Los Angeles herald., 1892-08-21
TORRES LYNCHBD.
He Was Strung Up
by a Mob.
Orange County's First Ille-
gal Execution.
The Slayer Of VIM. McKelvey
Pays the Penalty.
Taken From the Jail at Midnight
by Masked Men
And Hanged to a Telegraph Pole
in Santa Ana.
The Work Done Secretly, Quickly
and Thoroughly.
History of Torres's Crime and It's Terri
BILE Expiation-No. Clue to the
Identity of the Members
And Hanged to Telegraph Pole
in Santa Ana.
The Work Done Secretly, Quickly
and Thoroughly.
History of Torres's Crime and Its Terri
BILE Expiation-No Glue to the
Identity of the Members
of the Mob.
Three dollars.

Three dollars.
Just one little poll tax, with the de-
linquent penalty added.
Such was the price of two lives in
Orar kounty, both taken oy violence
Tl st victim of this most deplorable
affaf Was William McKelvey, foreman
on Nine, Modjeska's ranch in the San
tiaRo cafipn, few miles above the towr
Of Orange
The second life to be offered up wat
that of Francisco Torres, the slayer o.
McKelvey.
At an early hour yesterday morning
the body of Torres was found hanginf
Fourth and Sycamore streets, in Sants
Ana, dead. This is the whole story
briefly told.
AS soon as the news of the lynchine
reached Los Angeles, HERALD reporter
was dispatched to the scene of the oc-
currence. 1t is impossible to imagine 9
more quiet place than Santa Ana was
yesterday afternoon. No one was sur.
prised; no one was excited; everyone
appeared to take the affair as matter
of course.
HOW THE LYNCHING WAS DONE.
The story of the lynching is as fol-
lows, as narrated to the HERALD re-
porter:
The body of Torres was first discov-
cred by George E. Morgan, night pa
trolman, who was coming up Fourth
street at about O'Clock yesterday morn.
ing. He was accompanied by DIR. Hill
Morgan first noticed the body. but
mistook it for an efigy. Closer in
spection revealed the true nature of the
case, and hasty examination by DR.
Hill showed that the man was quite
dead. The dead man was dressed only
in an undershirt and pair of overalls
ION his breast was pinned placard OF
which was written "Change of Venue.
THE JAILoR's STORY.
! Robert Cogburn, the watchman al
the Jail, says that shortly before
O'Clock, Saturday morning, he heard Q
crowd coming toward the Jail, and some
one called out to him to open the door
This he refused to do, even after threats
had been made by the crowd to break il
in. The threat was carried out, for one
member of the crowd Immediately
struck the door with fifteen-pound
sledge hammer, knocking in the panel
next to the lock. Two or three addit-
ional blows Just above the lock com.
pleted that job. and the door swung
open. Two masked men grappled with
,Cogburn and showed him into room at
the side of the entrance to the Jail,
threw him upon bed and demanded
the keys to the Jail. These were given
up, and the watchman was told to re-
main in this room. The masked mer
shut the door, but did not lock it. They
entered the Jail, took Torres out and
hanged him as above stated. The rest
of Cogburn's story can be told in his
own words:
heard some pitiful yells in the room
after they went in, but they only re-
mained in the Jail two or three mo-
ments. / have no idea how many men
were in the room. They passed out
and through the hall, all of them going
out. / stood In the room for minute
or two, and then put my hand against
the door, and showing it back ,came into
the Jail. There were three prisoners in
the Jail besides Torres, and the inner
door was open when / came out. There
was spring lock lying on the floor.
went to the door and called to the night
watchman. I heard someone talking
and noise on the corner of Sycamore
and Fourth streets, and I stsrted to
gone more than three or foul
eight men, who cried Haiti" They
all had pistols, which they pointed al
me. / stopped and went back into the
Jail, where stayed for a few minutes,
and then came out again. There were
some men on the platform in front oi
the mill. could not see how many
there were, because I could not see
them distinctly, but could hear their
voices. | decided not to go up to the
corner of Fourth and Sycamore streets
until heard from them. / was just
starting to go to the marshal's house,
when Mr.. Morgan, the night watchman,
came down and said there was man
hanging to the telephone pole, at the
corner, and he went up to notify the
marshal. The men wore masks, and
returned to the Jail at l 10 a. M, and,
after picking up aledge hammer and
hat, left"
FURTHER DETAILS.
Assoon as the mob gained possession
Of Torres they bound his hands with
small cords. His mouth was gagged with
towels to stop his cries, and it is sup.
posed that when they got him to the
scene Of the hanging, he was more than
half dead from fright and strangulation
At the corner Of Fourth and Sycamore
streets the moose was prepared, in &
true hangman's knot, and placed about
his neck. Contrary to custom, the kno'
was placed under the right ear, and in
pulling him up, the rope came across
the mouth of the victim, cutting hi
lower lip, and making his naturally
prominent teeth stick out in 4 horrible
manner. he was 9 hideoua eight.
These preparations completed, moth
ing remained but to pull away on the