The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-02-05
The Jail Building at Audubon Surrounded by
Five Hundred Men, and the Sheriff
and His Deputies Imprisoned.
Two of the Prisoners Shot Dead in Their
Cells, After Savage Fight.
The Third, the Son of the Murdered Man,
Hanged to Band Stand in the Park
History of the Crime.
THREE mURDERERs LYNcHED.
Five Hundred Men Break in the Doors of
Jail and Kill Three Prisoners.

OalI ana hlll Inree PrlSOnerSs
DEs MONIES, Ia. Feb. 4.-This morning, about
o'clock, John A Smythe, Joel j. Wilson. and
Cicero B. Jefferson, the murderers Of Hiram
Jefferson, in April, 1884, were killed in or near
the Jail at Audubon, this State. About 2 o'clock
Sheriff Herbert and his family, Deputy Sheriff
Workman and /. III. Conkins, who were sleeping
upstairs in the jail, were awakened by raps on
the front door The Jail is two-story brick
that is, the residence portion-but the jail
| proper is in the rear, and is only
one story in height. Inside is an iron cage con-
| tanning two cells.
The sheriff went to the window and asked
what was wanted. The answer was, 1--WE want
to see you' The sheriff inquired what was
wanted of him, and the reply came, I'VE want
| the Jefferson murderers."
| The sheriff looked and saw what he estimated
at from 800 to 70C men gathered about the Jail.
He told them the prisoners were in his charge as
an officer, and he would not give up the keys
but would defend and protect the prisoners
The answer was that they did not propose to al
low the prisoners to leave town in the night, as
| 1t was rumored that the sheriff contemplated
removing them. The sheriff told the crowd that
if they woul 60 away he would take the pris
oners away in day time and would tell when it
would be done, but would neither give up the
keys nor the prisoners
| voice cried Herbert every man here is
| your friend, and we know duty as we'll as
| you do, but we are here on business
and for business, and we want no fooing about
it; We are no mob. but a body of determined
citizens. We came for tho Jefferson murderers
and we are going to have them at whatever cost.
We will not interfere with you unless are
compelled to do so, but we warn you not to in
terfere."
Tie sheriff stepped back. grabbed navy re-
volyer and commenced firing over the heads
of the crowd to frighten them and
| alarm the town, but the town was
alfs&sy ons hand, and a bullet through
the window glass where he was standing showed
that the,crowd meant business.
In thcsfnal room leading to the jail are the
stairs leading to the upper story; this room is
guarded by iron doors, and another one opens
| into the Jail from the room. These were so ar
ranged for the purpose of protecting the Jail
from without, but this time they protected the
crowd and imprisoned the sheriff and his depu-
ties The officers attempted to open them,
but the crowd drove rods into the key
holes and the doors were then secure.
The walls of the Jail proper were then attacked
with sledges, and soon q large hole was made.
Men rushed inside and fastened the ether door,
and the officers were powerless. There was
high board fence running through the court
yard, and after the prisoners were captured,
Smythe and Wilson were hung to stringers of
fha hon p1p ha;yo Is
pose. Cicero, the son. was hanged to a band
stand about the center of the square, Smythe
was killed by a bullet wound in the forehead,
and he received another in the face and several
in the body.
The prisoners in Jail with the victims say that
about 2 o'clock they were awakened by the
breaking in of the walls of the Jail, and nine
masked men stepped in. In the east cell, in an
iron cage, were sleeping Smythe, Wilson and
another prisoner, and Cicero Jefferson and three
others occupied the west cell Smythe and Will
son tried to barricade their cell with the bed
clothes. With sledge hammers and cold chisels
the doors were broken down. and once in the
corridor of the Jail, the padlocks were soon
broken When the cells were open, the crowd
called for the Jelson mur1erers 70 come out.
KILLING THE PRISONERS.
Smythe seized broom handle and struck one
man, who fired at once the ball striking Smythe
square in the left eye, and he fell stone dead.
Wilson backed into corner of tho cell. and
said if he died he would die game and grabbing
chair he struck at any one within reach. Be-
ing driven from the corner by man with a
crowbar, he made a dash for the opening with
the chair, but was stopped by bullet. He
kept up the fight until third shot was fired,
when he fell Both bodies we're then dragged
from the cage through hole in the Jail wall
and while they were all gone, probably hanging
the bodies to the fence stringers Cicero breathed
easier and thought they would not take him.
The prisoners with him told him if he had any
thing to say he had better say it. He then told
them that the three committed the murder. and
that bis confession as made when arrested. was
true
Soon the crowd came back and told Cicero to
come out and he did So They threw a rope
over his head, and that was the last they saw of
him. The crowd that filed the Jail was not
mob at all, in the usual sense of the term,
but well-organized body of deliberate men,
who went quietly to work in systematic
manner, and accomplished their purposes with
out any unnecessary noise. They were all
masked, and those who did most of the shooting
were apparently young men, but acted under
the orders of leader The prisoners
state that Smythe and Wilson some.
times talked badly regarding some of
the citizens, and frequently made threats
OF personal violence if they were liberated
Only yesterday they boasted that when they
were brought up for trial at Atlantic they would
spot all who testified against them, and, If re-
leased would come back and ride through the
streets of Audubon, striking terror into the
hearts of its citizens
A cOroners jury was impaneled and an in
euestheld They returned verdict that Smythe