The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1897-11-15

Bismarck, N. D., Nov. 14.-Alex Cou-
dot, Indian half-breed, Paul Holytrack,
and Philip Ireland. full-blooded Indians,
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 in the murder.
were taken from the county jail in En-
mons county last night and lynched by
g. mob.
COOLLY PLANNED.
The lynchtng had apparently been
coolly planned, and was carried out
without a break. Sudden and swift
retributiOn was meted out. Williams
port, where the hanging took place, is
about 40 miles from this city, and off
the railroad.
The news of the lynching was receiv-
ed here this afternoon. The men had
been under the custody of Deputy Sher-
iff Tom Kelly. They were taken from
him by the mob, and hanged to a beef
windlass, several yards from the Jail.
Their bodies were left hanging during
the entire day, the coroner not having
arrived and no one else volunteering to
cut them down.
About 40 men were concerned in the
lynching. They rode into WilliamspOrt
on horseback late at night, and teth-
cred 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 is a sub
stantial stone structure and was in
charge of Deputy Sheriff Thomas Kelly.
Since the confinement of the prisoners
there, so great has been the fear that
they might escape in some way. that
one man has watched the prisoners all
night.
THE WATCHER DECEIVED.
Last night Kelly was on watch. There
was a meeting of the lodge of Woodmen
in a building near the Jail, and as Kelly
was . 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 was playing solitaire in front
of the cells in which murderers were
confined. About o'clock in the morn
ing there was a rap at the outer door
of the Jail and Kelly arose. quickly and
turned the key in the lock, thinking
that the persons he expected to meet
had arrived.
THE MOB ENTERS.
No sooner had he opened the door
than the mob crowded into the CORR
doris All. of them were masked, and
the leaders carried ropes Kelly at
once realized what the mob had come
after. The Iynchers were quiet, but
determined. The leaders presented a
revolver at the head of the deputy
sheriff and told him they wanted his
prisoners and demanded that he open
their cells. Kelly demurred, but saw
that resistance was useless and I'M
locked the door, Two of the prisoners
were confined together and the other
in a separate cell. They had been
aroused from sleep by the entrance of
the wOuld-be lynchers and set up, half
awake and trembling with terror.
HUNG TO A BEEL WINDLASS.
EIolytrack and Ireland were 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 a huge beef wind
lass which had been erected to sus-
pend the carcasses of slaughtered
| beeves and strung up on cross beam.
Coudot was the first man 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 mid-air.
| SHARE SAME FATE.
| Holytrack and Ireland were so near
" 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 Coudot
/ The mob then dispersed. mounting
/ their horses and riding away.