The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1894-06-04

coIrAx. June 1-Fspscial. l-At about 1
o'clock this morning . mob surrounded
the Whitman county jail, forced the iailsr
TO yield mp the keys. broke into the iail
cells and took ont Ed Hill. the murderer
serving . sentsnce for assault and bat
teFy, and George r. Parker, who vas be-
ing tried for murder. The mob bound
them hand and foot dragged them from
the fail to the second floor landing of the
courthouse, then through the bailiirs
room TO the windows overlooking the bal
ustrads shove the main entrances
to the courtheuse. adjusted . moose
about each victims neck. and
hurled them ont 70 dangIe and dis.
Ia Hill vas dressed in . white undsrshirt
and drawers. The rope that was used
upon Hill was short. and his body hung
down from the balustrade above the arch.
way, the face turned toward tbs sky, and
the corpse falling almost pefpendicularly,
% that the bare let we're directly above
the center Of the top step Of the court
house. A few feet TO ths east OF Hill, and
several feet lower down, with his black
whiskered face turned to the west, his
body bare and . pair Of brown pantaioons
hanging about his waist, was George Par
ker. The bodies we're suspended from
about l .. m. TO 4 m. whom Coroner
Shaw ordered them cut down, and they
were borne on stretchsrs TO the moreue.
The lynching party numbered about
fifty and the members were al masked.
after the manner OF white cana. The
party came to Colfax from the direction of
Spring Flat at midnight Their ron
dexvous was the old brickyard on Spring
Fiat. mile southeast Of Colfax. They
went there in teams, and marched like .
we'll organized company TO Colfax, uuder
command Of captaiu, who gavs orders in
low vOicc. All the men were heavily
armed, carrying pistols and Winchsstcrs.
Shortly before / o'clock Jailer b. r.
Newcomer va aroused from his bed By :
knock ct the door Of his apartments in
the basement ofsthe ccurthouss, UNDER
meath the sheriff ofaca .swho's there %
demanded Newcomer. "Wosve rot .
prisoner from Palouss, and want him
locked up," said volce. Newcomer
thought he recogntsed the voics - that
of Marshal J. 8. Cartsr. Unsuspsctingly
no opened the door. whom guns wsrs
poked into his face and hs was the captive
Of the mob. Thsy msfchsd Mn up
through the narrow passagsway 20 the main
courthouse corridor and into the shsriifss
Office, and forced him TO get the keys from
the safe. They grabbed the keys and
forced him to the outer jail door, which
they unlocked aud forced the jailer to
open the csils. John Hansen, who occu.
pied cell with Ed Hill, vas the only
prisoner left In the Jail Thomas Trseger
and John Pisrce, the Endicott buralars.
we're turned loose. and Hansen had an on
portunity to 60 Tree. but did mot accept
the chance.
Hansen 10 the only witness, outside Of
the mob. of the scsnss in the Jail. s.The
first thing knew" said Hapsen, .'thsrs
was gang Of men ct the Jail door. ThSy
entered and were led upstairs 70 the upper
row of celia They went into Parker's cell
first. was At Ed Hilrs Gds In the cell
below and Ed whispered, They are
coming down after ma One man
in the gang yelled. Take all
hands OUT heard somebody tell
Parker TO get mp and put ON his pants.
Parker himself mover uttered . syllable.
Then they came down. took Parker out
side and in few minutes returned. They
had to use hammer on our door and had
hard work. Ed Hill turned 70 me and
said. Cry out and give the ALARM While
the mob was breaking the lock Hill swors
to them that hs was not the man
who killed Langford Summers; that he
was innocent of the crime. Hill talked
fast and pleaded for his life. The
gang finally broke open the door and
showed their gunsin. Hill grabbed piece
OF broom handle that was in the cell aud
prepared to fight shoot him down.
sombody shoutsd- cried: Look out;
don't shoot was lying on the bed and
Hill was standing. The gang seemed to
hold Q consultation, snd il was this russ
that deceived him. Btraightway one of
the men told Hill 70 come ont. a. the gang
had concluded TO let him of. They wanted
to have . talk with him. They lowered
their guns. and Hill walked out. AT the
jail door there was scIfiis, which con-
tinued out into the Ant.-room."
Thomas Tregier and John Pierce escaped
on the heels of the mob The prisoners
were let loose, evidently because they
might make witnesses in an investigation.
Three were five prisoners in the Jail. Two
were hanged. two escaped. and Hansen,
after walking up town. returned and gave
himself up to the sheriff. Five feet from
the scene Of the hanging the jury which
was trying George r. Parker for murder
were sleeping. Deputy Sheriff 4. K
Hartsveil slept in the bailiffs room,
last night, and Baiii6 John McMahon was
up town. The mob awakened Harssweli
and locked him in the Jail with New
conner. Tom Hill. brother of Ed Hill, Tho
had suspected that the Jail might b at
tackled. had been keeping an eye on the
Jail for several nights. Last night he was
walking in the vicinity Of the court
house in company with Paul Nc
carthy. Tom Hin was spotted BY the
iynchers. All Of sudden Mccarthy WAS
slagged in the head and Tom was
overpowersd and two revolvers taken from
him. Mccarthy vas given in charge OF =
guard and Tom Hill was taken to Jail and
locked up with Newcomer and HartsweiL
Mrs. Eliza NJ. Sutton and Alice Buaby oc-
cupied . bed in the north vest corner Of
the ante room in the Jail They were
awakened to see the room full Of masked
men. who told them to keep quiet
and no harm would come to
them. They saw Parker aud Hill
dragged out. the latter 6gnsing
desperately. Parker was silent. bat the
mob had TO gag Hill He begged the
women to open . window and scream.
People aeeut town who ran across the
masked iynchers we're detained until after
the hanging. when the mob took their
teams and horses, which had been hitched
near the brirkvard and vent