The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-08-27
Taken Out Of Jail, Led Across the
Rail Between Two Trees.
SHERIFF HOBBS TRICKED
DECOYED AWAY AND RETURNED TO
FIND THE JOB HAD BEEN DONE.v
Harrison Lewis, n Negro, Hanged to
n Tree in a "Quiet, Orderly Way"
by q Mob of kentuckians.


were taken from the county Jail by mob
of go men at 1 o'clock this morn
ing and lynched. A band of citizens, fear
ing that the law would not be carried out,
and angered over the atrocity of recent
crimes, determined to take matters into
their own hands. The lynching was the
climax to the reign of lawlessness which
has prevailed in Siskiyou county for some
months past. One of the victims was Law
renee Johnson, who, on the evening of
July %, stabbed his wife to death in the
town Of Etna. Another was William Null,
who shot Henry Hayter in the back with a
rifle near Galatians, on April q. Louis
Moreno and Garland Seemler, who are sup
posed to have killed George Sears and
Casper Meirerhans, at Bailey Hill, on Aug.
5, were also hanged.
At IL O'Clock last night farmers from the
surrounding country began to drive into
town and by midnight the mob was ready
to march to the county Jail. Before at
tempting to carry out their purpose, how
ever, every precaution was taken to pre-
vent the plans of the lynchers from being
frustrated by the officers of the law. The
sheriff and one Of his deputies were de-
coyed to another part of town by two
members of the mob, who engaged ir
sham fight, and the fire bell was mufi.ed
to prevent an alarm from being; given in
that way. When the jail was reached
number of the men. all of whom were
masked. awakened Under Sheriff Radford
and demanded the keys from him. He
positively refused to open the door or sur
render the keys, telling them that if they
broke in the doors he would blow out their
brains. Finding that Radford was de-
ped tn cri he
went across to the Jail and got on top
of a stone wall which surrounds it. Deputy
Sheriff Henry Brahtlacht, who has been
sleeping in the Jail since the commitment
of so many murderers, thinking some one
was escaping from the Jail, fired two shots
out of the window to alarm City Marshal
Parks and Deputy Sheriff Radford. He
then opened the doors and was immediate
ly held up by the mob, who took the keys
from him and entered the jail. Having no
keys to the different cells they were CON-
PEELED to burst the locks with sledge
hammer, which they proceeded to do at
once
Lawrt ce C. Johnson, who stabbed his
wife t. scs.,.ss.. Ttna, o.. Sunday evening
July %, was the first TO receive the atten-
ton of the mob. They broke the lock from
the door of his cell, and, placing a rope
around his neck, led him out of the Jail
and across the street to where an iron rail
was laid between the forks of two locust
trees. Johnson pleaded for mercy, but the
silent mob gave no heed to his appeals and
he was quickly strung up, dying from
strangulation in few minutes.
The mob returned to the jail and then
broke into the cell of William Null, who
shot Henry Hayter, at Galatians, on April
q, in dispute over a mining property.
Mil desired to make statement, but time
was too valuable to permit any such pre-
lminaries, and he was soon hanging along
side of Johnson.
Louis Moreno, who was charged with
having killed George Sears on the 5th Of
this month, was then taken from his cell.
and was soon swinging with Johnson and
Null.
The last and youngest of the four mur-
derers to pay the penalty of his crime was
Garland Seemler. aged about nineteen, who,
in company with Moreno, was charged with
having killed Casper Meirerhans, at Bailey
Hill, on the 5th of this month. A rope was
placed around Seemler's neck and he was
led from the jail in his bare feet. Seemler
begged for mercy and his last words were:
Tell my dear old mother am innocent of
the crime
About this time Sheriff Hobbs, having
been notified, arrived on the scene, and
starting for the jail door, was commanded
to halt, the command being emphasized by
the display of several revolvers. He was
told that the Job had been done" By this
time the greater part of the mob had dis
persed, leaving only about thirty or forty
men on guard, who soon left after the
sheriff arrived.
The bodies were taken down by Coroner
Sheffield and Marshal Parks, who removed
them in a wagon to an engine house. where
they were laid side by side. The coroner
mas summoned jury to hold an inquest.
Yreka is little mining town, and, years
ago, was frequently the scene of mob vio-
lence. The summary manner in which JUS
tice was meted out to the four murderers
this morning reminded the pioneers of simi-
lar scenes during the gold excitement forty
years ago, when it was not an uncommon
spectacle to awaken in the morning and
see the body of notorious criminal dang
ling from a tree.