The record-union., 1897-11-15
A Half Breed and Two Full Bioods Pay the
Penalty.
Coudet, the Half Breed, Had Just
Been Granted a New Trial by
the Supreme Court, and the
Other Two Were Self-Confessed
Accessories to the Murders
The Lynching Coolly Planned
and Carried Out Without
Break.

BISMARCK On. d., Nov. 14-Alex
Coudet, Indian half-breed; Paul Holy
track and Philip Ireland, full blood In
dians. the first of whom was sentenced
TO death for the murder of six members
of the Spicer family last February and
just been granted new trial by the
supreme Court, and the latter two self
confessed accessories to the murder.
We're taken from the County Jail in
Emmons County last night and lynched
by mob. The lynching had apparent
ly been coolly planned and was carried
without break. Sudden and swift ret
ribution was meted out. Williamsport,
where the hanging took place, is about
forty miles from this city and off the
railroad. The news of the lynching was
received here this afternoon. The men
mad been under the custody of Deputy
Sheriff Tom Kelly. They were taken
from him by the mob and hanged to
a beef windlass several hundred yards
from the Jail. The bodies were left
hanging during the entire day. the Cor
oner not having arrived, and no one else
volunteering to cut them down.
About forty men We're concerned in
the lynching. They rode into Williams
port on horseback late at night and
tethered their horses a short distance
from the city, that they might again
secure them as speedily as possible af-
ter the deed was done. The Jail is a
substantial stone structure and was in
charge of Deputy Sheriff Kelly. Since
the confinement of the prisoners there
so great has been the fear that they
might escape in some way that one man
mas watched the prisoners all night
Last night Kelly was on watch. There
was meeting of the lodge of Woodmen
in a building near the jail, and as Kelly
was a member he expected to meet
some of the members of the lodge after
the meeting had adjourned. To while
away the time during the night hours
he played solitaire in front Of the cells
in which the murderers were confined
About o'clock in the morning there
was rap al the outer door of the jail
and Kelly arose quickly and turned the
key in the lock, thinking that the per-
sons he expected to meet had arrived.
No sooner had he opened the door
than the mob crowded into the corri-
doris. All of them were masked. and
the leaders carried ropes. Kelly at
once realized that the mob had come
after his prisoners. The lynchers were
quiet but determined. The leader pre-
sented a revolver at the head of the
Deputy Sheriff and told him they want
ed his prisoners, and demanded that he
open their cells. Kelly demurred. but
saw that resistance was useless and un-
locked the door. Two of the prisoners
were confined together and the others
in a separate cell. They had been
aroused from sleep by the entrance Of
the would-be lynchers and sat up half
awake and trembling with terror
Holytrack and Ireland We're pulled
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 beef wind
lass. which had been erected to sus-
pend the carcasses of slaughtered
beeves, and strung up on cross beam.
Coudet was the first man to be hanged.
1t is reported that he was asked before
he was hanged whether Black Hawk
and Defender had also been concerned
in the murder for which he was about
to be hanged. He answered in the af-
frmative. The rope which had been
fastened about his neck was then
thrown over the cross beam and he was
suspended in midair. Holytrack and
Ireland We're so nearly unconscious
from the effects OF the dragging that
they did not realize what was about to
happen when the ropes about their
necks were tossed over the same beam.
They were unable to stand, and were
slowly raised from the ground on which
they lay until their bodies swung in the
air and dangled from the windlass with
that of Coudet The mob then dis
persed, mounting their horses and rid
ing aWay