Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1889-06-07
CLEANING OUT THE GANG.
SOME STIRRING SCENES IN THE
EARLY DAYS OF RAWLINS, wy. 7.

EARLY DAYS OF RAWLINS, wy. 7.
Wild Times in the West, When Robberies
Were Openly Planned-The Lynching Of
Lacey and Opium Bob-Carter Allowed
to Escape Because He Was Half Decent.
Each Easter Sunday majority of the citi-
zens of the little town of Rawlins, Wy. T.,
walk out to the stock yards, gaze at the high
fences and great gates of the strong pens and
return to their homes OF course, the visit
has its significance 1t is in commemoration
of Wyonling's only double lynching, an event
which had the salutary effect of wrestling I'M
limited authority Of power from desperate
and lawless gang of thieves and murderers.
The town of Rawlins is quiet enough now,
but eight years ago it was one of the liveliest
of the many bustling communities Every
other house was gambling hell and the in
tervening buildings were dance halls of the
worst sort. There were three variety thea
tres in full blast, with club and wine rooms
attached
The auditorium of one of these two dens-
LAWNS Palace-was tent. Serious brawls
here were of nightly occurrence, and men were
frequently wounded and occasionally killed.
At the firing of the first shot there was al
ways grand scattering of non-combatants
Those nearest the walls whipped out knives,
slashed half moons in the canvas and leaped
through the improvised exits. In time there
wasn't a yard of intact material in the tent
THE LEADERS AND THEIR EAUNTs.
The recognized leaders of the thugs and
gamblers were Lacey, Opium Bob and Car
ter. 1t was strong triumvirate, and their
edicts were law. Lacey had been heavy
weight prize fighter, and had killed man in
a bar room row in New Mexico. Opium Bob
came from Chicago was a general crook and
a finished card sharp. He was the director
of the operations of the gang-prime min
lister to Lacey's rex. Carter had been range
foreman for big cattle outfit, but was dis
charged after months of dissipation and neg
lect of his duties He was the ''gun fighter"
of the party, was quick as wink with his re-
volver, an excellent shot and stranger to
fear Carter came from Texas.
This gang halted at nothing. They stole
cattle and horses by the herd, held up stage
coaches burglarized, sandbagged and cheated
at cards. They robbed half the stores in
town, but no one dared complain. Several
times they made men "stand and d,eliver' in
broad daylight. The reputation of the town
became so bad that drummers did their So
Letting by mail, and the doors of the pas
senger coaches were locked while trains halted
for as brief a time as possible A prominent
citizen suggested that the government be
called upon for assistance His house was
burned to the ground that night.
Scott Lilly, a tin horn gambler and opium
fiend, who was regarded as only hanger on,
was the traitor in the Lacey camp EARLY
one morning he confided to the sheriff, Ike
Miller, that on that very night the gang pur-
posed cracking the safes of the Hugus Com
mercial company, at Rawlins, and Fort
Steele, a military post twenty miles away.
There were no banks in the country at that
time, and the repositories in town and at the
post traders store contained large sums of
money Miller notified the commander at
Fort Steele, and he answered that the raiders
would be properly received. Then the cour-
ageous sheriff, determined to take stand
against the desperadoes, enlisted and organ
lied a formidable posse. Lacey heard of this,
but declared that the ''trici1 should be turned"
at all events.
The gang fell to drinking during the day
and there were several serious conflicts be-
tween citizens and members of the lawless
mob Late in the afternoon Miller and O
pair of deputies rushed into Chinese wash
house, where lively row was in progress.
Lacey, Opium Bob and Carter, drunk with
opium, had beaten one Chinainan to insensi-
bility and were making the same use of his
partner. The sheriff and his companions
leveled their six-shooters at the trio and
easily captured them, as the men were COM
pletely off guard. These deputies were Bill
Findly and Charles Landenberger. The for
mer had killed man who refused to
come to Glands up" He was subsequently
sergeant-at-arms for the territorial house of
Representatives. Landenberger was a stock
detective.
THEIR TOES TOUCHED THE GROUND.
The officers hurried their prisoners to the
county jail and the backbone of the worst
organization which ever 1ourished in the
west was broken. The joy of the respectable
element was i'll concealed and knew no
bounds Resentment was deep in their
breasts In power once more they proceeded
to rid the town of the Objectionable popula-
ton. More than 100 members of the gang
were forced to walk from the place.
| During the progress of public meeting in
celebration Of the redemption of the town
news was brought that the two Cinnamon
| beaten by the leaders of the gang were dead.
| A lynching party was publicly organized,
and, after securing arms and ropes, the
avengers marched to the county Jail, singing
on the way and carrying lanterns
Findly and Landenberger were guarding the
| prisoners by direction of Miller. Of course
| they were not foolish enough to resist the
strangers, and Lacey, Opium Bob and Car
! ter, wearing handouts, were soon heading a
| procession to the stock yards. The ceremo-
MES here were brief Lacey and Bob were
helpless with fear, and Carter announced
that he had nothing to say. Now, the latter
had been very decent sort of a fellow and
had some stanch friends in the crowd. 1t is
small wonder, then, that just an instant be-
fore the word to take the slack out of the
ropes was given, the moose was lifted over his
head and be was off into the sage brush and
through the darkness. 1t was utterly useless
| to hunt for him at that time.
Lacey and Opium Bob were strangled to
death. When they ceased gasping, kicking
and swinging their arms, the rope ends were
fastened to the fence on either side of the ex-
cellent scaifold made by building walk over
one of the stockyard gates.
| All this occurred the day and night preced-
ing Easter Sunday. The great Christian feast
| day was not observed as usual at Rawlins
that year. Lacey and Bob were not cut
| down until evening. They were black in the
| face, eyes protruded and tongues "lolled."
| Worst of all, the amateur executioners had
been careless, and the toes of the men touched
the ground. Their punishment was awful
They died in frightful agony.-Cheyenne
| IVY. ~ Cor. st. Louis Globe Democrat.
Cremation in England.
| The discussion carried on in several of the
morning papers as to whether, in connection
IL