The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-08-16
ORIGINOFLYNCHLAW
1T is CLAIMED BY IRELAND AND THE
UNITED STATES.
One Story In support of Each Country.
Colonel Lynch OF Lynchburg, Va, Versus
a Mayor of Galway, Ireland-The Lat
ter Rather Unusual Kind of Man.

ter "A Rather Unusual Kind of Man.
1t seems TO be part Of the unwritten
law of the United States TO hang some
criminals without the formality of trial
by jury.
Lynchburg, Va, advances claim TO
the originality of the idea, and the claim
Is skillfully maintained by a reference to
we'll known facts that actually existed
prior to and during tho Revolutionary
war. At that period the country was thin
ly settled and the founts of justice few
and far between. Desperadoes and Tories
Of Il guerrilla type, taking advantage of
the unsettled condition of affairs, plum
dered, robbed and killed indiscriminately
wherever and whenever they pleased, A
distinguished officer of the patriot Ameri-
can army Colonel Charles Lynch organ
lied protective force, arrested the out
laws, and at IA sort of drumhead court mar
tial first satisfied himself and his comrades
as to the guilt of the accused and then
hanged them to the nearest tree without
reference to the constituted authorities.
At first this was known as Lynch's law,
and the 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 side of the water, they, too, over
there, have claim that lynch law origi-
mated with them, and in proof of the asser-
tiOn reuite Il very curious historical trad-
tion which occurred during the reign Of
the seventh Henry in England. The sys-
tenn OF government was not then as COM
pletely developed in Europe as it is today,
for barones, cities and leagues, although
often subservient to ono great centralized
power, were In measure independent of
outside control md managed their own
private affairs almost exclusively, except
during n general or foreign war, when
they united forces for mutual protection.
Galway, in Ireland, was one Of these cities,
and Mayor James Lynch Fitzstephens 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 the political
plums worth having.
Mayor James Lynch Fitzstephens found
|
on a commercial mission. The boy was of
q wild, reckless disposition, and instead of
attending to his fathers business, straight-
way got on tear and soon squandered the
funds ntrusted to him in the widest sort
of dissipation. This compelled him to bor-
row q large sum of money from merchant
to whom he was accredited, and the usual
result followed--that of giving notes bear
] AM tc foil ~, n forgery
However, with this money the young man
concluded his business arrangements, and
when Ee embarked for home the nephew
of the 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 he could personally settle so large
q debt and he dared not avow his defalca-
ton to his Ifiither So one night, while
calmly sailing across the bay of Biscay, he
induced some Of the crew 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
derer's father, the seamen were In his en-
ploy, and Spain was far distant. Return
ing to Galway, he told his father tale OF
how the young Spaniard had started with
him, but that u gale had blown the for
eigner overheard, never mentioning, how
ever, the matter of debt
Years passed on, and James Lynch Fitz-
stephens, Jr., now prosperous merchant,
became as widely respected as his father,
but il was remarked that he did no busi-
ness whatever with the Spanish houses
! One day the elder j. Lynch Fitzstephens
received pressing summons to attend the
deatbbed of one of his old seamen, who
had served him long and faithfully. Inn
PEELED by remorse the dying man let the
cat out of tho bag, confessing the whole
yillainy of the mayors only son and told
, of his share in the crime. 1t was fright
, full blow, but the old man determined to
do the right thing, cost what 1t might.
[ His first act was to arrest his son, whom,
despite the entreaties of his wife and rela-
: tives, he committed to prison on the charge
of murder. The next, to secure other EVIL
dence, which was obtained In the persons
{ of four or five survivors and eyewitnesses,
, those who had not taken part in the crime,
: but merely looked on; the accomplices,
strangely enough, had either all died OF
left for other parts.
, The mayor, by virtue OF his Office, pre-,
r sided at the trial. heard the verdict Oh
| guilty ana prOnOunceu eohoohoo Va "e"''
E on his son. Few persons believed the sen
) tence would be executed, and many re-
! solved that 1t should not. Neither the
I laws of God nor man can demand such O
l sacrifice at the hands of father, " they
] argued, "for it is horrible, wicked and
against nature and, after all, 1t was only
. the carcass of hated Spaniard In the bal
ance against his own son."
Q No use. The Judge was steel, ana ne
0 set the day for the execution. Then the
; women took q hand. Mother, sisters ano
relatives canvassed the community, ano
the result was that on the morning wher
the mayor-judge appeared with his son
3 surrounded by the officers of justice, on the
' way TO execution, rush was made by
? large crowd of citizens, who had formed
0 for u rescue.
: Unable TO contend against such mum
Z hers. the resolute old man ordered the cui
! prit taken back into the house, where ~
0 had been kept since the trial for greater
q security against escape or assistance Ih'
4. MAYOR was the last to retreat, strongly bar
ring the door behind him and securely
barricading the windows. The mob set vi
a shout, for they supposed they had sue
= | c.eded in preyenting hanging, but little