The Langston City herald. [volume] (Langston City, O.T. [Okla.]) 1891-1902, 1896-03-07
A TEXAS LYNCHING.
WICHITA FALLS BANK ROB-
BERS STRUNG UP.
They Killed Cashier Dorsey One of The I'm
Wa Lewis Younger of Neosbo. Mo-
We Jeersd and Cursed the crowd While
They Were Hanging Hin.

They Were Hanging Him.
wIcnrA FALLS. Texas. Feb 23.-
At $3.50 last night. mob Of several
thousand persons attacked the Jail
here. where Foster Crawford aud The
Kid" were confined Nftcr n show OF
resistance on the part OF the author
tiles, the mob battered in the Jail
doors and forcibly took possession of
the prisoners
The two men were taken TO the
bank which they attempted to rob
Tuesday. and an improvised scaffold
was erected. The first impulse of the
mob was to burn the prisoners, but
calmer counsel prevailed.
Yells OF Hang The Kid first" went
up Then others. "No. hang the old.
est first" The Kid" refused to say
word. and those having him in charge
yanked him onto box The scene
was weird one. One had on high
hceIed boots, black pans and deep
red flannel shirt, which added grue-
some brilliancy TO the scene. In
| moment the rope was about his neck
and man who, some say, looked like
one of the men whose horse had been
taken, fixed one end across the cross
I bar. All this time THE KID" was
ieering at the audience, laughing and
cursing. He never quivered. lie was
asked to say what he wanted. and was
told he would be given q hearing
lie said: That's all right. II yoii,
are impatient, swing me up now.
amt afraid to die, not a d--n bit of it.
Pull the rope
A voice in the audience: You are
going to die now. Tell us your name. A"
"The Kid "My name is Younger
Lewis. and my father and mother re-
side at Neosho. Mo "
ANY message?" from voice in the
crowd.
well, tell my father | was not
scared a bit; that I died like nervy
man.
Anything for your mother"
mo, not a word. She will see the
message to the old man. say, you
fellows go and look in that dugout and
YOU will find $4,000 there
"The Kid" or Younger Lewis. as he
at the last moment says he was, con
tinued laughing and chatting with the
crowd, poking fun at them ana curs-
ing for moment, and then some one
| yelled: Time j. up"
The Kid said: ~ am 20 years old,
| and robbed that - bank !
am dead game and ready to die. Go
ahead.
In an instant ne was pulled up
above the throng. lie never quivcred
or kicked. lie just went up in the
air and was left hanging. Men on
the frontier for years and years say
no gamer man ever died. lie was the
coolest man in all the great crowd.
All the while Crawford was a spec
tator of the scene. He began to
weaken aud confessed, giving some
valuable information. He placed the
responsibility for the crime on the
kid"
The mob pulled him onto the inn
provised platform next to the ba nj,
he attempted to rob. and his head was
about on level with the dangling
feet of his companion. lie asked for
Captain Burnett. The latter was a
spectator in the crowd. lie went to
Crawford and had n long talk. Craw.
ford had worked on Burnett's ranch
for years and was Il trusted man lie
began stealing his employers stock,
| however. anu dssotidtlnR WITH Terri
tory outlaws. Crawford confessed t.
the bank robbery, but denied the muir
der. He was small man, poorly
clad, with red face and short clipped
black mustache.
When they began to look for sec.
ond rope, he begged for whisky. II
was given to him. lie talked and ther
begged for more. He again addressed
the crowd in Comanche, English and
Spanish. Those who understood hin
say his utterances were incoherent
The rope soon arrived and it was put
about his neck. lie fell. either in 9
faint or from the whisky he had
= drank. lie was soon strung up along
with his companion and their bodies
are still dangling in mid-air.
The lynched men raided the City
National bank at Wichita Falls, Tex
as, Tuesday afternoon. killing Cashier
Frank Dorsey and wounding Book
keeper +. T.. Langford. They wer,
captured nine miles from town. aftc
, fight OF an hour. The robbers wer,
, in thicket surrounded by pursueri
and surrendered only when all hop,
was gone. They were taken To Wich
tia Falls and State rangers guarded
them all night Yesterday morning |
mob gathered for the purpose o
lvnching the two robbers, but feare'
to advance On the Jail as long as til,
! rangers were inside with the prsop
ers Last night the rangers left am
the mob soon had the men.