Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1883-08-30

our neighberhood has been disturbed
} by the action of mob. However, In
) this instance it is a debauched villain
who has paid the forfeit, and offered
up his Wothless life sacrifice to his
villalny. 1t was at Stevens Point on
Friday evening, that John A, Reilly
keeper of bagnio, came to his
tragic death. 1t was brought about
ID the following manner as near as we
are able to CLEAN the facts. This man
was much the same in character and
disposition as Pat McHugh, who was
recently shot at Stevens Point but re :
covered from his injuries. He gloried
IN his bravery, Gas a bully,) walked
the streets armed with revolvers at
various times, defying the laws and
carrying on much the same as desper-
ADDE'S do. He was also brought before
the courts at Stevens Point and fined,
imprisoned, &c. In all this he gloried
He is also implicated in more deeds of
violence than any other rascal who
infests this part of the country He
had been making much trouble around
the Point, and had become dcspised
by all who knew him. The deed
which led to his death, however, was
of recent date. Only q few weeks
previous Reilly went to an opposition
house of ill-fame at the Point, and
while there terrorized the concern by
firing his revolver. He was after
wards arrested and bound over, but
while making a pretense Of securing
bonds escaped from the officers and
fed, returning however a short time
since, when he resumed his desperate
style, threatening the lives of citizens
generally and making fool of him
self as best he knew how. Wednes-
day evening Of last week, a party of
young men of the town were going
out to Reillly's bagnio, and managed
to rope In a young man by the name
of Clark to go with them, as he could
play the organ. After demonstrating
many times, the boys finally overcame
him by the use of liquor, and he
accompanied them. They were in the
hell-hole only short time when
Clark was at the organ playing A
woman came into the room and young
Clark in drunken state made pert
remark to the woman who happened
to be the Reilly mistress. She com
planned to Reilly of having been
insulted, and Reilly put on his war
paint and brass knuckles and brutally
pounded Clark, breaking his nose and
cutting him severely about the face
and head. Reilly was arrested about
| 8 O clock Thursday evening and lodged
in the lookup A correspondent of
the Wausau Central thus describes
what then took place eat a late
hour at night, between the hours of
L and l, large party of men forced
their way into the lookup building.
bent upon the mission of lynching
Reilly. The party broke the entrance
to the lookup, and made for the des-
perado, who, in the hurry of being
jailed had succeeded in concealing a
large and murderous knife upon his
person. This knife Reilly drew, de-
termined to sell his life dearly The
crowd approached him with the rope,
but as it looked as though
some of their number might be
seriously cut during the melee that
would follow, some one struck him
over the head with an iron bar crush
ing the skull and scattering the brains
of the vile desperate over the lookup
floor. The crowd then quickly with
drew, and this morning the body of
the criminal was found as he had been
left, with his head crushed, in a pool
of the life current that fed one of the
blacklist hearts that ever palpitated
under the flesh of mortal man.
The examination of the body as
made by DR.. Phillips, revealed the
fact that he had been shot in at least
three and probably four places. One
shot passed through his left hand,
another through the end Of the nose,
and the third entered the left temple.