Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1885-07-23
JUDGE LYNCH'S GREAT BOOM.
The Number of Executions by Mob
Law Since January 1.
From the Chicago Trihune.


The success of the people of Texas
~ getting rid Of twelve horSe>thieves
yesterday without the laws delays or
uncertainties calls attention to the re-
markable boom which Judge Lynch
is having this year. In the section OF
Texas where the trees were thus loads
ed down with gallows fruit il is to be
presumed that justice of any kind is
scarce IN the market and hard 90 GET.
so that people have 10 manufacture
their own article, the regular old
slow going market either being too
far away or too limited to supply the
demand. There is consolation how
ever, that the home made justice, like
all other home made articles, is stout,
reliable and effective.
The operations of Judge Lynch
however, are not confined to horse
thieves in Texas. HIS boom is quite
general. Since the first of January
the number Of scoundrels lynched in
various parts Of the country is 80, of
whom 90 were males and 8 females,
So whites ard Al colored. As usual.
the South takes more than three>
fourths of the lot, having rs against
"a credited to the North. In detail
the States are represented as follows:
Alabama 3, Arkansas 1, Florida 2,
Georgia 2, Iowa 5, Kansas 8,
Kentucky 8, Maryland /, Mississippi 6.
Missouri 6, North Carolina 2, Neb-
raska 2, Ohio 8, Oregon 2, Tennes-
see z, Texas 81, Virginia 2, West
Virginia In the Territories: New
Mexico 2, Indian Territory z, Dakota
1, Montana 8, Washington 1. It may
also be of interest to know that of
these SO departed citizens Al were
lynched for murder, 81 for horse and
cattle stealing, IA for rape, 3 for in
cendiarism, two for train wrecking,
3 for murderous assault, 2 for un~
known reasons, and 1 for burglary.
These returns, it will be observed, are
for six months, and their significance
will be apparent when it is stated
that the number Of lynchings last
year was 1913. which was an increase of
nearly 100 over 1883. The number
of lynchings thus far IN this year has
steadily increased month by month,
SO that at this ratio the total for the
year will considerably exceed $50.
Hanging does not keep anything like
an even pace with lynching, though
the volume of crime for the first six
months Of this year is far in excess of
what it was last year during the
same period. Last year there were
1913 criminals hanged, but this year
thus far there have been but forty
two. At this ratio the number of ex>
ecutions will be much smaller than
In any year since 1875.
Texas takes the lead Ia lynchings,
as it does in crime. More murders,
for instance, have been reported by
telegraph from that State than from
any other State la the union. Am
org the Southern States Georgia,
Keatucky and Tennessee come the
nearest to it, but it has three times as
many as any of these. It would be
curious to compare Mississippi with
Texas, but murder is such an every
day occurrence there that it is not con-
sidered news, and hence it is not teie-
graphed unless it is characterized by
circumstances Of unusual Importance.
With all this crime rampant III Texas
but two cases of legal hangings have
been reported from the State, which
shows that justice is In bad way
there and sufficiently accounts for the
enterprise of the people In administer
ing thirty-one cases themselves.
Take it all around il is an unhealthy
year for criminals. The legal hang
man may not keep pace with them
owing to the obstacles which stand in
his way, but Judge Lynch is doing
well IN his efforts to keep up some~
thing like q due relation between
crime AID its punishment.