The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-06-07
JUDGE HOKE's STORY.
How He Lynched q Man in Order to Save
Valuable Time.

How He Lynched q Man in Order to Save
Valuable Time.
LOUSY lille Courier Journal.
Eyes, those outlaws up in the mountains that
Judge Finley has to deal With pretty rough
characters, but believe could handle Them"
remarked Judge Hoke to some friends yester-
day
mo doubt you could if you had the State mil
itary to back you up" remarked one OF the
friends.
II wouldn't want the military at all" inter
rupted the Judge 81 would simply 60 up there,
show those fellows / meant to do my duty at all
COSTS and then give them chance to back
down. tell you, human nature is pretty much
the same everywhere, and the most desperate
characters will back down when they
you mean business, If you only give them
chance"
''That plan would do very well until you con-
yicted some one, but then some fellow would
come up TO settle with you with big horse pis-
tol, urged one Of the Judges skeptical compan-
ions.
mo. they wouldn't. The way would do would
be to hang a scoundrel as soon as / could convict
him. The minute the jury would find one Of
them guilty would sentence him and wind up
by saying to the sheriff. Take the prisoner out,
Mr. Sheriff. and hang him Immediately Yes,
sir; | would hang him right upon the conviction.
Then, you see, his friends wouldn't have an OPP
portunity to interfere with the court, or take
him out of jail or do anything else. That's the
plant"
'.And that reminds me of a case number of
years ago" resumed the Judge, aftera moments
silence. ut was when travel was done mostly
by water, and when all the hard characters
could be found along the river. We were COM
ing up on boat One day a fellow came on
board and shot one of the passengers He was
captured and disarmed before he could get to
land. The men on the boat at once began to
collect jury and form a court to try the fellow
before letting Judge Lynch take charge of his
body. got up on box and harangued them in
e4x,1o. Il or 7 Ioy %1n
sense in consuming time in trying this fellow.
Courts try men to learn ii they guilty of
crime. We know this man is guilty of murder,
for we saw him shoot and kill afellow passenger.
Therefore, | am in favor of hanging him inn
mediatey and without trial, in order to save val
liable time
after this mastery effort 1 thought every
body would see it as l did. But they didn't.
They insisted on giving the fellow trial, and
went on calling jury. thought it was all
foolishness, and so did Buck Fanshaw, who was
with me. So quietly called the prisoner
aside and slipped him off to the rear of the boat
When We got him back to the cattle-deck we tied
his hands and put the vawl rope around his
neck. We then pulled it up tight over the
pulley and tied it to a post. All that was left
for US to do then was to shove the fellow off,
which we did in the most approved style. We
then went back to the front of the
boat, where we found the lynch conrt
in session and the trial in progress.
We kept quiet aud the prisoner was not missed
until the jury returned a verdict of guilty and
sentenced the prisoner to DEATH Then the
Judge asked for the prisoner to pass sentence
upon him. The court grew very excited when
his absence was discovered. | arose and said:
'Your Honor. Mr.. Fanshaw and myself took the
liberty to hang the prisoner. The court will
find him dangling to the yawl beam at the stern
of the steamer. The court and jury marched in
a body to the point Indicated, and passed APP
prevail upon our neat job of hanging. That's the
kind of business would do up in the mountains,
gentlemen" and the Judge hurried away to buy
q fire Jersey cow, which was being offered.