The Red Cloud chief., 1894-01-19
STRUNG UP IifREE MEN.
KANSAS GIVES AN 1894 BOOM 70
JUDGE LYNCH.

A Recent Murder the Indictment to the
Act-Twsnty Men DO the JOB and No
One Observation-Disclosures Fired Into the
Bodies of the Victims.
RUSSELL Kan, Jan. IA mob Of about
twenty mtH entered the Jail here, took out
J. q. Burton, William Gay aud his son,
John Gay, and hung the trio to a small
railroad bridge a short distance east of
the railroad station. About midnight the
residents Of the north part Of the town
heard a party. of fifteen or twenty horse
men come in from the north, who left their
horses at the stock yards, where plans were
arranged and the mob proceeded to the
Jail. A few citizens who happened to be
out late noticed the suspicious actions of
the mob, but were powerless to thwart the
purJose Of such a determined band Of
armed men, and watched the proceedings
frome q safe distance. No officers were
aroused or even were aware of what was
going on until early morning, so quiet
were the actions of the mob.
Orders were given by signs and obeyed
without a word being spoken. The Jail Is
q small wooden building surrounded by an
eight-foot board fence. In the Jail were
two steel cells in which the prisoners were
confined. Guards were placed about the
Jail, and il was but the work of a moment
for the balance of the mob to gain entrance
TO the Jail building. About this time Bur
ton gave a few loud yells and asked what
they wanted with him. The masked mob
began to break OIL the locks Of the Jail with
sledgehammers. II was but a few minutes
before the three prisoners were taken out
and TO the bridge selected for the lynching
Finished Their Work with Lead.
Ropes were placed around their necks
and each given "a chancet to speak. Burton
said he could tell lots about his connection
with stealing cattle, selling whisky and
other things, but when asked to tell about
the Dining murder, replied: "No, sir"
Young Gay made a prayer and said Burton
had killed Dining with an AK. Old man
Gay said: 1--WE were led into this" The
leader Of the lynchers then clappcd his
hands three times and quick rs n flash all
three were pushed off the bridge. The
Gays evidently died from strangulation.
but the moose on Burton's neck slipped
around up over his chin and he was heard
70 breathe heavily for the moment, when
several shots were fired into his body.
Each of the others also had n bullet sent
into him. The party then quietly dispersed.
The crime for which the men were
lynched was the killing Of Fred Dining
in July last ON the Burton place about
twenty miles northeast of this city. In
ouiries regarding a draft payable to Din
ming and his mysterious disappearance led
TO an investigation and the arrest Of Bur
s-r yVhar clnsalv nttastinnaH M IN fhp
whereabouts of Dining Burton said he
had gone to Oklahoma with II young man
named Gay. A few weeks ago young Gay
returned and wa at once arrested. Then
followed a number of confessions, which
differed materially az to details and the To-
cation Of the body, butshOwed cOnclusively
=, that each had participated in the crime.
Pretended to Have u Dream.
After several f~ruitless efforts to find the
body as located by the Gays. Burton pre-
tended to have a dream in which the spot
where Dining was buried was revealed to
him, and that, after the dream, he remem
bered when blowing to have seen u spot
that would indicate a grave, which taken
in connection with his dream convinced
him that he could locate the body. In com
pany with officers Burton was taken t.
that part of the county and the body was
found. The skull had been crushed with
n blunt instrument. At the corOner's in
quest a verdict was rendered finding that
Dinning had been murdered by William
Gay, and that John Gay and Burton wers
accessories.
The motive of the killing appears to have
been to obtain property valued at 500 OF
800. Doubtless one OF the causes that lee
to the mob's action was the existence OF al
organized gang of which these parties wer,
supposed to be members, and as Burton
was one of the leaders among them IL
would be easy to procure testimony to
clear them. Stockmen have been suffering
from the depredations of this gang for sew.
eral years past and it was not considered
safe for any person to cause the arrest ant
conviction of any member Of the gang.