Birmingham age-herald., 1895-08-27
HANGED THEM ONE BY ONE A QuadrupIe Lynching in Cali fornia Yesterday Morning. TWAS DELIBF : fELY DONE. The Mob lmprOvss dbbet and Then Toll
 Of : 'olice.
SMASHED LOCK $, HI sLEDGE-HAMMERs
One at a Time the Four Murderers Were Taken Out and Strung on the Same Rail-Deaf to
 All Pleas.

Yreka, Cal, Aug. 26.-About 1 o'clock this morning a crowd of 250 men gathered here to lynch the four murderers in the county jail. So quietly were their prepa- rations made that the sheriff had no inti- nation of their coming.
 Small groups from all over Siskiyou county began to arrive on the outskirts of the town about o'clock last night. At o'clock, the crowd having gathered, they secured an old rail at the depot and carried it to the court house square, placing it between two trees The local police were called away by sham fight. By the time they returned they realized the intention of the crowd. The chief of police went to the engine house to ring the fire alarm bell, but found that the rope had been cut. He then went to the jail, but the mob had already arrived, and in such numbers that the police were powerless. A number of men, all masked, awakened Under Sheriff Rad- ford at the SheriffS office at the court house and demanded the keys of the jail from him. He positively refused to open the door or give up the keys. Finding that Radford was immovable the mob went across to the jail and got on top of the stone wall which surrounded 1t.
 Deputy Sheriff Brautlacht who sleeps in the jail, fired two shots to alarm the city marshal, thinking some of the pris- oners were trying to escape He then opened the doors, and was immediately seized by the mob, who entered the jail. Having no keys to the cells they were compelled to smash the locks with sledge hammers. Lawrence H. Johnson, who stabbed his wife to death on July 28. was the first to receive the attention of the mob. They broke the lock from the door Il. l.te neck, led him out of the jail and across the street to where the iron rail was laid between the forks of two trees. Johnson pleaded for mercy, but the silent gather ing gave no heed to his appeals. He was quickly strung up, dying from strangula- tion.
 The mob then returned to the jail and broke into the cell of William Null, who shot Henry Hayton at Callahans on April 21. Null asked to make statement, but the mob refused to listen. and he was soon hanging beside Johnson.
 Louis Moreno, who killed George Sears on the 5th instant, was next taken out and hanged.
 The last and youngest was Garland Semlier, aged 19, who killed Jasper Moier- haus at Bailey Hill on the 5th instant A rope was placed around his neck and in a few minutes he was swinging beside his companions.
 About this time Sheriff Hotz arrived on the scene, but was met by several of the mob, who notified him that the "job was finished.'' By this time the greater part of the mob had disappeared, leaving a few on guard. Soon these departed al- so and the square was deserted.
 The bodies were taken down by Coro- ner Scofield and Marshal Parks, who re- moved them in wagon to the engine house, where they were laid side by side. The coroner summoned a jury to hold an inquest, which is now in progress.