The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1886-03-24
SWINGING FROM TREES.
Three Desperad0es Summarily
Dealt with in Indiana.
A Father, Brother and Sons Muir
derous Career.

Three leaders Of gang of desperadoes in
Martin county, Ind, have just received sum-
mary punishment at the hands of midnight
band of lynchers. Details of the affair are
as follows:
Precisely at 11:30 o'clock vigilance COM
nittee of about 100, composed Of men from
Martin and Orange counties, surrounded the
Jail at Shoals The lyncherS were very quiet
and orderly, and the sheriff was first
aroused by the barking of his dog,
followed by a knock on the door.
He asked who was there, and the answer
was crashing in of the front door. fol-
lowed by heavy blows which completely
Jail door and knocked off the lock and were
dismayed to find another which would
not yield to blows. After about
crowd i' was found who understood opening
the cell door, It yielded to his efforts
and the lynchers rushed in and grabbed
all three of the intended victims, Thomas,
Martin, and John Archer, the latter the
son of Thomas, the lingleaders of
The mob was provided with the necessary
tools, both to get in and to capture them if
they made any resistance Several of them
had long iron hooks with which to grab the
prisoners around the neck if they resisted
without endangering their own lives.
When the Archer gang saw the lynchers
they offered no resistance, and when asked if
they had anything to say they refused to
speak. Their hands were tied behind their
backs, and they were taken over to the court
house yard. They were again asked if they
still no reply being given by any of them
they were unceremoniously strung
up to young maple trees. Tom Archer, the
oldest one Of the gang, about sixty years of
age, was hanged first. Martin Archer,
brother to Tom, aged about forty-five years,
was suspended next. John Archer, son Of
Tom Archer, who was about thirty years old,
was hanged to tree with his hands tied be-
hind him, about thirty feet from his father.
The crimes for which the three men were
hanged comprise almost everything in the
criminal calendar from murder to petty
thieving For twenty-five years they had
Orange counties, and had terrorized the
community in which they lived until the
people did not know when they went
to bed at night whether they would he nlur-
dered before morning or their houses burned
down. They never failed to visit vengeance
for fancied slight, and many farmer in
Orange and Martin counties has lost consider
able sums OF money Dy caring rODDery, Ine
theft of cattle, or the burning down of
barns and houses. Martin Archer had
a family living in Southwest Town
ship, Orange county, who are
well thought Of. Two Of his children are
young ladies teaching school in that section
of the country. Old Tom Archer, as he was
called, lived in Martin county, Columbia
township, and had large family, every one
of whom are under indictments for larceny,
arson and murder, and bear a bad name
generally. John Archer formerly lived
In Columbia township, and in the past year
had been living seven miles east of Vincenues,
where he was captured two months
ago and brought to Shoals by Sheriff Padg-
ett The chief cause for their being hanged
was the confession Of John Lynch, another
member Of the gang, who is in the Washing
ton Davies county, Jail. He made con-
fession and told where the bones Of a man
named Bunch, one of the vic
tins, were. They were found in two differ
ent graves, the body having been cut length
wise, and each piece being buried separate.
1t seems that unknown parties followed the
officials when they went to the place where
Bunch was buried and saw them exhume the
remains. Word was Immediately spread
over the country, and the vigilants prepared
themselves accordingly.