St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-07-10
JUDGE LYNCH.
The Fine Old Tir0inian Who First Popu-
larised Stcift RetributiOn.
[Lynchburg (va.) Correspondence of the Inter

The Fine Old Vir0inian Who First Popu-
larised Sicift Retribmti0n.
[Lynchburg (Va.) Correspondence of the Inter
Ocean.
While chatting with an old antiquarian in
his cool library this afternoon, casually in
CURED how this town came by its peculiarly
suggestive name. "Did the original Judge
of dreadful fame ever live here!" asked.
eyes, he did," replied the old gentleman
with Frightening eyes that revealed delight
in the topic. "Judge Lynch might fairly be
called the founder of the city, and it makes
me angry to see all these newspaper stories,
not only locating him in other states, but con-
demning his mode of procedure as infam-
GUS and brutal"
''Then you believe in the summary meth
cd of dealing with sinful men,
''Not so fast young lady, not so FAST" said
the fine old Virginian smiling, 81 will tell
you the story just as had it from my grand
father, who was proud of his acquaintance
with that shrewd ferryman who wiped the
crime of horse stealing, for which the state
was growing famous, right out. Why, Vir-
ginians were in love with other meu's hors-
es, and even taught the trade of acquiring
them to the Cherokees and Chickasaws, much
to the disgust and shame Of the better class
OF citizens"
"When was this?" queried your CORES
pendent.
''Not long before the revolutionary war,
and at that time there were quite a number
of that splendid race, the Scotch Irish set
tied here. Shrewd and brave, cautious, yet,
darins, dashing, but prudent, honest and
energetic, every man of them proved great
blessing to the settlement and not few be-
came famous, such as Gen. Andrew jack
son, James X. Polk, John Calhoun, Sam
Houston, David Crockett, Robt. Fulton,
Patrick Bronte and later Robert Bonner, A.
L. Stewart and Horace Greeley. These names
come most readily to mind, but there is still
another generation of them, including Pres
ident Arthur and our coming President,
James G. Blaine.''
"And the Lynches?" I ventured
"Were from the same stalwart stock and
settled in Prince William county. There
were four boys in the family and one of them
John Lynch, was bright quick young fell
low and remarkably courageous. One day
in rambling above the head of the James
river he found a gap in the mountains on
either side OF the water, which it struck him
would make capital crossing point for
travellers, and forthwith he drove his propri-
etory stake, and shortly after, with few
logs and an old scow established primitive
ferry.
The horse-thieves were among the first to
take advantage of the new convenience, and
young Lynch, himself scrupulously honest,
was disguised and humiliated at having to
take them across. AT this time the country
was sparsely settled, courts were few and
jails far apart. The evil continued to in
crease; finally the ferry became the favorite
means of escape for the stockholders and
John Lynch, thoroughly aroused, proposed to
put an end to 1t"
''What could he do single-handed?"
sWell, i will tell you what he actually did.
He applied to the Governor of Virginia for
commission to act as justice of the peace.
His reputation for honesty and good judg-
ment was beyond doubt, and his commits
sion was granted. He was qualified and be-
came Judge. The first use he made of his
powers was to appoint some special constables
and engage q few sharp detectives. They at
once began work with such success that gang
after gang was captured"
s'Did they have no trialg'
Eyes. They were brought before Judge
uCu, anu uC ACNtI dClcu I'LL I'LL lie WIS DOSl-
tive of their guilt, and his knowledge of the
men and the country was an immense adj
vantage TO him.
If he found them guilty he would, ac-
cording to the law require good bond,
which, OF course, in those days thief could
never get, and when that form was complied
with, would start them off well guarded to
some far-away jail. The constables knew
what the order Of march meant, and as soon
as they found themselves in thick wood,
chose stout tree and with good rope which
they carried, created temporary scaffold
from which the horse thieves quickly dangled
Hanging was the legal punishment for horse
stealing in those days, but the promptness
and despatch with which Judge Lynch meted
out justice at their very door terrorized the
evil-doers Of the country, and between those
he hung and those who fed, in two years
there was not horse thief in Virginia.
"And what became of Judge Lyncha"
she continued tolive near the ferry, round
which large villrge grew up under the name
of Lynch's Ferry, and not until long after his
death did it become Lynchburg. During his
life lynch law was honored and upheld, but
since then 1t has altogether lost It's original
character and meaning. Now, as I under
stand 1t, it is merely the Infatuated impulse
of rough mob, who, without waiting for the
law at hand to prove innocence or guilt, de-
eide on 1t according to their own inclination
and take a life perhaps more unblemished
than their own. No." concluded the old gen
tleman, sJohn Lynch did this state service
in Kidding Of lot of miscreants, whom, but
for him, were out Of the reach Of the law; but
were he living no one would be quicker than
he to resent this barbarous mob fashion of
putting man to sudden death when the law,
the courts, the prison and the scaffold are
close at hand to mete out justice and punish
ment.'