took it up.
To the courthouse yard then proceeded the
mob, threatening and bullying the prisoners
on their way. Lee Pettis repeated every min
ute: II am innocent. am innocent
The courthouse yard was soon reached and
the crowd halted under tall tree. Some MINI
BILE fellow climbed the tree and threw the end
of the rope into forked branch. dozen
! hands caught the loose end, and John Mont
gomery was jerked off his feet just for trial.
The poor wretch still pleaded innocence, and
he was called upon by hundred voices to
speak out and tell his story.
II have no story to tell. I am innocent I
know no more about this matter. gentlemen,
than YOU
:. His voice was as weak as q woman's and as
pathetic child's pleading for mercy. The
Infatuated crowd hooted and yelled at him,
saying he was dead man anyway, and he
might as well confess"
/ am innocent reiterated Montgomery.
up he go $, Them or ed those at the other
| end of the rope, and up he did go. The body
| was pulled up about four feet from the ground
and kept there for a full minute. The hanging
man never struggled, but, being exhausted
! and weak with fear, the men who held the
rope let him own then, and he was called on
4 to tell his guilt. The mun could not speak at
first but laid limp on the grass.
After he recovered b S breath he finally said:
"Gentlemen know am dying, and tell you
| am as innocent as you are.
A cry for A. D. Bond. the father of the
burly man pushed his way in. He stood be-
side their prisoner and asked him to tell If he
was not in the school-house the afternoon Of
tanned his ignorance Of the guilty parties.
A cowardly crowd stood on the fence and
on the outskirts of the seething mass
ecution of the man. and with him the others.
For an hour those about the man talked,
bullied, stormed and threatened, but the poor,
abject wretch repeatedly reiterated his in
nocence.
Prosecuting Attorney Brennan made weak
appeal for law and order, but he was hooted
: down.
| In the meantime Clement had been found
and was held by the mob on the other side Of
the yard. Covering down with his head on his
breast, his neck drawn in like a turtles, he
shook and shivered, and, when goaded, chat
tered out his innocence.
Lee Pettis was held with a rope around his
neck and tortured also. He loudly and boldly
proclaimed innocence, and told the mob to
go on and hang him.
Montgomery was about to be swung mp
again when Mr.. Bond cut the rope, and the
prisoner was taken to one side of the yard and
submitted to another series of questions. II
/ was all in vain. The men who held the rope
! had too much heart to hang the man after his
repeated declarations, and gradually their
manner softened.
Of thann Iona uellad