The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-11-16
SHERIFF GOBLIN ON THE STAND
QUESTIONED ABOUT HIS ACTIONS THE
NIGHT TYLER WAS KILLED.
He Tells Of the Coming of the Mob
tn the Jail-JOhn 4. Carlisle Also
Gives His TestimOny-Saw the Mob.

eral Court yesterday morning. The court
room crowded to its utmost capacity
with the witnesses and persons who are
interested In the trial. After innumerable
questions by the attorneys touching upon
the qualifications of the talesmen a jury
composed of the following men was finally
selected to try the causN: Pearly Hay
worth, Terre Haute, farmer; o. Z. Hadley,
Monrovia, farmer; William Fender. Spen-
Ger, farmer; John Luther, Crown Point. re-
tired farmer; David Coffee. Decatur, mer-
chant; George w. Burns, Martinsville, bar
Der; Henry Coburn, Indianapolis, lumber
merchant; James Buck, Star City, farmer;
John ID. Brosnan, indianapolis, merchant;
John Bihr Ulysses. lumber dealer; S. G.
Anderson, Marble Corner, farmer; w. L.
Carey, Carmel farmer.
During the examination of one of the
taIesmen Judge Baker asked the question
whether he sympathized or approved of
lynching. He replied that he did not know,
whereupon the court said to him: You
mean that you do not know whether you
sympathize with lynching or not? Well,
you can stand aside L don't propose to
have men sitting here as jurors who SYM
pathize with the crime of lynching."
THE OPENING STATEMENT.
Alter the SelecIlOn OIL lne jury w. V.
Rocker made the opening statement for the
plaintiff. in which he said that after Marion
Tyler had been placed in jail Sheriff Goblin
was repeatedly warned that a mob was
forming in Jackson, Washington and Scott
counties with the intention of lynching Ty-
Ter. The mob met at Marshalfield, place
a few miles from Scottsburg. and, leaving
their horses there, they walked down the
railroad to the town. They went directly
to the Jail and were admitted by the sheriff
without any resistance, he said. They were
nearly all masked and all of them armed
In his description of the location and con-
struction of the Jail he declared that it
would have been very easy for the sheriff
to have seen the approach of the mob for
the night was as light day, there being
a full moon, end the sleeping apartment
of the sheriff had windows on all sides. He
said that after Tyler had been hanged the
sheriff made no effort to cut the body down.
but left Tyler to die of strangulation while
he went to see an intimate friend.
In his presentation Mr.. Rocker made the
startling statement that Tyler not
hanged because he shot his wife, but on
account of certain matters of which Tyler
was cognizant that, if told, would be to the
detriment OF some of the citizens of Scots
burg. Mr.. Rocker also made the statement
that Tyler did not try to kill his wife, but
that he attempted to kill himself, and that
his wife in trying to prevent him from the
accomplishment of his purpose detected the
pistol, and as u consequence received the
two wounds
THE DEFENSES CLAIM.
Alonzo G.. Smith followed the opening
statement of MIR. Rocker in the presenta-
ton OF the claims of the defense to the
jury He admitted that Tyler was hanged,
hut denied that the sheriff was in any wise
TO blame. He said that 1t was impossible
for Sheriff Goblin 10 reach the body for more
Il an a period of thirty minutes after Tyler
had been hanged, and when he did arrive he
found doctor there, who told him that
there was no life in the body. Mr. Smith
closed by. giving description in detail of
All of the witnesses in the case were
called before Judge Baker and instructed to
among themselves, and they were not 10
discuss il with other people. They were
then excluded from the room The first wit
The plaintiff, and 10 the surprise OF every
one they called Sheriff Goblin. He testified
that he was one of the defendants in the
case. and that he had been sheriff Of Scott
county since 1896. He was not acquainted
with Marion Tyler until the time of the
shooting CT Mrs. Tyler He said he had
placed Tyler under arrest three days after
the shooting, and week later received
him prisoner in the county Jail, where
he remained In custody from the 10th day
of November until Dec. "a. 1895. He de-
scribed the furniture in the sleeping rooms
occupied by himself and his son. and the
steel cage where Tyler was confined. He
said that the first intimation that he had
of any mob was by a knock on the door,
followed by voice asking him to come TO
the door, which he thought he recognized
a belonging SCOttS-
burg. The court then asked Goblin IL he
had inquired who was outside before he
went to the door. and he replied that he had
not. When he opend the door seven men,
all OF whom were armed and wearing
masks. were there, and one of them made
demand for the keys. The leader, who
was about six feet tall, wore dark clothes,
4 I'D carried a revolver. All of the masks
were OF oilcloth. and reached nearly to their
waists
LOCATION OF HIS REVOLVER
Upon being asked if he had any revolver
and where it was, he replied that he had
locked up in a bureau drawer and that
the key was in the pocket of his sons
trousers and the latter was sleeping up
stairs. When the mob first came into the
room where he was they took him upstairs
to his sons apartment Che then being
dressed in his night clothes) and as soon
as his son was aroused they were both
brought down stairs again and left in
charge of a guard. The mob, he said, then
took the only lamp in the room and went
around to the Jail door with il. leaving
them without any light. After they had Sc
cured Tyler the guard which had been left
In charge of the sheriff all went out and
he rushed out Immediately after them
Upon being asked by Mr. Rocker If he was
then dressed, he said that he was Mr.
Rocker then called his attention to a num-
Der of warnings that he had received from
persons who knew about the formation of
the mob that going TO lynch Tyler
He admitted that he had received three
warnings, but denied that one Tom Bar
ton who had been employed in the Jail
guard, had ever warned him. He said
that the reason he had discharged Barton
as "A guard was because some of the County
Commissioners were complaining of the eX-
pense. but upon being pressed as 10 that
matter he said that Barton had never pre-
scented any claims for the service rendered
guard TO the County Commissioners.
After the discharge of the guard Goblin said
he employed with his own means a day and
night nurse, who were given keys that
they might have easier egress. Goblin ad-
n.itted that he took the keys away from
The nurses about five days before the lynch
ing. After Tyler had been lynched the mob
went north from the Jail and Goblin said
1 he got across the street he turned west
| and went to Peeler's livery sable. Here ne
met John &. Carlisle, who told him tina [
| Tyler was hanging in the courthouse yard.
| Goblin then went about three squares 10