The evening tribune. (Pawtucket, R.I.) 189?-190?, 1897-01-28
ORIGINOFLYNCHLAW
IT IS CLAIMED BY IRELAND AND THE
, UNITED STATES.

Ono Story In Support OF Each Country.
Colonel Lynch of Lynchburg, Va. yersus
, Mayor OF Galway, Ireiand-Thc Lat
7 ter . Rather Unusual Kind Of Man.
It seems 20 be part of the unwritten
law of tho United States to hang some
criminals without tho formality of trial
sby jury.
Lynchburg, Va, advances q claim to
the originality of the idea, and tho claim
is skillfully maintained by reference to
we'll known facts that actually existed
prior to 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 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 tho patriot Ameri.
can army, Colonel Charles Lynch, organ
ized a protective force, arrested the out
laws, and at a sort of drumhead court mar
tial first satisfied himself and his comrades
as to tho 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 Lyn
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 recite very curious historical tradi.
tion which occurred during the reign Of
the seventh Henry In England. The sys-
tenn Of government was not then as com.
pletoly developed In Europe as 10 IL today,
for baronies, cities and leagues, although
often subservient to one great centralized
power, were In measure independent of
outside control and managed their own
private affairs almost exclusively, except
during 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
It necessary to send his eldest son to Spain
on commercial mission. The boy was of
a wild, reckless disposition, and instead Of
attending to his fathers business, straight
way got on tear and soon squandered the
funds intrusted to him in the widest sort
of dissipation. This compelled him to bor-
row large sum of money from q merchant
to whom he was accredited. and the usual
result followed-that of giving notes bear
Ing his fathers name, every one forgery.
However, with this money the young man
concluded his business arrangements, and
when he embarked for home the nephew
of the money lender accompanied him back
TO Ireland, where he was to receive pay
.ment for the loan.
Young Lynch was In box. There was
no way he could personally settle so large
a debt, and he dared not avow his defalca-
tion to his father So one night, while
calmly sailing across the bay of Biscay, he
induced somo Of the crew Of the vessel to
assist him, bought the silence of the rest,
and then tho 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 a gale had blown tho for
eigner overheard, never mentioning, how.
ever, the matter of debt.
Years passed on, and James Lynch Fitz
stephens, Jr., now a prosperous merchant
became as widely respected as his father
but il was remarked that he did no bust
ness whatever with tho Spanish houses
One day the elder j. Lynch Fitzstephen
received a pressing summons to attend th'
deathbed Of one of his old seamen, wht
had served him long and faithfully. I'm
PEELED by remorse, the dying man let th
cat out OF tho bag, oonfessing the who'll
yillainy of the mayors only son and tolt
of his share In the crime. 1t was a fright
full blow, but the old man determined Il
do the right thing cost what 1t might.
His first not was to arrest his son, whom
despite the entreaties Of his wife and rela
tives, he committed to prison on the charg
of murder. The next, to secure other evi
dence, which was obtained In the person
of four OF five survivors and eyowitnesses
those who had not taken part In the crime
but merely looked on; the accomplices
left for other parts.
The mayor, by virtue of his Office, pre-
sided at the trial, heard the verdict o.
guilty and pronounced sentence of deatf
on his son. Few persons believed tho sen
tence would be executed, and many re-
solved that IL should not Neither tho
laws OF God nor man can demand such O
sacrifice at the hands OF father" they
argued, "for 1t 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."
No use. The judge was steel, and he
set the day for the execution. Then the
women took hand Mother, sisters and
relatives canyassed the community, and
the result was that on the morning wlsr
the mayor judge appeared with his son
surrounded by the officers of justice, on tn,
way to execution, u rush was made by ,
large crowd Of citizens, who had forme,
for rescue.