Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1884-10-17
A POLITICIAN SHOT DEAD.
SEVEN BULLETS FIRED INTO HIS
BODY FROM BEHIND.

The Victim Republican Leader at La
Crosse, Wis, and just Marshaling a
TorchIight Procession When Killed
The Furious TOrchbearers Take the
Assassin from Jail and Lynch Him.
LA CROSSE, Wis, Oct. 16.-F. A. Bur-
ton, President of the Blaine and Logan
club here, was shot dead by a man known
as "Scotty" at s O'Clock this evening
while the Republicans were forming in
procession on Main street. Seven shots
were fired in quick succession. The
murderer was arrested and hurried to
Jail before the immense crowd could
realize what had occurred. AS soon as
the fact was made known there was
intense excitement, and hundreds of men
in uniform and carrying their torches
and demanded that the prisoner be
handed over to them. "Lynch him!"
'Lynch him." was the general cry. At
$40 O'Clock tonight hundreds of men
were beseiging the Jail. Sheriff Scott,
Chief OF Police Clark and posse of police
were at the Jail door trying to calm the
infuriated multitude. The body of Bur-
ton was taken to drug store, where an
examination showed that life was extinct.
Every shot took effect.
COLD-BLoODED MURDER.
Those who stood near the scene say that
the man advanced from the crowd on the
sidewalk to within few feet of his victim
and fired the first bullet into
his back, when Burton fell to
the pavement. This was followed with
six shots into the PROSTATE mans body
and head. "Scotty'' then threw his re-
Yolver at his victim and gave him a kick.
All this was done in a moment, and be-
Sore anyone could realize the situation.
The motive Of the murder has not come to
light. Burton was managing the cam
paign in this section. The mob finding
that they could not prevail upon the au-
thorities to surrender the prisoner, at
10:45 O'Clock procured coldchisels, forced
open the doors, and putting a rope around
the murderer's neck, lynched him.
AN AWFUL SCENE.
The officers were not able to stay the
mob, who refused to listen to argument.
From 8 O'Clock to 10 the court house yard
and square presented a scene which beg
CARED description. The mob increased in
numbers until the entire space on the
three sides of the Jail was a dense mass
of humanity, demanding that the MUIR
derer be hung. Torches flared above the
sea of heads Of white plumes moving reso-
lutely about the square. The best citi.
zens in the place were present and
watched the fearful scene with blanched
faces, but with no expression of sym
pathy.
COOL HEADS WORK THE VENGEANCE.
There were hundreds of women in the
thoroughfares and walks about the Jail.
The excitement grew steadily in force,
and the mob at last found leaders with
cool heads, who went methodically
about taking the man from prison and
lynching him. Beams were procured,
and in a short time the heavily bolted and
barred doors of the Fourth street side
of the Jail were battered in by
the crowd, which poured into
the first floor rooms. The Sheriff and his
assistants succeeded 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
Of the cooking department yielded like so
many plates Of glass.
THE CROWD IN POSSESSION.
In the meantime, the heavy oak door
leading to the main stairway on the west
side was battered down, and the crowd
had full possession of the main corridor.
While this was gong on, the crowd be-
came almost colossal about the
place. put aside from the rush of
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 murder
er pay the death penalty before they left
the square. Once in the corridor sledge
hammers were used to break in the heavy
iron doors, two in number, that inter-
vened between there and the cell room.
These soon yielded. and as each advance
was made the crowd were appraised on
the outside. The crowd had but little
difficulty In finding their man, and he
was taken out and hanged as related
above.