Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-03-14
A BLOW AT LYNCH.
The Judge Gets a Check on
His Operations.
LYNuH LAWS FIRST DOWNFALL.

Four of q Mob, One a Woman and the
Wife of the Victim, Found Guilty Of
Murder in the First Degree-The Story
of the Crime-A Brutal Outrage on y
Girl-Doubie Murder I'm Iowa.
WHITEHALL, Wis, March l4-Ole C.
Sletto, Ole j. Hanson, and Bertha NJ OLE
son were yesterday found guilty of murder
in the first degree for completely in the
lynching of Hans Jacob Oleson, on Sunday,
Nov. a. The prisoners listened with ashen
faces as the clerk slowly read the verdict.
When he reached and pronounced the word
guilty" laying a slight but clearly percepti-
| BILE emphasis thereon, the widow of the muir
dered man sank back in her seat with a
choking gasp For a moment she covered
| her face with her hands, and then hurried
| " looked around az il an idea of possible
escape had occurred to her She had heard
no further than the fatal word guilty" Her
son and Ole Sletto received the verdict al
most stolidly, the former betraying little IL
any excitement Young Hanson heard the
clerk TO the end, and then began to shift I'M
| easily in his seat hut in few moments he,
too, resumed an appearance of composure.
The three prisoners were in few minutes
taken back to their cells, the woman utter
ing occasional low cries of terror at the fate
| TO which she expects to be condemned.
a satisfactory Verdict.
Among the spectators the verdict was
| freely commented upon, and the majority
| were totally unprepared for such a result.
| IL was the general opinion that Setto would
be convicted of murder, but il was thought
| Mrs. Hanson and her son would escape with
, lighter punishment On the whole, how
| ever, the verdict has given satisfaction. The
| jury was discharged and the sentence on
| Ole Sletto Sr., Bertha NJ Oleson and Ole j.
| Hanson, with Charles johnson, the con-
fessed murderer, was deferred. Immediately
after this verdict had been returned and the
succeeding excitement had in some measure
subsidized, the parties arrested and held on
the double charge of riot and lynching OLE
| son. twenty-five in number, were arraigned
in court.
Generous in His Misfortune.
Mr. Frawley, attorney for Charles John
son, the man who led the mob, and who had
air eady confessed TO being guilty Of murder
| in the first degree, addressed the court, say
ing that his client wished it understood that
the rioters We're d by him, and that it was
| at his instigation that the crime was COM
mitted He therefore asked for the clemency
of the court on their behalf Judge New
man Immediately passed sentence upon the
rioters fixing the penalty at 900 and costs
of prosecution, or six months in the county
Jail, except in the case of Ebert Oeson who,
has been already three months in Jail, and
! whose fine was fixed at $50, or three months
in Jail.
The Lswless Crime.
Sunday night, Nov. "a, mob of thirty or
| thirty-ive men marched to Oleson's house.
committee consisting of John McKivering,
Dick Martin James Nelson and Henry Han
son was appointed to bring the old man out
| He was dragged from his bed in his night
robe. but was allowed to dress in the snow.
The mob showed him rope with a moose
| in it,
"Wil YOU leave the country to escape
| hangingT was asked
"No" he answered This is my home, and
/ am going to stay here till God calls me
away
| Hung Him Three Times.
The leader threw the moose around his neck
and hoistei him to the limb of a tree. Then
they let him down and asked him if he would
leave, He said "No." They pulled him w
again and again let him down He said he
was sick and they carried him back to the
house and gave him glass of water. While
he was drinking the crowd voted to hang
him for good. Twenty men pulled the rope
and the victim was left swinging from the
tree. Some of the lynchers went inside and
had supper with Mrs Olson and the family
| and two of the leaders staid all night
| Because He Was Unpopular.
The only reason given for the lynching
was Blossoms general unpopularity. He was
doubtless half demented and he had threat
ened to kill several men He frequently
beat his wife, and "a witness testified at the
trial that she said when he was strung up
THAT is good enough for you, Hans; you
have done that to me lots of times