The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1898-06-14
John Becker Suffers Death at the
Hands of a lob of
Farmers.
ACCUSED OF KILLING
1yrtle Huffmeister, a Farmers Sxteen-Year- Old
Daughter; Whom He Loved Vainly--An Ex-
citing Chase For the Victim.

Great Bend, Kan, June BIN the pup
lie SQUARE, fronting on the principal bust
ness street OF this city, murderer was
lynched at o'clock this evening by
mob Of probably 500 persons. II is esti-
mated that at least 900 of Great Bends
population Of $500 persons witnessed the
tragedy. The victim was John Becker,
white man, who, on April s, killed Myrtle
Hufmeister, the 16-year-old daughter or
William Huffmester, a farmer living
midway between Great Bend and Film
wood, the second station east of here.
Becker was employed by the farmer and
protested passionate love of the daugh-
ter, and the tragedy followed the girls
refusal to accept his advances. When
the girl came to the stable in the evening
Becker shot her 10 death, sending eight
bullets into her body, after which he set
fire 10 the farmers stables. AT first it
was reported that the murderer had shot
himself and that he had died in the
flames, but later it became known that
he had fed, and search was instituted.
On April l3 d posse Of farmers captured
the murderer near ST. John Stafford
county. and for safe keeping he was taken
by the sheriff to Hutchinson, there hav-
ing been threats that he would be lynch
ed IL brought here. This morning Becker
was brought here from Hutchinson TO be
put upon has preliminary examination.
EaHy in the day farmers from the vicin-
fly of the crime began coming into town,
and by evening the streets were throng-
ed. Then when it became evident that
the murderer had been granted a change
of venue to Lyons and that Sheriff Aber
would take his prisoner east on the Santa
Fe train this evening, there were signs
of threatened trouble as a big crowd be-
gen to gather at the railway depot. Sher-
If Aber, approaching the danger, took
Becker into buggy and started for a
crossing east Of the city, intending to flag
the train there. By this time the crowd
at the depot were openly threatening a
lynching. When the train pulled in the
purpose Of the sheriffs strategy had be-
come apparent to all. The woyld-be
1ynchers, quick to act, boarded the train
end rode on. When Sheriff Aber at the
crossing saw that the train was crowded
10 the guards he did not flag it, but hur- I
riedly drove back to Great Bend with his
prisoner. At Dartmouth the lynching
party left the train and started back to
this city, having hired all the convey
ences available there
In the meantime Sheriff Aber had hur-
ried back and lodged his prisoner in the
county Jail.
few minutes before o'clock the mob
was swarming around the jail Evident
iy believing that he could outwit the
lynchers by flight, the sheriff rushed
Becker out Of the jail to his buggy in the
street, but no sooner had he done so
~ he and his men and the prisoner
were surrounded. The sheriff. aided by
his deputies. made a stubborn defense,
and the prisoner, realizing the fate that
threatened him, fought desperately with
them. After they had fought their way
back almost % the entrance to the jaii
the mob, through sheer force of numbers.
prevailed. Securing the murderer. they
bore him away 10 the public square. There
a rope was drawn around Becker's neck
and after he had been beaten almost TO
nsensibility the rope was thrown over a
limb of big tree and he was drawn I'D.
Some IN the crowd gave the body a push
ma as the murderer was being drawn
Up his body repeatedly swung back.
5craping upon the trunk of the tree.
The sheriff and his men kept close upon
he heels Of the lynchers. but they were
held back for fully fifteen minutes when.
I being apparent that Becker was dead
he mob quickly melted away and the /
nurderer's body was cut down by the
sheriff and e-coroner. Though guns
we're drawn and threats were made. no ]