Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1895-08-31
Yreka, CAL, Mob Took the Law
Into Its Own Hands.
THEY CLEANED OUT THE JAIL
Assassins Held for Trial Suspended TO
Rail Stretched Between
TWO Locust Trees.

Yreka Cal, Aug. 26.-Four murhele19
were taken out of the county jail by
mob of ESQ men at l o'clock this morn
ing and lynched. A band of citizens,
fearing that the law would not be car
ried out, and angered over the atroclty
of recent crimes, determined to take
matters into their own hands. me
lynching was a CHASTITY climax TO the
reign of lawlessness which mas pre-
vailed in Siskiyou county for some
months past.
One of the victims was Lawrence
Johnson, who on the evening of July
28 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 Callahan's on April
q. Louis Moreno and Garland Semler,
who are supposed to have killed George
Sears and Casper Meirerhans at Bailey
Hill on August 8, were also hanged
At II o'clock last night farmers from
all the surrounding country began to
drive into town, and by midnight the
mob was ready to march to the county
cry 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 town
by two members Of the mob, who were
engaged in a sham fight, and the fire
| bell was muffled to prevent an alarm
from being given in that way. When
!
all of whom were masked, awakened
Under Sheriff Radford and demanded
the keys. He refused to open the door,
telling them if they broke the doors
he would blow their brains out.
Finding that Radford was determin-
ed not to give them the keys they went
across to the jail and got on top of the
stone wall which surrounds the Jail
Deputy Sheriff Henry Brantlacht, who
has been sleeping in the Jail since the
commitment OF so many murderers,
thinking that some one was escaping
from jail fired two shots out of the
window to alarm City Marshal Parks
and Deputy Sheriff Radford. He then
opened the doors and was held up by
the mob, who took the keys from him
and entered the Jail.
GOT TWO VICTIMS.
Having no keys to the different cells
they were compelled to burst the locks
with a sledge hammer, which they pro-
ceeded to do. Lawrence Johnson was
the first to receive the attention Of the
mob. They broke the lock from the
door Of his cell, and placing a rope
around his neck, led him out of Jail
across the street, to where an iron rail
was laid between the forks of two To-
Gust trees. Johnson pleaded for mercy,
but the silent gathering gave no heed
to his appeals, and he was quickly
strung up, dying from strangulation
in a few minutes.
CAME BACK FOR OTHERS.
The mob then returned to the iail,
and next broke into the cell Of William
Null. Null desired to make a statement
but time was too valuable to permit
any such preliminaries, and he was
soon hanging alongside of Johnson.
Louis Moreno was then taken from
his cell and was soon swinging with
Johnson and Null The last and Young
est of the four murderers to pay the
penalty Of his crime was Garland Sem
Ter, aged 10. The rope was placed
around Seniors neck and he was led
from the Jail in his bare feet His last
words were: Tell my dear old mother
I am innocent Of this crime"
SHERIFF HELD UP.
About this time Sheriff Hobbs, hay
ing been notified, arrived on the scene,
and a q 10 door 49,