The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-11-17

| resolution can be obtained from the city
council
Jailer Bright, in q conciliatory speech,
accepted the banner and agreed to bear it
| to the prisoners cell below The throng
| then quietly dispersed.
On Tuesday evening. Nov. IS, two large
DOdles or citizens met in different parts of
| town and determined to strike terror 10 all
| evil-dOers by making an example or
| Stuart Some differences sprung up be-
| tween the two bodies on Tuesday night,
however, and no action was taken at that
| time.
On the evening of the same day a noted
| character about Leadville was an inmate
/ Of the county jail. This man was Edward
/ Frodsham, an Englshman by birth, but
| reared on the frontier among a community
/ in which he soon distinguished himself
/ as an interruptions ruffian and desperate.
/ one week after his arrival in LeadViue
| he opened a watch-tinker's shop in lit
/ tie quarter-story log cabin near the GER
| ner Of Spruce and Pine streets. While he
/ plled his trade his faithful spouse added
/ to the income OF the family by taking in
washing. FrOdsham soon branched our
| in the real estate business, buying. SELF
/ ing and jumping lots-in fact. appropriate
/ ing whole town districts and laying out,
/ in open defiance to the authorities, and
| all rules of typographical engineering,
/ whole plots and sections of stolen rear
/ estate. Associated with a gang as des-
| perate as himself, TO which the acting city
marshal and other city officials We're sus-
! pected to belong in secret he escaped
/ punishment for a long time.
! A bold lot-Jumping case on Capital hill,
in which Frodsham was, as usual, the di-
| recting spirit, brought matters to a eli
/ max, and those on the inside knew that
! his days We're numbered unless he took
I alarm and left town. He had ample tina
| to do this, opportunity to escape being
| purposely given him, but with charac-
| teristic bravado Frodsham chose to grit
/ his teeth in defiance to warning.
! At 1870, on the morning of Thursday,
! Nov 20 the slumbers Of the watchers at
/ the city jail were disturbed by knocking
/ at the iron door of that institution. The
/ first man who stepped inside the Jail was
! Under-Sherif F. II. Watson, and along
! side Of him came a convoy of men with
| pistols in their hands pointed at his head.
Deputy Sheriff Miller was lying on a
| cot outside of the cage, and the moment
! the masked invaders We're in possession
| or the premises three of them made
! rush at him, and before he could explain
| his official capacity he was bound with a
small cord and gagged. They were put
somebody shouted that they were
| hanging the wrong man. The deputy
| sheriff was unbound and, without any
apology, left to apply friction to his
! bruised wrists, under the protection of
couple of frowning six-shooters.
| In the meantime fifteen vgilantes had
| filed into the Jail and twenty more We're
| outside to protect their companions, or
take hand in the. shooting, if any was
| necessary. While the trio were busy pre-
pairing Miller for the cross beam another
| party discovered FrOdsham.
| He had no sooner been spotted than a
rope was fastened around his body and
! the Vigiantes began to acquaint him with
| the purpose of their late call.
Are you going to see me die, boys?"
you've got to look for yourself old
man." one of the deputies shouted in re-
ply; They've got the drop on all of us
Won't you let me see my wife frst?"
Frodsham cried in the last despair of
You'll see hi first" was the consol-
ing reply, and with that he was colared
by the hemp and dragged out of the pris-
on Ash AS ne was being pulled out he shout
The slack end of the rope was then
thrown over the transom OF a door which
4 was part of the unfinished framework of
small addition to the jail, near the
COOK room. It broke under the stain of
the body and Frodsham landed on his
feet. Quicker than thought the rope
| was thrown across another cross-beam
| and the body drawn into the air. The end
OF the. rope was then made fast to the
| side OF the framework and the struggling
| wretch was left to die at his leisure
The next victim was then prepared and
TINS was Patrick Stuart, a boy of 20 and
peardless. When the vigilantes came to
| him and made him walk out he prayed
Tor his life and beseeChed them not TO
XII MN. But mobs have less pity than
the professional red-aX man and the
/ youthful criminal was soon made ready
| 10 meet his fate. The recollection Of
! childhOOds days must have reverted 10
him with sudden distinctness. for in lis
/ distress he begged for only time enough
10 write farewell letter to his mother
! 1AlS WAS not granted, and without fur
! ther parleying he was hustled out at the
end of rope, which was cast over anoth-
er Joist OF the frame and then drawn taut
| until the last victim dangled above terra
| nrma opposite his fellow victim
The eXecutioners did their work effec-
lively and with expedition, for within
| a quarter of an hour from the first alarm
| both victims had struggled their last
The following placard was written on a
halt-sheet Of legal cap and pinned on the
! coat to the back of Frodsham, as a warm
ing to the crooked men about town:
NOTICE TO ALL.
Lot thieves, bunco-steerers, footpads,
! thieves and chronic bondsmen for the
same, and sympathizers for the above
| class of criminals: This is our commence
ment and this shall be your fate
| We mean business and let this be vour
/ warning.
Here followed eight names, designating
! the principal men for whom this him
| follows: 90
And a great many others known to this
| organization.
VIGILANCE COMMITTEE.
We are 700 strong.
AS soon as the vigilantes had finished
their business, without disturbing any
one else they retired. The first squad that
| went out took with them the under sheriff
4 with a pistol pointed at his head With
out explaining why he was wanted.
/ they simply conducted him from the prem
/ Uses. His guard gradually withdrew, one
/ by one, until but one man was left and
/ the deputy had to conduct him to the
| door, the pistol being fairly braced against
| ms temple. second after the last man
| had disappeared from the doorway. the
| deputy looked out, but everything was
/ quiet and no one in sight. Only two life
| less human forms were dangling in the
| night air from the ropes end, in the faint
| light of a lantern that was left standing
/ on the ground-a grewsOme spectacle
OF course, the news spread like wild
fire, and in fifteen minutes dozens which
soon swelled to hundreds, of curious sight
/ seers crowded around the jail to feast
! their eyes upon the work of the regllla-
tors, to look on the APPALLING spectacle and
take warning. Little was said for H
| struck terror TO the souls of men, and lot
jumping and highway robbery thencefor-
ward became unpopular
-Bacon-Does that young man that is