The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1884-07-03
IN THE DEAD OF NIGHT.
The Murderer OF Mrs. Mollie Ghorkin
Suspended 10 Telegraph
Pole.
He Was Taken from the jail at
Vincennes. Ind. by q Mob
OF Men.
Tvincemes nnd.) telegram

nc tuItulS llstnC idbb cNthiii6 ~ ~No~S
citizens TO summarily punish Oliver Can
field, the young miscreant who shot Mrs.
Mollie Gherldn last Tuesday night, were
not idle ones. AS the hours went by the
knots of men who stood talking quietly at
the street corners were gradually re-en-
forced until several hundred were gathered
in the vicinity of the jail. There was no loud
talking or noisy display of any kind. but
the grim, set features of those who had as
sembled to avenge the murdered woman
BODIED i'll for the unhappy wretch who cow
cred in his cell, fully alive to all that was
Transporting and to the dreadful hopeless
ness of his case.
At midnight the avengers, body some
fifty strong, composed of the best citizens,
moved through the inky darkness toward
the Jail The stout doors were quickly
crashed open with piece of railroad iron
that had been brought from the track for
the purpose. Meeting with no resistance,
the avengers rushed on to Canfeld's cell, the
door of which was battered down with
three or four blows of the ram. The pris-
oner covered down in corner and at
tempted to pray, but was roughly hidden to
prepare 10 come out Trembling in every
limb, and with features ghostlike in their
sickly pallor, he complied, and was marched
slowly between the two masked leaders out
of the Jail into the open air.
The first proposition made on the outside
of the Jail yard being reached, was that Can
field should be strung up then and there,
but, with strange persistency, he pleaded
TO be put to death on the same spot where
his helpless sweetheart met her fate at his
hands. His proposition was received with
deafening yeIls of approval by the crowd,
and he was rushed off to convenient tele-
graph pole within a stones throw of the
murder. A stout rope was slung over the
lower cross-ties, moose made, and the VIC
tim placed in position. His aspect was
pitiable but it called forth no ex-
preston of mercy or sympathy from
the determined men around him,
and no was told if he had any
thing to say to say it quickly. He falteled
forth that he was guilty, and was sorry he
killed the woman. He begged that his
mother be told that he tried to be recon-
ciled to the Almighty, but that he should
never 90 to heaven. He was given min
ute TO say his prayers, but he had by this
time sunk so low that he could scarcely be
reused. The rope was soon adjusted
around his neck, and, amid the applause Of
the crowd, he was drawn to height of ten
feet and left to hang There was scarcely
q struggle perceptible, but the victim prob
ably lived thirty minutes. A card was
pinned to his coat requesting the Coroner
to leave the body hanging until IL o'clock
day.
No resistance whatever was made by the
Jail officials. The Sheriff merely refused
to deliver up The keys of the Jail when re-
quested quietly TO do so, but after the doors
had been battered down the lynchers were
not interfered with.
The crime for which Garfield suffered
his terrible punishment was committed last
Tuesday night. He had been paying marked
attentions for n year past to Mrs. Mollie
Gerkin, a beautiful widow. Garfield wished
her to marry him, but'as divorce suit was
pending between the woman and her hus-
band, she was unable to comply. A week
ago last Friday Garfield and the woman
came to Vincennes from Washington, Ind.
She obtained work in boarding house,
while he spent his time in idly loafing
about. Tuesday evening he called ut the
house where she was staying and requested
his sweetheart to- take walk with him.
She complied with apparent willingness,
and the two strolled down Main street and
turned in the direction of the bridge. Sud
denly, without moments warning, Cam
field threw his arms around Mrs. Gherkin' s
neck and kissed her. At the same moment
he drew a revolver from his pocket and
sent bullet crashing into the marble fore
head that rested lovingly and confidingly
on his shoulder. His victim sank to the
earth without groan, but not salts
fed with the result of his dcvilish
work he fired four more shots at her
as she lay PROSTATE on the ground. A great
crowd gathered and in the excitement
Garfield escaped. He fed 10 Washington
and went TO his sisters house, telling her
what he had done, at the same time hand
ing her knife and revolver These his sis
ter threw into vault The murderer spent
the night hidden in the woods near his
mothers house. ard was captured curly
Thursday morning by the officers, who had
followed closely on his heels. Brought
back to Vincennes, he refused to give any
motive for his deed but declared that he
was sober and rational at the time of its
commission. Garfield was but % years of
age He was known as hard character,
and had spent most of his time working in
coal mines. Mrs. Gherkin died yesterday
morning, and the plans for lynching her
murderer were immediately consummate1