The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1889-06-03
DEATH TO THE JACKALS
Spoilers of the Dead Receive
Swift Justice from
Judge Lynch.

JoHNsTowN, June 8, 1885, The horror of
the flood was not enough-the mangled
and distorted bodies of the dead proved
tempting bait for ghouls from every place
within reach, especially from Pittsburg
and pockets have been rifled for money,
fingers have been cut off for the rings
upon them, and even the bodies of the
women-the wives, the mothers and the
daughters of the dead community-were
shorn Of their ears for the sake of the
jewels IN them. Nothing was sacred from
the fiends.
But the people have risen in their wrath
and their vengeance is terrible. Trees
from which the bodies of the drowned
were taken are turned into gallows trees
by the outraged survivors, and the de-
spoilers Of the dead are shot upon sight.
1t is not yet known just how many have
paid with their lives the. penalty Of their
sacrilege, but it is something startling.
Organized bands of robbers are looting
the houses that were beyond reach of the
food, and they are being shot like pole
cats Most of them are Huns, and they
carry their booty up into the hills when
ever they can escape unscathed.
The whole section is being ruled by
lynch law, and it may be found necessary
to call out the militia, not SO much to
preserve order as to protect the people
from men wolves who are coming
in from every side. When
the citizens first charged upon
the vampires, baby's finger
was found in the pocket of the ringleader.
He fell upon his craven knees and begged
like whipped hound to be allowed to
live, but the ears he addressed were deaf
just anger had rendered the hearts of
the avengers as hard as stone. A rush, a
rope, coward howl of despair, and the
human jackal swung to and fro in the
air.
The people are as mad with rage to-
day as they were three days ago with grief
and horror. Their anger knows no
bounds, and in the meantime the foreign
laborers are crazy with debauchery. They
drink whiskey from buckets, and scream
and dance like maniacs. The authorities
have not the slightest control over them,
and the people are in terror of what they
will do next. They are herd of delirious
brutes and no one knows to what eX-
tremes their wild fancieS will carry them.
And in the meantime the heavy air
grows more and more sickening with the
awful smell from the decaying bodies,
which are more numerous than logs after
freshet.
In direct contrast to this is the advent
of Clara Barton at the head of her band
of merciful angels, the Red Cross Society.
Their presence is felt everywhere.
Rough, clumsy men have been relieved
by those tender nurses, whose labors of
love have made many q battle field seem
less terrible and bloody.
They walk noiselessly about in the big
church that serves as a hospital, easing
the sufferings of the wounded and calm
ing as best they can the half crazed sur
viyors. They can be seen making their
way through the ruined streets directing
the work of dragging out the victims.
Ex-Sheriff Dick drove seven Hungarians
into the Conemaugh river at Kerinville
this morning and kept them there until
all were drowned. They had been cought
stealing from the dead bodies and looting
private buildings. Sheriff Dick says that
he will stand no more nonsense of this
kind and will shoot, hang or drown every
Hun in Cambria county if necessary to
put stop to their fiendish lawlessness.