The state herald., 1893-08-04
LYNCHING AT DENVER.
AN OLD SOLDIER AVENGED.
A mig Mob with Little Dinlcuity Cap.
lures tho County jail and
HAngs Dan Aratn, an
Italian Murderer.

HAn8s Dan Aratn, an
italian Murderer.
Denver was disgraced by lynchlng on the
night Of Wednesday the Goth. 1t can be said
however that the victim Of the mob was
guilty and richly deserved his fate.
The man lynchea was Dan Arata who on
the day previous while partially intoxicated
foully murdered Benjamin G. Lightfoot
highly respected citizen and member of the
g. A. R. Lightfoot was killed in Arata's
saloon near tho Union depot without any
provocation whatever. Arata, who Is an
italian, had been ugly all day and was look
Ing for some one to wrcak vengeance upon
when Lightioot dropped Into the saloon for a
drink of beer on his way home from work.
Arata shot and pounded Llgh,foot to death
and threw the body Into nh alley. lie was
arrested but denied committing the crime.
Aratn had killed man before and had been
cleared by an alibl sworn to by Italians.
There were rumors of lynching during
tho day, and at 8 o'clock party OF army
veterans and others formed ut Eighteenth
and Larimer streets and started for the jail
for the purpose Of avenging Lighthouse
death. As tho crowd progressed 1t was aug
mented by thousands OF men, crying "Hnng
the Dago."
At Fourteenth street the excitement be-
came so Intense that the crowd began TO run,
and then the rush 10 the jail became perfect
race, each man apparently In the greatest
alarm lest some others should get there and
rob him Of tho privilege Of assisting at the
hideous task To get to the Jail in the short-
est possible time became everybody's aim,
and breaking from the original masa great
parties OF 800 or more swept along every
street, each taking tho way that occurred to
1t as the shortest
At shortly after o o'clock the square about
The jail was throngcd by an excited mob of
more than 10000 men. The leaders lost no
time In speech.making. Without moments
delay four OF them dashed up the steps to the
north or main entrance. They were met
there by Captain Crews, who demanded what
they wanted
"Wewan that brutal ilend of Dago you've
got here" replied the spokesman, In low
voice. you'll give him up!'
~ will not" was all the jaller said. but his
tone evidently meant business and the door
closed with clang.
"Then we'll take him." yelled the leaders
of the mob, and they explained as best they
could to their pushing, struggling compan-
ions below what Captain Crews had said, and
the task that was before them.
When the actual work OF brcsklng In was
decided upon, state OF things developed
that showed clearly the spontaneous growth
al L.. H.. -t,.t. ~. t1,..r.
was not a tool OF even the dimensions of n
tack hammer. No one had given n thought
TO thing beyond the simple getting Of his
own person TO the scene Of action. Now for a
few moments all was confusion and uproar.
IA slcdgc! sledgc!" hundred threats
would yell. "Brlng n crow or n sledge,'
would come the echo from q thousand or
more, but to no one did Il seem to occur TO 60
and get the tools himself Then principally
for want OF other occupation those on the
porch began to tear down the storm doors.
In an instant Constable George Welsh was
among them, cutting and batting them right
and left with his fists and kicking the whole
dozen or so OF the steps altogether. His
fearless pluck and determination evidently
awed the mob, and had It been followed up at
once by the rcsolute action OF even dozen
others, the mob, big MS It WITS, could probably
have been dispersed without further trouble.
But the support did not come. the proper OPP
portunity was allowed to slip by and from
that minute the final result became newt
able.
him companion bearing siedgc. Without
word these two trampcd up the steps and
the next minute n dull thud. followed by n
ringing clank Of metal against metal, an
nounccd that the first actual blows were
struck and the crowd fairly shrlcked with de-
lighted satisfaction.
Then blow after blow echoed and rc-cchocd
In way that told plainly that the slcdge wa.
being welded by men who knew how To use
1t. All this time the guards within the i.il
had been keeping very quiet, but now they
could be seen through the windows, running
about, evidently preparing for defense. The
FIRST result Of this movement became apparent
when the light on the porch suddenly went
out leaving the workers In darkness-thc gas
had been turned OF inside the jail. For
few moments this caused n lull In the .lcdgIng.
but then candle was produced. and soon a
Kerosene lamp, and tho banging Of the ham
mer started up again with redoubled yigor
amid tremendous yelling by the crowd.
The entrance nj which thu, attack was be-
Ing made Is peculiarly strongly situated for
defense. 1t perhaps ten feet above the
ground, reached by n flight OF n dozen step.
and porch not over Ave feet wide. This
gave The attacking party very scant room for
work. The door itseif Il double, tho outer
one being Of Iron aud steel bars, the inner of
solid Iron. The outer or cage door had of
course TO be overcome nrst, md the sl-drlny
for all 1t was kept up perslstently aud with
vigor. had very little effect The crowd soon
began to be impatient, and ironeai shouts OF
"Goin' to 10 all nigh, about that doori. were
going up on every eide, when all at once
there was change. A big bravny miner ap-
pcared on the porch. and he had his miners
pick with him. With wave Of his hand he
got the other workers out Of the way and
struck scientific blow at the ,toncvork
about the hinges The splin,crs and chip.
few In every direction. and II was evident ia
nmoment that n very few more such stroke.
would settle the door. The guard. inside cy.
identity appreciated this As we'll NJ anybody.
for they a, once ceased their Fabian tactics,
and, throwing open the solid inside door,
turned the fire hose on the lirht Of tho At.
iaekers. This caused another delay. while
the illumination was rciit, only TO be ex,in
guished In the same way once again. The
ncxi time the ligh,-holders III up they put
their hats before tho lamp. aud candles.
while oihcrs tore on one Of the storm doors
and pressed It against the grating To break
the force OF the stream from the faecs OF the
workers, end then the hammer began again.
The struggle continued IN this war for
some time One Of the guards inside the jaii
fired on the besiegrr and n colored boy vas
wounded In the hip, This Increased rather
than diminished the real u tho mob
street ears wcr stopped aud tho headlights
taken on 10 furnish light for the men at work
upon ihc door.
Other pnftIra bsyan wntL o,an m. a,,...