The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-10-18
Drunk Men without Leaders-IntimatiOns
that Melting Will Certainly Be Lynehed
at Some Future Time.
An Interview with the Prisoner il
His Cell in the Jail, at Fowler.
He Sets Up the Insanity Plea-The Murderer
Removed to Lafayette for Safe-Keep-
ing-About His Past Life.
TUESDAY NIGHTS MOB.
Scenes and Incidents in the Town While the
Would-8e Lynchers Were Present
SueciaI to the IndianaDois Journal

Scenes and Incidents in the Town While the
Would-8e Lynchers Were Present.
Special to the Indianapolis Journal.
FOWLER, lnd. Oct. 1.-THE bowling mob
which fingered about Fowler last night,
threatening to lynch Jacob Nelling, the MUIR
derer Of Ada Atkinson, had entirely dis
persed before daylight, and when the sun
peeped over the struggling little town from
across the prairie this morning, it was as
quiet as if its serenity had not been appalled,
only few hours before by the blood-cloud
and threatening thunder of mob vio-
lence. The awful cloud, however,
it is now evident, was only vapor,
and from its constitutional elements of
weakness it was dispelled without any seri-
Gus damage 10 any object with which it
came in contact The windmill is almost
the sole motive power by which machinery
in Benton county is operated, and the
strength of the mob which made such bois-
terous attempt last night to lynch NellinS
was constituted of the same forces. 1t is bad
engineering to try to run machinery and
mobs on the same principles of motive
power.
The crowd which gathered at Fowler yes
terday afternoon and last night was attracted
by curiosity to see the lynching which had
been so loudly threatened, and, among the
600 or 700 men who had congregated in the
place, it is doubtful if there were a dozen
persons who had come to town with the de-
termination to join in doing violence. Each
was expecting the other to do what both were
wanting to witness. Most of those who
were in town had come to stay all night, and
every place where lodging could be obtained
was crowded to its fullest capacity. Those
who arrived late were unable to get lodging,
and therefore had to walk the streets the
and the saloons were freely patronized Be-
fore dark the crowd was boisterously drunk,
and the town was in an uproar. Threats that
the murderer would be lynched could be
heard in chorus all along the streets but
some body of men besides those already
in town were expected to do the work. The
mob was expected to arrive from Templeton
at o'clock, but it did not come. The
drunken crowd reeIed up the street toward
the Jail, bowling fiercely, but no concerted
movement was made and without a leader
and without organization they gathered about
| the Jail, expecting the prisoner to be
| delivered to them upon demand. The fierce
| howling which was kept up necessarily had
the effect to discomfit Nelling as much as
| if it had been a determined and irresistible
mob, and made things about the Jail very
| interesting for few moments.
INCIDENTS OF THE NIGHT.
Tboro xuaro roanv In ,1ioroue ,oboeoe 10 t1,o
events and incidents of the night and,
viewed with an "after-the-battle' glance,
the whole thing seems to have been moth
ing more than a riotous drunk. With
dozen cool, determined men in the lead,
however, when the excitement was at the
highest, there might have been lynching.
A Mr.. Menifee, of Boswell, brother-in-law
to the murdered girl, was pushed to the
front as leader while the crowd were howl
ing about the Jail, but he was called aside by
| Sheriff Scanon, and after moments talk
was dissuaded from having anything fur
ther to do with the mob. "If you will
promise me that Nelling shall not be taken
outside of this county for trial, | am willing
to let the law deal with him." Menifee is re-
ported to have said to the sheriff. The
sheriff of course, promised.
| After the mob withdrew from the Jail,
party of thirty or forty men marched down
to the railroad tracks to get an iron rail with
which to batter down the jail doors. In
their bloodthirsty desperation, however,
| they turned upon harmless hand-car and
smashed it into small pieces for no better
reason than that it happened to be locked.
| The iron rail was abandoned after it was
| found that there was no fun in carrying it
around.
When the situation seemed most dubious
| which was about the hour of o'clock, the
Journal representative at the request of
Sheriff Scanlon, telegraphed to Adjutant-
general Carnahan, at Lafayette, TO come to
his assistance with all possible speed
| Wi thin hour General Carnahan had called
together the members Of the Lafayette vet
eran company of the Indiana Legion but
then the crowd had quieted considerably,
and it seemed probable that they would not
be needed They were ordered, however, to
remain at their armory to await further Or
ders, and General Carnahan came up to
Fowler this morning at o'clock After a
consultation with the sheriff he came to the
conclusion that the militia would not be
needed, and the members of the company
were given permission to return to their
homes. General Carnahan himself returned
to Lafayette this morning at o'clock, and
| in the evening went to Indianapolis The
speed with which the company was brought
together ready for action is rather remarka-
BILE. and is highly creditable to the organizs
ton of the States militia
THE THREAT TO BLOW UP THE JAIL.
When the rumor got in circula ton about
the streets this morning at 2 o'clock tn at an
attempt would be made shortly before day
light to blow up the Jail with Hercules
powder the Jail officers became very much
alarmed. Several men had assembled in o
workshop in town, about o'clock. and. it