The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1895-08-27
|QUADRUPLE LYNCHING
: Prisoners Taken from a California
<-- Jail by an Armed Mob. -
ONE A BOY OF NINETEEN YEARS.

His last Words Wore, ''TeiI MY Old
i Mother Am Innocent of the Crime"
Tho Lynohers Gained Access to the jail
by subterfugss.
i YBHKA, GAL, Aug. a7.-Four murderers
were talken from tho county Jail by mob
Of ESQ men at O'Clock in the morning and
1ynched. A band of citizens, fearing that
the law would not bo carried out and
angered over the atrocity Of recent crimes,
determined to take matters into their own
bands. The lynchlng was the ghastly
climax to the reign of lawlessness which
has prevailed In Siskiyou county for some
months past. One Of the victims WAS
Lawrence johnson, who on tho evening
Of July 2S, stabbed his wife to death in tho
town of Etna. Another was William
Null, who shot Henry Hoytor in the back
with rifle near Callahan's on April u.
Louis Morne and Garland Seemler, who
are supposed to have killed George Sears
and Casper Miererhans, at Bailey Hill on
Aug. 8, were also banged.
At II O'Clock farmers from all ovor the
surrounding country began to drive into
town, and by midnight tho mob was
ready to march to tho county jail. Before
proceeding, however, every precaution
was taken to prevent the plans Of the
iynchers from being frustrated by the Of
hcers Of tho law. Tho sheriff and one OF
his deputies were decoyed to another part
of the town by two members Of tho mob,
who were engaged In n sham fight, and
the fire bell was muf1led to prevent an
alarm being given in that way. When
the jail was reached a number Of the men,
all Of whom were masked, awakened Un-
der Sheriff Radford, and demanded the
keys from him. He positively refused to
open the door or to give up the koys, toll.
ing them that II they broke in the door he
would blow their brains out. Finding
that Radford was determined not to give
them the koys they got on top Of stone
wall which surrounds tho Jail.
Deputy Sheriff Henry Brahtlacht, who
has been sleeping in the Jail since the
commitment OF SO many murderers,
thinking some one was escaping from the
jnil. frod two shots out Of the window to
alarm City Marshal Parks and Deputy
Sheriff Radford. He then opsned tho
doors, and was Immediately 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.
Lawrence ii. Johnson was the first 70
receive tho attention Of the mob. They
broke the lock from the door OF his cell
ard placing a rope around his neck led
him out Of the jail and across the street
TO whore an Iron rail was laid between the
forks of two locust trees. johnson
pleaded for mercy, but the silent gather.
ing gave no heed to his appeals, and he
was quickly strung up, dying from stran-
gulation In fow minutes.
The xs,oh rafurp ad tr tho toll and ~,
broke into the cell of William Null. Null
desired to make q statement, but time was
TOO valuable to permit any such prelimi
naries, and he was soon hanging along
side Of johnson. Louis Morone was soor
swinging with johnson and Null.
The last and youngest OF the four mur
dcrers to pay the penalty of his crime wa,
Garland Seemler, aged about TO- A rope
was placed around Soemler'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
Rm fMnucentof tho crime"
About this time Sheriff Hobbs, having
been notified, arrived on the scene, and
starting for the Jail door, was commanded
TO halt, the command being emphasized
by tho display of several revolyors. H,
was told that the "job had been done >
BY this time the greater part of the mol
bad dispersed, leaving only thirty or forty
men on guard, who left soon after tn,
sheriff arrived.
Yreka is little mining town, and years
ego was frequently the scene Of mob vic
lence. The summary manner in which
Justice was metod out to the four murder
ers reminded the pioneers of similar
scenes during the gold excitement forty
years ago, when 1t was not an uncommon
spectacle to awaken in the morning ant
see the body of a notorious criminal dangl
ing from a tree
A Negro Hanged by Twelve Masked Men