The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-03-10
0RIGINOFhYNCHLAW
1T is CLAIMED BY IRELAND AND THE
UNITED STATES.

One Story In Support of Each Country.
Colonel I..och of E.ynchhurg, Va, Versus
Mayer cf GALWAY, Ireland Lat
ter Father Unusual Kind of Man.
| 1t seems to he part of the unwrittcn
law Of tho United States to hang some
criminals without tho formality of trial
/ by Jury.
Lyrchburg Va, advances claim to
| the originality Of the idea, and the claim
| is skilfully maintained by reference to
| we'll known Facts that actually existed
| prior 60 and during the Revolutionary
war. At that period the country was thin
| ly settled and the founts of justice few
and far between. Desperadoes and Tories
! Of n guerrilla type, taking advantage of
the unsettled condition of affairs, plum
dered robbed and killed indiscrimiuntely
wherever and whenever they pleased A
distinguished officer Of tho patriot Ameri-
can army, Colonel Charles Lynch, organ
lied II protective force, arrested the out
laws, and al n sort of drumhoad court mar
tiul first satisfied himself and his comrades
as to the guilt of the accused and then
| hanged them to the nearest tree without
reference 10 the constituted authorities.
At first this was known as Lynch's law,
and tbs term has gradually become modi-
fed into what we know today as lynch
law.
Colonel Lynch's brother founded Lynch
burg, hence the name OF that old town
Now, as in fact nearly all of our law,
both civil and military, comes from the
other sido Of the water, they, too, over
! m n RI DriUi-
mated with them, and i'll proof OF the assor-
tion recite a very curious historical tradi-
ton which occurred during the reign of
the seventh Henry in England. The sys-
TEN of government was not then as COM
plctcly developed in Europe as it is today,
for barOniCs, cities and leagues, although
often subsorviant tn one great centralized
power were in II measure independent of
outside control and managed their own
private affairs almost exclusively, except
during a general or foreign war, when
they united forces for mutual protection.
Galway, in Ireland, was one Of these cities,
and Mayor James L. nch EitzstephenI was
the great Ii Hung Chang, or chief mogul,
who was not only supreme judge, but also
commander Of the militia, chief comptrOl
Ter of finance, director of commerce, and
in fact tho holder of all tho political
plums worth having.
Mayor james Lynch Fitzstephens found
1t necessary 10 sond bis eldest son to Spain
on Il commercial mission. Tho boy WAS of
a wild, reckless disposition, and instead of
attending to his fathers business, straight
way got on q tear and soon squandercd the
funds intrustod TO him in the widest sort
of dissipation. This compelled him to Dor
row II large sum of money from merchant
to " HON he was accredited, and the usual
result followea-thut of giving notes bear
ing his fathers name, every one n forgery.
However, with this money the young man
concluded his business arrangements, ana
when ne embarked for home the nephew
of tho money lender accompanied him back
+ to Ireland, where no was to receive pay
ment for the loan.
Young Lynch was in box. There was
no way ho could personally settle so large
debt and no dared not avow his defaloa-
. tion to his father. So ono night, while
; calmly sailing across the bay of Biscay, he
I induced some of the crow of the vessel to
assist him, bought the silence of the rest,
and then the young Spaniard was seized,
bound hand and foot and quietly tossed
, overheard. The ship belonged to the muir
dcr2r's father, the seamen were in his en-
ploy, and Spain was far distant. Return
: ing TO Galway, he told his father n tale OF
how the young Spanard had started with
, him, but that u gale had blown the for
eignor overheard, never mentioning, how
ever, the matter of dobt.
Years passed on, and James Lynch Fitz-
stephens, .Ir,, now prosperous merchant,
+ became as widely respected as his father,
, but it was remarked that he did no bust
hess whatever with the Spanish houses.
= One day the elder j. Lynch Fitzstephens
81 a., top
deathbed of one OF his old seamen, who
had served him long and faithfully. I'm
uclled by rem orse, the dying man let the
cat ont of the bag, cpnfessing the whole
! vilainy of the mayors only son and told
, of his share in the crime 1t was fright
! ful blow, but tho old man determined tC
do tho right thing, cost what it might
y His first act was to arrest his son, whom
despite the entreaties of his wife and rela
lives, he committed to prison on the charge
If murder. The next, to secure other evi
deuce, which was obtained i'm the persons
, of four or five survivors and eyewitnesses
I those who had not taken part in the crime
! but merely looked on; the accomplices
| strangely enough, had either all died Oh
G left for other parts.
The mayor by virtue of his Office pre-
sided at the trial, heard tho verdict Of
D gullty anu pronounced sentehce Oh ueaul
on his son. Few persons believed the sen
? tence would be executed, and many re-
i solved that it should not Neither the
q laws of God nor man can demand such t
/ sacrifice at the hands of "A father" they
:, argued 'for it is horrible, wicked anC
r against nature, and, after ALL it was only
v the carcass of hated Spaniard in the bal
i ance against his own son"
= No use. The judge was steel, and hi
set the day for the execution, Then thu
women took u hand Mother, sisters ant
relatives canvassed the community, ant
i the result was that on the morning wher
@ the mayor-judge appeared with his son
n surrounded by the officers of justice, on the
: way to execution, a rush was made by /
9 large crowd of citizens, who had formed