Lincoln County leader. [volume] (Toledo, Lincoln County, Or.) 1893-1987, 1897-09-23
ROBBERS STRUNG UP.
rive Disreputable Characters Put Ont
OF Harms Way by a Mob.

Versailles, Ind, Sept. l7.-This has
peen the most exciting day in the his
tory OF this city. The bodies of five
men who had been lynched last night
were found hanging to the same tree
near the Jail this morning. This
caused sensation in the city, and it
rapidly spread throughout the county.
ana no occasion ever attracted such
crowds to the city. For years South
ern Indiana has been afflicted with law
less gangs. The railroads and express
companies broke up the depredations of
those gangs along their lines, and lat
terly they have preyed upon the citi-
zens. The citizens have taken the law
INTO their own hands in this locality
before, but never to such an extent as
today.
The Reno brothers were lvnched to-
gether at Seymour, Ind, 20 years ago;
the Archer gang, three in number,
We're strung up together at Showles,
Ind, IL years ago. There have been
numerous lynchings, one at time, but
the Job lot' OF five today breaks the
record.
That an unusual state OF feeling ex-
listed Is shown by the ferocity of the
mob, which first killed three of the
men in the Jail, and then, dragging out
the living and dead together, hanged
them to the same tree.
1t is notable, too, that no outrage
that usually rouses mob's vengeance
no murder-was charged against the
victims, but their death was decreed
because of long and exasperating suf-
fering from robberies, some of which
were accompanied by torture to VIC
tins. The excitement of the day was
not lessened by the suppressed hints
that more objects of the peoples wrath
would be made to suffer in the same
way.
The five victims are: Lyle Levi,
aged 81; William Jenkins, aged 2S,
unmarried; Henry Schuller, aged "a,
married; Bert Anderson, aged 80, and
Cliff Gordon, aged 81.
They were all residents of Osgood,
three miles away. Two men were left
in jail-Charles Kelly, aged IA, for
burglary, and Arthur McMillen, for
carrying concealed weapons. The lat
ter was let out tonight on bond. Nc
Millen says three of the prisoners were
killed in the Jail, and one of the others
uac olp,nSt lz;llaJ tbora Ton;uh+ +ho
town is picketed, it being feared the
friends of the lynched men will burn
the town out of revenge.
Versailles is a town of 800 people,
and has no telegraphic communication.
For four or five years the farmers of the
county have been the victims of law
less gang, who have piled their vocation
to the terror of the people. The farm
ers would come into town with a bunch
of cattle or load of farming products,
and next morning would be found
along the roadside suffering from
wounds and minus the proceeds of their
sale. Old German farmers have been
visited and both men and women have
been subjected to all the tortures that
hardened mind could conceive.
1t was / o'clock this morning when
the mob seemed to come from all quar-
ters and dismounted on the side of the
hill near Versailles. About 400 men
marched into the town. The Jail was
in charge of William Kenan, Sheriff
Bushing's brother-in-law. Shortly be-
fore O'Clock there was knock at the
door and when Kenan and the others
opened it they were confronted with
pistols by three masked men and asked
to turn over the keys. This they did.
Then the mob filed into the Jail.
Levi, jenkins and Schuller showed
fight. Levi was shot through the
breast, while the skulls of the two lat
ter were crushed with stools. Ropes
were in readiness. A moose was adjust
ed around the neck of each man, their
feet and hands were pinioned and then
the march began. With several men at
the end of each rope the five prisoners
were dragged distance of 200 feet to
the elm tree, where their bodies were
suspended.
1t is said Levi, jenkins and Schuller
were dead before they reached the place.
Death resulted from hanging in the
cases of Gordon and Anderson. None
of the lynchers are known. They all
came from a distance.