St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-10-17
No Reasonable Cause Known for
the Terrible Deed Except
Personal Spite.
The Jail Doors Battered Down and
the Murderer Lynched by the
Infatuated Citizens.
A Burglar Killed at Menomonee- Daily
Calendar as Reported by
Telegraph.
TERRIBLE TRAGEDY AT LA CROSSE.

SGiCCI' SeEeH sHOlS were urea IN QUICK sue
cession. The murderer was arrested and
hurried to Jail before the immense crowd
could realize what had occurred. As the
fact was made known there was the most
intense excitement, and hundreds of men
in uniform and carrying their torches hur-
ried to the court house yard and demanded
that the prisoner be handed over to them
Lynch him, lynch him. was the general
cry, and at this moment, $40, there are
hundreds of men beseiging the Jail. Sheriff
Scott, Chief of Police Clark and posse of
police are at the jail door trying to calm the
Infatuated multitude. No violence has been
done yet and none may take place, but there
is an awful current of public feeling. The
body of Mr.. Burton has been taken to the
drug store of T. H. Spence, where an exam
ination shows life extinct, every shot takin q
effect. Those who stood near the scene of
the murder say the man advanced from the
crowd on the sidewalk to within a few
feet of his victim and fired the
first bullet into his back. Mr. Burton fell to
the pavement and the murderer followed
with six shots into his body and head He
gave him kick, saying: ''That is the s. of
b that knows me, and that have been
looking for,h or words to that effect. All
this was done in a minutes time and before
any one could realize what had happened.
Mr.. Burton is a broker and commission mer-
chant for j. H. Dowry & Co., of Milwaukee,
and son-in-law of Captain I. II. Moulton,
agent of the st. Paul company here.
He was one of the best known
and most prominent young business
men in the northwest, was chosen
president of the Blaine and Logan club at
La Crosse and was managing the campaign
in this section. The motive of the murder
is not known. He is said to be a desperate
character. who has followed the river for
living. He has served term in the states
prison. After throwing the first revolver at
his victim, it was found that he had another
in his pocket, but he was arrested before he
had an opportunity to use it. The Republi-
cans were to have celebrated the Ohio victory
tonight with parade, fire works and
speeches, but the scene has changed, as if
by terrible magic, to a scene of terrible ex-
element of a far different character.
Threats are deep and determined,
the city being greatly aroused.
If the crowd had a responsible, cool-headed
leader, the murderer would swing in an hour.
The deceased leaves a wife and three chill
dren. 1t is the most heart rending tragedy
that has ever taken place in this city.
THE MURDERER STRUNG UP.
Later-1O 80 p. m.-The officers were not
able to stay the mob, who refused to listen
to arguments. From 9 o'clock to 10 the
court house yard presented a scene which
beggars description. The mob increased in
number until the entire space on three sides
of the jail was dense mass of humanity, all
that the murderer be hung. The
torches of the men fared above the sea of
heads, and the white pllmes moved reso-
lutely about the square. The best citizens
in the place were present and watched
he fearful scene with blanched
faces, but with no expression Of sympathy.
There were hundreds of women in the thor
oughfare, and the walks about the jails. The
excitement grew steadily in force and the
mob at last found leaders, with
cool heads, who went methodically about
taking the man from the prison and lynch
ing him. Beams were procured and in
short time the heavily bolted and barricaded
doors on the Fourth street side of the jail
were battered in, and the crowd
passed into the first floor rooms The
sheriffs and assistants succeed ed in clearing
the room the first and second time, but on
the third rush the mob overpowered them
and held their ground. The interior wooden
doors in the cooking department yielded
like so many plates of glass. In the mean
time the heavy oaken door leading to the
stairway on the west side, was battered down
and the crowd had full possession of the
main corridor. While all this
was going on the crowd became
almost collosal about the place, but aside
from the rush of the men at the Jail the best
of order prevailed. There were no drunken
men in the mob, the whole work being done
By resolute fellows who decided to make the
murderer pay the death penalty before they
left the squar.. Once in the corridor sledge
hammers were used to break in the heavy
iron doors, two in number, that interviewed
between them and the cell room. These
soon yielded, and as each fresh advance
was made the crowd were apprised
on the outside, and a Instant cheer of en-
enlargement went up. The prisoner had
been confined in cell number three, on the
lower corridor, aud the crowd had little
trouble in finding their man. He was taken
from the cell and dragged into the yard.
He was identified as the man who did the
shooting, and the officers when appealed to,
declared they had the right man.
When he appeared from the Jail door,
held up by the men who had him in charge,
there was long peculiar yell that went. roll
ing through the trees and down the streets,
making everyone for blocks realize, without
further assurance, that awful retribution had
been nearly meted out. Numerous men were
soon climbing to the branches Of the trees
and in minute more one was selected, "a rope
thrown TO man setting on the first strong
limb, quickly attached, and everything made
ready for the execution. At this point in the
proceedings there was pause. Among the
leaders there were some who wanted the muir
derer to make a statement, while others,
more impetuous, urged immediate ac-
ton The murderer declined to say anything
except be was the man VINO shot Mr. Bur
ton. At this iuncture the cry went round:
.'Pull him upI'' Hang himr' Don't let
him live minute longerr' 1t was under
stood that the light guard, Company G, of
the Third regiment, W. n. G., had been or
dered out to charge the mob, and there was
an impression that the execution would be
prevented. No r1liy Of the guard wa made,
however. The mob seized the rope and
and made strong pull but the rufian freed
his hands and the rope broke before he was
raised from the ground. In less than five
minutes, new rope was thrown over the
heads of the crowd and fell within few feet
of executioDers. This was adjusted, lis hands
and arms firmly tied, and in another mo-
ment be was hanging in the air, with his face
closely pressed against the limb Of the tree,
and the terrible tragedy was over.
The tragic scenes of this night will prob
ably never be experienced again in La Crosse
Words fail to express the darkness and in
tensity of the gloom that has settled like a
nall oyer the community. not only for the