The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-11-15
THREE MEN LYNCHED.
Taken From Jail by a Mob and
Promptly Strung Up. ,
WERE WHOLESALE MURDERERs.

One OF Them Had Been Sentenced to
Death. But Was Recently Awarded
New Trial-The Lynchers Were
All Masked.
Bismarck, N. D.. Nov. l5.-Alexander
Coudot. Indian half breed. Paul Holy
e track and Philip ireland. full blooded
Indians, the first of whom was sem
fenced to death for the murder of six
members of the Spicer family last Feb
ruary, and had just been granted
new trial by the supreme court. and the
latter two self confessed accessories
in the murder. were taken from the
county Jail in Emmons county Satur-
day night and lynched by mob. The
lynchIng had been apparently coolly
planned. and was carried out without
a break In the program.
Wiliamsport, where the hanging took
place, is about 40 miles from this city.
and off the railroad. The men had
been under the custody Of Deputy Sher-
iff Tom Kelly, and they were taken
from under his control by the mob and
hanged to a beef windlass several hun
dred yards from the jail. where their
bodies were left swinging all day yes
terday. There were about 4o men con-
cerned in the lynching.
The mob rode into Williamsport on
horseback late at night and tethered
their horses a short distance from the
city that they might secure them again
as speedily as necessary after the deed
was done. The Jail In which the pris-
oners were confnedNis a substantial
stone structure. and was In charge OF
Deputy Sheriff Thomas Kelley. Since
the confinement of the prisoners so
great has been the fear that they might
escape In some way that one man has
watched all night within the Jail. and
Saturday night Kelley was on the watch.
There was meeting of the Lodge of
woodmen in a building near the jail,
and as Kelley was member he ex-
y pected to meet some Of the members
of the lodge after the meeting had ad-
journed.
About 2 o'clock in the morning there
was q rap at the outer doors or the
3ail, and Kelley arose quickly and turn
ed the key in the lock, thinking that
the persons he expected to meet had
arrived. No sooner had he opened the
door than the mob crowded into the
corridors. All of them were masked
and the leaders carried ropes. Kelley
at once realized that the mob had
come after his prisoners The leaders
presented a revolver at the head OF
the deputy sheriff and told him they
wanted his prisoners, and demanded
that he open the cells which they were
confined In. Kelley demurred, but saw
that resistance was useless and un-
locked the cells.
Two of the prisoners were confined
together and the other in separate
cell. They had been aroused from
sleep by the entrance Of the men, and
sat up half awake and trembling with
terror. Holytrack and Ireland were
dragged from their beds, ropes were
fastened about their necks and they
were dragged out on the ground after
being told to prepare for death. The
men were then dragged to huge beel
windlass, which had been erected tt
suspend the carcasses of slaughtered
beeves. and strung up to cross beam
Coudot was the first man to be
hanged. 1t Is reported that he was
asked before he was hanged whether
Blackhawk and Defender had also beer
concerned in the murder for which he
was to be hanged. He answered thai
they had been. The rope which had
been fastened about his neck was ther
thrown over the cross beam and hi
was raised off the ground and sus.
pended in the air. Holytrack and Ire
land were SO nearly unconscious from
the effects of the dragging that they
were unable to stand, and were slowly
raised from the ground on which they
lay until their bodies swung in the air