St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-10-17

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the doomed man was left hanging only few
minutes when it was taken down lifeless and
left in charge of the sheriff, who will see the
remains inferred. During the hour between
nine and ten O'Clock, when the excitement
was at It's highest, and the first successful
rush was made on the jail door, the fire bells
rang out an alarm, which was made general
ana this added to the steady roar of voices
from the direction of the court house made
the night air one of awful features. What
citizens at first thought was an
alarm Tor help at the court yard or rallying
signal by tie mob proved to be a genuine
alarm, and the department was called to ex
tshgulsh burning workshop and store house
injected with the Northwestern foundry
and machine shops. The fire was soon ex
III gIiSneo ana That part of the crowd who
hau oeen drawn from the scene of the
lynching returned again to the court house
square where they remained until the last
act was consummated
The body of Mr.. Burton was ramoved
from the drug store of Mr.. Spence tn his
home, during the evening. One bullet
passed through the head, two throuob the
lungs and two into the abdomen. anv one of
which would have been fatal. Those who
stood near by when the shooting was done
say that the murderer fired all the CHARGES in
rapid succession from one revolver, and then
two more from the second, which he carried
with him.
Mr.. Burton was engaged in clearing the
road and organizing the first section or head
OF the procession, and stood with his back to
the sidewalk. The assassin stepped out
from the crowd which lined the walk and
fired bullet directly through his back. Mr..
Burton staggered and fell on his face
no of ,ar -bnf
murderer was standing directly over him.
Mr.. Bur'on never spoke after the first shot.
After emptying his revolver, the man threw
it at him, and kicking him three times say
ing, Damn him, he knows why l ahot
him" The impression in the crowd, when
the shots were fired, was that some one was
firing large fire crackers as fireworks were to
be part of the political demonstrations
The Associated Press reporter stood within
sixty feet OF the shot when the murder was
committed and with hundred OF others did
not know that anything was wrong until the
policemen rushed by with the prisoner. The
word soon passed up the long column of
flaring torch lights, AND the effect was at
first paralyzing one, rendering action i'm
possible. As soon as the reaction set in
the brilliantly lighted multitude turned
as if moved by machinery, and
the preceding description tells what followed.
For long time the identity of the murderer
was unknown. Diligent inquiries aud the
sitting OF many rumOrs show that the mau
who has just paid the death penalty is a man
known as ''Scotty," but whose true name is
Nathaniel Mitchell, riverman who has
worked in the woods during the
winter at Beef Slough, or on some
raft boat during the summer. A
oil L, H.
knew him well, that he was desperate char
acter and that he frequently had terrible
sprees, and had been both in Jail and in the
insane asylum.
In search for motive for the act the only
plausible theory that is yet arrived at is that
two years ago when Mr.. Burton was acting
surveyor of customs at this port
this man was frequently lmportuning
him for hospital certificate, so
that ne could spend his time at the hospital
at the expense of his cO-riyer men, and that
Mr.. Burton told him to go to work and stop
drinking aud he would not need the benefits
OF the marine physician. Another theory is
that Mitchell thought he was killing another
man. A letter found on his person is adj
dressed to Nathauial Mitchell, Neillsville,
Clark county, care of Tip Hilton, camp num-
Der one, dated February 81, 1884, at Halifax,
and siged ''your brother, William MITCHELL
The letter is written in a scholarly
manner, and is full of good advice and fam
lily news. 1t conveys the idea that Mitchell,
the man just lynched, is not married.
At this hour, O'Clock a. M, the city is as
silent as the tomb. There are a few stray
glers on the street. and a few late idlers are
at the hotels talking over the events of the
evening. Not a soul is to be
seen about the court house square.
The remains of the murderer
are lying stretched out in the Jail and the oil
lamps that flicker through the broken win
dows cast CHASTITY glare out over the green
lawn where hundreds had stood out a few
hours before to mete out justice to the MUIR
derer of Frank A. Burton, for whose loss the
whole city mourn, and whose wife and little
children are stricken with grief at the awful
taking away of the father and husband.
Already arrangements are being made for
the funeral, and the wires have been kept
busy sending messages to relatives and init
mate friends.
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