The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-12-31
TYLER STILL ALIVE WHEN THE
SHERIFF FOUND HIM SUSPENDED.
Attorney General Returns from Scene
of ScOttsburg Lynching-MO-
tive of the Crime.

| of the vindication of the law. II believe"
| said the attorney general that the muir
derers of Marion Tyler can be punished If
| the officials will do their duty which / think
| they will. Judge Willard S. New is a capable
| judge and Samuel b. Wells, the prosecuting
attorney, is an able young attorney who
seemed anxious to have the truth uncov-
cred at the inquest"
Mr.. Taylor said there was the deepest in
terest at the inquest, the courtroom being
crowded. Over a score of witnesses were
examined. But one, John w. Carlysle,
| huckster, was an eyewitness to the princi-
pal scenes in the tragedy outside the Jail.
His testimony showed that but for negli-
gence Tyler might have been resuscitated
after he was hanged. Carlysle was joined
| by the sheriff after the lynchers went away,
not to exceed six or seven minutes after the
! prisoner had been suspended. Had the
sheriff gone to him Immediately and cut
| down his body his life could have been
saved, on The testimony OF the Jail physi-
] clan, DR.. Sarver, who said that Tyler must
| have lived ten minutes, and perhaps did
not die for twenty minutes. Instead of cut
| ting down the body the sheriff wandered
| about town half hour notifying people of
what had happened. That Tyler's life
might have been saved even after the mob
| left him hanging was the chief new fact
| brought out by the inquest. The lynchers
| made a hangman's knot in the rope, but in
adjusting it about Tyler's neck put it on
| upside down, so that it did not slip down
and break his neck when the body was
| dropped, and the physicians said that he
! died from slow strangulation.
None of the witnesses was found who adj
mitted recognizing any OF the lynchers,
| Of 49,
about thirty of the lynchers, instead of
hundred, as first reported. Many of them
rode into Scottsburg on horseback, hitching
their animals some distance from the Jail.
Mr. Taylor is satisfied the mob did not come
| from Ripley county which, fifteen months
before, had been the scene of the lynching
of five of the Levi gang. 1t was a bright,
moonlight night.
| THE SHERIFF DON'T REMEMBER
| 1t was about l o'clock according to Sher-
| if James Goblin, when he was awakened by
| the mob, a number of whom gathered on
| the front porch Of his house and demanded
| admittance While he let them into the
| front room where his wife and child of
! eight were sleeping, there was demand for
the keys. Mrs. Goblin was in bed and did
not give up the keys, as first reported. They
were in the drawer of bureau, in another
| drawer of which was loaded revolver. The
| sheriff was unable to tell whether he gave
| the keys to the mob or not While some of
| the men were in the room the sheriff's boy
| raised his head and inquired what was go
ing ON. +" 900 9.'
| "You lay down and cover your head, boy
! said one. This is Santa Claus
| The sheriff and his wife testified that all
the men in the room wore masks While
| they We're parleying others had gone to the
| second-story room and awakened the sher-
| ms older son, man of twenty-six years,
| and sworn deputy sheriff. He was brought
/ into the room where his father and mother
! were kept, while the mob went with it's
| murderous work. Taking the keys and a
| lamp the mob. left the house, and, going
| around the corner, past three windows, pro-
ceeded to the Jail, in the rear of the sheriff S
| residence. They had to open three steel
| doors and climb fight of stairs to large
| cell, in which the prisoner Tyler was sleep
| ing with Allen Cole, an old man, confined
before the inquest, and he was not on hand
| to testify. friends of the lynchers having
| spirited him away: What he told the sher-
| iH was related. Cole said that two of the
men covered him with their revolvers, while
two others bound Tyler's hands before he
| awakened. Tyler was startled and daZed
! and hardly realized what was going on as
| they forced him to dress. He was still
weak and i'll from his self-inficted wounds.
| two prisoners confined in the cell below,
| called up through a stove-pipe hole in the
ceiling to inquire what was up; Harris was as
| was taken to Scottsburg for safe keeping
| after he was threatened with lynching for
| shooting the marshal of Seymour Cole
| dared not reply. He saw seven men, all
| masked, and asserted to the sheriff that he
! did not recognize any of them. While Ty-
Ter was being made to dress by two men
| two others were preparing the hangman S
/ moose in the rope. and when their work
was finished placed it about Tylers neck.
Seven men, all told according to Cole,
| were in the upper cell. Proceeding down
stairs. taking Tyler with them, the men had
| to again pass a side window in the sheriff s
room. where he and his son and wife were
my God. boys the sheriff heard Tyler
| OH don't hang met The sheriffs revolver
was within reach. There was nothing be-
through which the would-be murderers
might have been shot had the sheriff been
dspGsed to go to any ex bense to
a corner of the street tnat passes the court
! house yard in the corner of which, dag
| onally opposite the sherff's residence. grew
the tree on which Tyler was hanged. 1t
| could be seen from the sheriff's window, eX
| cept for the fact, as he claims, that the
| blinds were drawn. AS the prisoner be-
| ing rapidly taken across the street, John w.
| Carlysle, who had just returned to Scotts-
| burg after visiting his girl, came from a
| livery stable across the street from the
| sheriff's house and Immediately opposite the
| tree. He was stopped at the door by three
men, he says, who thrust revolvers into his
| face. Neither of the trio was masked. They
wore soft hats pulled down over their eyes.
| CARLISLE saw the prisoner taken around into
/ y
Their proceedings. a shed hiding the lynch
| ers from his view. Foot marks on the tree
made by mans muddy boots indicate that
| one climbed up to throw the rope over
| limb Tyler was stood upon an old door and
| lifted bodily by a number of willing hands.
| The rope was tied to the butt of the tree.
| Then with cry of ''all together the men
| dropped the door. and Tyler swung in the
! air, the fall failing to break his neck owing
to the awkward way in which the moose
had been adjusted. Then the mob left. Two
minutes afterward the last of them, includ-
| ing the three that held up Carlysle. disap-
| peared down the street. Meantime, while
| the hanging was being done, one of the
| lynchers coolly walked back into the
| sheriff's room with the lamp in one hand
| and the keys in the other. He handed the
| sheriff the keys. Are you not going to
leave the lamp also." asked the sheriff
| SHERIFFS FURTHER OPPORTUNITY
''Oh, yes, / guess you can keep the lamp"
The man turned on his heel and walked
away, neither the sheriff nor his son at
tempting to stay him nor discover his
| identity by tearing away his mask Two
| minutes after the mob disappeared the sher-
if walked across the street to where Carlysle
| was standing. The length of time is known
as Carlysle had his watch in his hand, tim
| ing events. The sheriff claims that he did
| not he &,Iro NIL