, 1888-12-27

maUU, even 70 popular tumuIt, 10 eueCt
his pardon, the father ..undauntedly de.
The mayor assisted the executioner to lead
the ouIprit toward the place Of pun.
ishment but they we're impeded by
the appearance OF mob, led by
members Of the mothers family, demand
ing mercy. Finding he could not ''accom.
plish the ends Of justice at the accustomed
place and by the usual hands, he, by
desperate victory over parental feeling,
resolved himself to perform the sacrifice
which he had vowed 70 repay, on its altar.
Still retaining hold Of his unfortunate son,
he mounted with him by winding stair
within the building that led TO an arched
window overlooking the street. which he
saw filed with the populace. Here he sc.
cured the end of the rope, which had pre-.
viously been fixed round the neck of his
son. to an iron staple which projected
from the wall, and, after taking from him
q last embrace, he launched him into eter-
nifty" The people, 'overawed by the
n,aRnanirnous act. retired slowly and
The house is said to be yet standing in
Lombard street. which Is now known by
the name Of 4i
DEAD MANS LANE"
"Over the front doorway are to be seen
skull and cross.bones. executed in black
MARBLE" with the motto. Remember
Deathe; Vanitie OF Vanitie. and All Is but
Vauitie." ..,.
However we may ad dmire or condemn the
stern sense of justice and hospitality which
led this Irisb father to administer the law
upon bis own son, it can not be said that
the punishment was inflicted by ''private,
unauthorized persons without a legal
trial On the contrary, it was the inflic.
tion Of legal penalty, by An authorized
official, after a regular trial and in the
teeth of popular clamor.
Although the term 'lynch law" did not
of this act, IL did orig mate in the actions
Of a descendant of the family OF Lynches of
Galway. of which the mayor was ut that
time u pro,L nent representative Accord
ing to Hardiman and Dalton the Lynch
family came to Ireland with the first
English invaders, over 600 years ago. A
younger son migrated west to Galway,
"where his line acquired much property
and. until the middle of the seventeenth
century, was one of the most influential
families" Pierce Lynch was the
and, during the next 200 years, no less
than eiQhty-four mayors were Lyncbes.
OF this ancient stock was Charles Lynch.
the progenitor of the Virginia family of
that name. Early in the eighteenth CEN
tury. as a truant schoolboy, be was pun
ished by his mother and sent back to his
books. Not fancying the prospect of fur
ther discipline at the hands of his teacher.
he went aboard a vessel just ready to sail
for the new world, and was soon ahoat on
the rough Atlantic without money and
without friends On arriving out the cap
tain, as was customary in those days, put
the Irish boy up for sale to the highest
bidder. to work out his passage monay.
His bright appearance and the story OF his
adventure attracted the attention and
moved the sympathy of Christopher Clark,
rich Virginia planter, who bought
his services and took him home.
He was treated as a son and grew up to
manhood. developing ability and unusual
ties in cultivatin9 the affections Of Sarah
Clark, the daughter OF his protector, whom
in the course of time he married. They
settled in Albermarle county. OF their
five children two died unmarried. Charles
before he was 10 wears of age, married
Anna, daughter of Henry Ferrell; and
Sarah married Micsjah Ferrell. Charles
Lynch, the immigrant, accumulated land
rapidly, some of 1t on the James River,
at the present site of LynchburR, and
some of 1t on the Staunton. In it's distri-
button the James River property fell to
the lot of John Lynch; whilst that on the
Staunton was set off to Charles Lynch. who
settled upon his broad acres, and lived the
life of u rich planter, in the midst of his
family and slaves.
From 1925 to the period of the revolu-
tion, Quakerism made rapid progress in
Virginia, thriving. as usual, under perse-
cution. Among tho converts were tho
Clark, Ferrell and Lynch families.
SARAH CLARK LYNCH
carried her children with her into the 80.
ciety. and organized, in her own house
and with her family only, the first Quaker
meeting near Lynch's Ferry-a meeting
that afterward expanded into large pro.
portions. Charles Lynch. second of the
name, from the dtte of his marriage in
January, 1755, was an active and inhuen.
tial member of the Society Of Friends
clerk Of the monthly meeting. Whatever
may have been the process of decline, as
the Quakers doubtless thought it, he be-
came unsatisfactory to the society, and,
in 1867, was disowned for taking solemn
oaths, contrary TO the order and discipline
of Friends" IA the minutes Of the meet
ing express it.
Though Charles Lynch ceased to be a
Quaker. he did not lose the leading posi-
tlon among the people Of his section of
Virginia. which his ability and force of
character had secured. From tho begiu-
ming of the controversy between the colon
leo and England he was an ardent Whig
patriot. When the revolution broke out
he naturally and easily came to the front
as o leader. While majority of the peo-
pie were patriotic Wings there were yet
many tories, who sympathized. with and
sustained the English government, and
confidently counted on the failure of the
revolt. As in all disturbed conditions Of