Daily evening bulletin., 1884-06-25
HE PLAYED THE FIEND
And in Return the Citizens Hanged
Him to Telegraph Pole.
Fitting End OF the Life OF John Can.
field Who, viper-Like, Shot
Lady When Pretending
TO kiss Her.

VINCENNEs, Ind, June %. The death OF
Mrs. Mollie Gherkin yesterday morning, the
victim of Oliver Canfield's brutal treach.
cry, threw this community into high
state Of excitement 1t will be remember.
ed that Garfield called the woman to him,
put his arm around her neck as il to kiss
her, and then shot her. This occurred on
Tuesday night Of last week. She was con-
scious but once after she was Shot.
Yesterday Garfield, who was in jail, told
Officer Runner that he would like to see the
girl, and he was granted the privilege
When he entered the room where she was
lying, he looked at her and laughed. Off.
Ger Runner took him out of the room and
asked him what he thought about it. ~
would like to finish her." said Garfield
with fiendish grin, and then he burst out
laughing.
The excitement that began when it was
learned that the girl had died, and further
learned that Garfield, on visiting her,
laughed and said he would like to finish
her, resulted in Garfield being mobbed las.
night.
1t was shortly after midnight that the
party of lynchers, masked with white hand
kerchiefs proceeded from their rendezvous
to the Jail, fully equipped with heavy iron
sledge hammers and rope. There were
no great attempts at resistance by the Jail
officials, and none by the police, who knew
that any interference would be futile. The
work had all been mapped out at the place
OF meeting and every man knew his place.
There was no shouting, no loud issuing of
orders. In less than half an hour the Jail
had been forced and Garfield taken from
his cell. Once outside the Jail the lynching
party filed off with their prisoner toward
Dalton 81 Montgomery's lumber yard but
Canield begged to let him die as near as
possible to the place where the murder was
committed. Accordingly he was taken to
a telegraph-po pole in front Of the house where
poor Mollie's corpse lay.
He acted coolly, said he had prepared as
we'll as he could for death, but was not
sure as to what he would meet beyond the
grave. Anyway, he was not sorry for kill
ing Mollie and if he had it to do over he
would do it again. He confessed to have
shot his sweetheart because of little per-
sonal quarrel growing out Of jealousy. He
felt that he deserved his punishment, and
only desired that his body be given his
mother.
Meantime the rope had been thrown over
the cross-beam Of the telegraph pole. Can
field had been pinioned and blindfolded,
and at the sound of command Garfield was
rushed up ten feet in the air and left dang
ling. He died of suffocation without
struggle. Officer Heidenreich, who had
followed the party, was warned away be-
fore the final act
Before leaving the spot the crowd pinned
a note to the body, warning the coroner
not to cut it down till noon. All the city
has been out to see it this morning. The
white handkerchief tied over the face con-
ceals the distorted features, but the dang.
ling body is gruesome sight. Yet every
body says it served him right
According to the statement Of the Sheriff,
Garfield, who was mobbed this morning
was almost dead before being taken from
jail. He had not eaten a bite for three
days, being sick with loathsome disease,
which had assumed dangerous proportions.
The body Of the dead man will be trans,
ferred to Washington to-day.