The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1884-06-21
JUDGE LYNCH.
The Story of the Only Genuine Jacob Towns
end Original.
Lynchburg (va.,l Letter.


Lynchburg Ya.,l Letter.
While chatting with an old antiquarian in his
cool library this afternoon l casually inquired
how this town came by its peculiarly suggestive
name. did the original judge of dreadful fame
ever live herel' | 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 condemning his mode
of procedure as infamous and brutal"
Then you believe in the summary method OF
dealing with sinful menF
mot so fast, young lady, not so fast" said
the fine old Virginian smiling. II will tell you
the story just as L had it from my grandfather,
who was proud of his acquaintance with that
shrewd ferryman who wiped the crime of horse
stealing, for which the State was growing fam
Gus, right out. Why, Virginians were motor
ious for their love of other mems cattle, and
even taught the trade OF acquiring them to the
Cherokees and Chickasaws, much to the dis
gust and shame of the better class of citizens. =
when was thisl" queried your correspond
ent.
FrNot long before the Revolutionary war, and
at that time there were quite q number of that
splendid race, the Scotch-Irish, settled here.
Shrewd and brave, cautious yet daring. dashing
but prudent, honest and energetic. Every man
of them proved a great blessing to the settle
ment, and not a few became famous. such as
General Andrew Jackson, James K Polk, John
OHAh0bht jun AC0pbCA 0hf ~ SsONhCt ~
Fulton, Patrick Bronte, and, later, Robert Bon
ner, A. I. Stewart and Horace Greeley. These
names come most readily TO mind, bat there is
still another generation Of them. including Pres
ident Arthur and our coming President, James
G. Blaine"
And the Lynchesl' 1 ventured.
Were from the same stalwart stock, and set
tied in Prince William county. There were four
boys in the family; and one of them, John
Lynch, was a bright, quick young fellow, and
remarkably courageous. One day in rambling
about the head of the James river he found a
gap in the mountains on either side of the wa
ter which it struck him would make q capital
crossing point for travellers, and forthwith he
drove his proprietary stake, and shortly after,
with a few logs and an old scow, established a
primitive ferry. The horse-thieves were among
the first to take advantage of the new eonven
fence, and young Lynch, himself serupulously
honest, was Disguised and Inundated 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 increase;
finally the ferry became the favorite means of
escape for the stock stealers, and John Lynch.
thoroughly aroused, proposed to put an end to
it"
'What could he do single-handed2"
well. 1 will tell you what he actually did.
He applied to the Governor OF Virginia for a
commission to act as q justice of the peace. His
reputation for honesty and good judgment was
beyond a doubt, and his commission was granted.
He was qualified, and became a judge. The first
use he made of his power was to appoint some
special constables and engage a few sharp detect
ives. They at once began work, with such sue
cess that gang after gang were captured"
Did they have no trialW
YES. They were brought before Judge
Lynch, and he never acted until he was positive
of their guilt, and his knowledge of the men and
TIE country was an immense advantage to him"
"Jf he found them guilty he would, according
to the law, require a good bond. which, or course,
IN those days, a 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 to march meant,
and as soon as they found themselves in a thick
wood, chose q stout tree, and, with a good rope,
which they carried, created a temporary scaffold
from which the horse-thieves quickly dangled.
Hanging was the legal punishment for horse
stealing in those days, but the promptnesS and
dispatch with which Judge Lynch melted out
Justice at their very door terrorized the evil
does of the country, and between those he hung
and those who fled, in TWO years there was not a
horse-thiet in Virginia"
And what became of Judge Lynch9"
HE continued to live near the ferry, round
which a large village grew up under the name of
Lynchs Ferry, and not until long after his
death did it become Lynchburg. During his
life lynch law was honored and upheld, but since
then it has altogether lost its original character
and meaning. Now, as | understand it, it is
merely the Infatuated impulse Of a rough mob,
who, without waiting for the law at HAND to
prove innocence or guilt, decide on it according
to their own inclination and take a life perhaps
more unblemished than their own No con-
Guided the old gentleman, John Lynch did his
State a service in Kidding 1T of a lot of misere-
ants, who, but for him, were out of the reach
of the law. but were no living no one would be
quicker than no to resent this barbarods mob
fashion of putting a man to sudden death, when
the law, the courts, the prison and seaffold are
close at hand to mete out justice and punish
ment."