The Valentine Democrat. [volume] (Valentine, Cherry Co., Neb.) 1896-1898, 1897-09-23
Deed of Infuriatcd Mob.

at Versailles, the county seat Of Ripley
County, has, perhaps, no parallel in the
history of Indiana. The prisoners were
confined in the county Jail on the charge
Of burglary. They all resided in the tow
of Osgood, and were supposed to belong
TO an organized band Of thieves and high
waymen which has been robbing and ter
rorizing the citizens of Ripley County for
a number Of years. They were awaiting
trial for having attempted TO break into
the general store of Wooley Bros. at Cor
rect Saturday night. Gordon and An
drews were captured at the time after a
running fight, and after each lad been
severely wounded. The other prisoners
were detained on the charge of having
assisted in the attempted burgl1ry, and
whose guilt seemed evident. Public feel
ing had been aroused against the pris-
Oners because they had SO often escaped
the penalties of the law.
Sheriff Henry Bushing and wife were
away from home. He had been badly
wounded while trying to capture the men
Saturday night, and the jail was in charge
of his brother-in-law w. Il. Nennen,
turnkey, and William Black. At 1916
O'Clock they were aroused by the ringing
of the door bell. Kennen and Black went
daYn and opened the door. Three mask
ed men with a revolver in each hand con-
fronted them. The leader said: Hold
UP your hands! We demand the keys Of
the jail" kennen looked into the muz-
Zles Of six revolvers, and after some re-
s~istance was taken to the kitchen and
found the keys. Kennen and Black were
locked in a cell and three men with re-
volyers made their way through the graf
ing n others went to find the prisoners,
who had all retired.
In the lower cellrooms were confined
Levi. Shuler and Jenkins, and there the
visitors proceeded first. Levi was first
awakened. and, refusing to throw up his
hands at the command Of the leader, W
pistol shots were heard, and he fell to the
floor pierced to the heart. Shuler, lying
on his cot, refused to get up. but begged
for his life. A stroke upon the head from
a heavy stick silenced him, and he rolled
to the floor. Jenkins fate was similar,
and the three bodies were carried to the
main corridor, and the lynchers made
their way upstairs, where Gordon and
Andrews were found. They, being wound
ed, submitted without much effort. Their
hands were tied behind them, ropes were
placed around their necks and they were
dragged down the stairway where their
companions lay. Ropes being placed
around the necks of all the order was
given, Pull on the ropes, boys, and hurry
up."
Hanged to an Elm Tree.
Two squares north of the Jail on the
bluff near the famous 'GOrdon'S Leap
was found an old elm tree, and to its
t%oughened limbs were hanged the MAIN
ed and bruised bodies of the five prisoners,
naked and CHASTITY. The scene was ap-
palling, and the bodies were soon cut
down and covered under the shade of the
: tree, Hundreds visited the scene the fol-
>iewihs day, and hardly a twig of the old
elm remains, having been carried away
by the curious throng.
A man named Hostetter a couple Of
weeks ago had given a tip to the county
officials, and through him the men were
caught. He said they met and planned
at Jenkins house, and he Jenkins) said
he would help them out at any time, but
how much, if any, they were implicated
will never be known. as they were given
no chance to deny or defend themselves.
Osgood had grown notorious the last
two years on account of the many high
way robberies and hold-ups committed
tneTc- IdSI NlllcF ali dSeu cOupie--hi.
and Mrs. Rineking-living north Of town
were tortured and robbed while alone at
their home. The night of April / Mr..
and Mrs. Baulkman, living six miles from
OsgCod, were tortured by three masked
men, who demanded their money. They
made the old lady, who was quite inhrm,
walk over red-hot Goals to tell where her
money was. They got nothing but a gun
and a few trifies. The latter part of the
same month Mr.. and Mrs. Kammon of
Milan were treated in a similar manner
by masked men. The two DIR. Josephs Of
Osgood place were arrested, charged with
The robbery, but proved an alibi and were
acquitted without trouble. Men have
been held up Oh the streets and houses
without number broken into the last two
years, but it seemed as though the guilty
ones could never be caught. How much
or how little these men were implicated
in these robberies may never be known.
Largest Number Ever Lynched.
The hanging is a blot on the name Of
Ripley County. 1t is the largest number
ever hanged at a lynching in the State
and only the second rope execution ever
in the county. Twenty years ago Tim
Boyd of Moore's Hill. who was in Jail for
committing an assault. was visited by q
mob and seventeen bullets shot into him,
but nothing has ever aroused the people
like this tragedy. People drove into Yer
sailles from all over the county and
groups stood around discussing it. Schools
were dismissed and business is at 4 stand
still. The families of the men are almost
insane from the shock. The bodies were
taken to Osgood and delivered to their
several homes.
The sheriff received a message from the
Governor to use all means in his power to
apprehend the men composing the mob.
However, it seems that the sheriff is pow
erless, as no means of Identification Of a
single man has been obtained. The Gov
arnor, realizing this and also that the SYM
pathies of the community seemed with
the lynchers, sent Merrill Moores, deputy
attorney general, to the scene of the
i~ynching, with instructions to make a full
Investigation and snare no ayDpnSp in