The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-09-04
OUAORUPlE LYNCHING.
Summary Justice Melted ont to Four Mur-
UererS.


derers were taken from the county
jail by mob Of $50 men at 1 o'clock
this morning and lynched. A band OF
citizens, fearing that the law would
not be carried out and angered over
the atrocity of recent crimes, deter
mined to take matters into their own
hands. The lynching was the ghastly
climax to the reign of lawlessness
which has prevailed in Sisikiyou
County for some months past. One OF
the victims was Lawrence johnson,
who on the evening of July % stab.
bed his wife to death in the town OF
Etna. Another was William Null,
who shot Henry Hayter in the back
with rifle near Clahans, on April u.
Louis Moreno and Garland Seemler,
who are supposed to have killed
George Sears and Casper Meirehans at
Bailey Hill on August 5, were also
hanged.
At II o'clock last night farmers from
all of the surrounding country began
to drive into town, and by midnight
the mob was ready to march to the
county jail. Before taking a step,
however, every precaution was taken
to prevent the plans of the lynchers
from being frustrated by the officers OF
the law. The sheriff and one OF his
deputies were decoyed to another part
of the town by members OF the MOP,
who engaged in sham fight, and the
frebell was muffled to prevent an
alarm being given,in that way. When
the Jail was reached number OF the
men, all of whom where masked,
awakened Under Sheriff Radford and
demanded the keys from him. He
positively refused to open the door or
to give up the keys, telling them If
they broke in the door he would blow
their brains out.
Finding that Radford was deter
mined not to give them the keys, they
went across to the jail and got on top
of stone wall which sourrounded the
Jail. Deputy Sheriff Henry Brahtlacht,
who has been sleeping in the Jail since
the commitment of so many murder
ers, 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 compelled to burst the
locks with a sledge hammer, which
they proceeded to do at once.
Lawrence johnson, who brutally
stabbed his wife to death at Etna on
Sunday evening, July %, was the first
to receive the attention of the mob.
They broke the lock from the door OF
his cell, and placing 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 gathering gave no heed
to his appeals, and he was quickly
strung up, dying *rom strangulatlon
in few minutes.
The mob returned to the Jail and
then broke into the cell of William
Null, who shot Henry Hayter at
Clahans on April 81, in dispute over
a mining property. Null desired to
make statement, but time was too
valuable to permit any such prellml-
naries, and he was soon hanging
alongside of Johnston.
Louis Moreno, who is charged with
having killed George Sears on the 5th
of this month, was taken from his
cell and was soon swim ging with John
ston and Null.
The last and youngest of the four
murderers to pay the penalty of his
crime was Garland seemler, aged
about 10, who, in company with Mo
reno, 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, hav-
| ing 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 disapersed, leaving only
about thirty or forty men on guard,
who soon left after the sheriff arrived.
The bodies were taken down by
Coroner Shoefeld and Marshal Parks,
who removed them in wagon to an
engine house, where they were laid
side by side. The Coroner has sum-
moned jury to hold an inquest.
| Yreke is a little mining town, and
years ago was frequently the scene
of mob violence. The summary man
ner in which justice was measured out
to the four murderers this morning
reminded the pioneers of, similar
scenes during the gold excitement,
forty years ago, when it was not an
uncommon spectacleto awaken in the
morning and see the body of no.
torious criminal dangling from tree.