The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1895-08-27
FOUR MEN STRUNG UP.
Citizens Of Siskiyou County
Seek to Check Murders.
MIDNIGHT HANGING At YREKA.
A Negro Murderer Lynchsd In KEN
tucky-The Eleventh Durrans
Juror Obtained.

Yreka, Cal, Aug As q CHASTITY ell
max of the reign OF lawlessness In Siski-
YOU county for many months past the
bodies of four accused murderers lay this
morning on the floor of the fire engine
house In the old mining town of freka-
IL was evident that Judge Lynch and his
Jurors had been al work during the night.
and their verdict was death by hanging
10 four miserable wretches IN the county
jail.
The victims are: Lawrence Johnson.
who on July q stabbed his wife 10 death
in the town OF Etna; William Null. who
shot Henry Hayter in the back near Cal
iahan's April q. and Louis Moreno and
Garland Senior, who are supposed TO have
killed George Sears and Casper Meirer-
hans at Bailey Hill August 5.
About o'clock straggiers now and then
caught glimpse or dark objects moving
around the suburbs OF the town, but moth
ing was thought OF IL. The dark objects
thickened. until about midnight they as
surned the shape of silent and stern men
either on horseback or afoot- At mid
night prearranged plan or signal drew
small army of 20 men into the vicinity OF
the courthouse square, while sentinels
were placed throughout the town 10 ward
off danger of discovery by the officers.
The fire bells were tide up. the night
watchmen sent 20 other parts Of town on
sham errands, and straggiers detained.
At o'clock the avengers of justice pre-
pared to carry out their plans. An old rail-
was taken from the depot and stretched
between two trees in the courthouse park.
Then was begun the descent upon the jail.
A demand was made upon Deputy Sheriff
Radford for the keys, but he did not yield.
Henry Bratlaueht, who was sleeping in
the jail, heard the commotion, opened the
door to see what the trouble was, and was
at once seized by the mob. The doors were
then forced open, and Johnson, Null, Sem
Ter and Moreno were marched out to the
court yard. The condemned men were
stolid, and took their fate without muir
muir, with the exception of young Senior,
who begged piteously for mercy. His age
is To- 1t is said the scene was heartrend-
ing as young Senior broke forth in agoniZ-
ing appeal. and cried out: Tell my dear
old mother I am innocent of the crime"
Sheriff Hobbs had given secret orders. In
case any attempt at iynching was made.
20 ring the fire bells and rouse the citi-
zens. but the mob had anticipated this.
and had laid their plans well. Every per-
son about the streets in the vicinity of the
Jail was stopped. S. +. Miles and Sam
Roop were going to the house of the lat
ter's mother. and were held at the scene
OF the hanging. Nearly every section of
the county was represented in the mob.
In fact, ever since Nulls cold-blooded
murder of Henry Hayter iynching was
freely talked of in the western end of the
county, and when Johnson killed his wife
the avenging spirit kept on fermenting.
After the Bailey Hill murder the feeling
reached dangerous stage.
During the lynching some one awoke
Sheriff Hobbs. who hurried down town.
AS he was going through the courthouse
park a Winchester was stuck in his face
and he was compelled 10 stand where he
was. The whole affair was carefully ar
fan0pd and we'll ryarUfad and
twenty minutes elapsed from the time the
keys were surrendered until the mob rode
swiftly out OF town.
The Iynching can in no way reflect upon
the officers of the court. The information
In the Null case was filed on May o. and
under his plea of innocence the law gave
him the'right to send wherever necessary
to secure dispositions in support of his de-
Tense. which could not be done in less
time than allowed by the court. This was
the only one of the four cases which was
at issue before the superior court. In the
case of Johnson there was a demurrer to
the information, which was to he argued
this week. The other prisoners. Stemler
and Moreno, were to have had their pre-
liminary examinations tomorrow, il hav-
ing been necessary to postpone them to
that date in order TO allow the attorney
to prepare a defense.
All day the excitement throughout Sis
kyon county has been intense although
not of condemnation on the part of the
iynchers. as the general impression is
that Judge Lynch's sentence was a severe
though just one Especially in Yreka has
excitement run high, people coming from
all sections OF the county to view the
CHASTITY result OF the midnight raid on the
county jail The coroners jury today
rendered a verdict that johnson. Null.
Moreno and Stemler came TO their death
by strangulation at the hands of parties
unknown TO the jury. The only sympathy
felt is for Stemier. on account OF his
youth. The chances are none of the
lynchers will be apprehended