The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1895-08-28
TO END l.AWlcSSMESS.

The Residents OF Yreka. Cal, Take tho
Law ia Their Own Hands.
YREKA, Cal, Aug. 27.-Four murder.
ers were taken from the county Jail by a
mob of $50 men and lynched. A band
of citizens, fearing that the law would
not be carried out, and angered over the
atrocity of rece mt crimes, determined to
take matters ilto their own hands. The
lynching was the CHASTITY climax to the
reign of lawlessness which has pre-
vailed i'll Siskiyou county for some
months past. One of the victims was
Lawrence Johnson, who, on the evening
of July 2s, stabbed his wife to death in
the town Of Etna Another was Will
lam Null, who shot Henry Hayter i'll the
back with a rifle near Galatians on April
II. Louis Moreno and Garland Seem
Ter, who are supposed to have killed
George Secrs and Jasper Meierhans at
Bailey Hill on Aug. 3, were also
hanged.
Mob Gathered at Midnight.
At II O'Clock p. M. farmers from all
the surrounding country began to drive
into town, and by midnight the mob
was ready to march to the county Jail.
Before taking step, however, every
precautiOn was taken to prevent the
plans of the lynchers from being frus-
trated by the officers of the law. The
sheriff and one of his deputies We're de-
coyed to another part of town by two
members Of the mob who We're engaged
in the lynching and the fire bell was
mutfied to prevent an alarm being given
| in that way. When the mob reached
the Jail Deputy Sheriff Radford opened
| the door 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 which they proceeded to
do at once. Lawrence H. johnson, who
recently
stabbed His Wife to Death
at Etna on Sunday evening, July 2S,
was the first to receive the attention of
the mob. They broke the lock from the
door Of his cell, and placing IA rope
around his neck, led him out of the Jail
and across the street to where the iron
rail was laid between the forks of two
locust trees. johnson pleaded for
mercy, but the silent gathering gave no
heed to his appeals and he was quickly
strung up. The mob returned to the
Jail and broke into the cell of William
Null, who shot Henry Hayter at Calla-
hans April 21 in a dispute over mining
property. Null desired to make state
ment, but time was too valuable and he
was soon hanging alongside Of johnson.
Louis Moreno, who is charged with
having killed George Seers on Aug. 5,
was then taken from his cell and soon
swung with Johnson and Null.
A Message for His Mother.
The last and youngest Of the four
murderers to pay the penalty Of his
crime was Garland Seemler, aged about
10, who, in company with Moreno, was
charged with having killed Casper Mel
erhans at Bailey Hill on Aug. 5. A rope
was placed around Seemler's neck and
he was led from the Jail in his bare feet:
Seemler begged for mercy and his last
words We're, Tell my dear old mother
l am innocent of the crime"
Yreka is little mining town and
years ago was frequently the scene OF
mob violence. The summary manner
in which justice was meted out to the
four murderers reminded the pioneers OF
similar scenes during the gold excite
ment 40 years ago, when it was
not an uncommon spectacle to awaken
in the morning and see the body Of q
notorious criminal dangling from tree