Gloucester County Democrat. (Woodbury, N.J.) 1878-1932, 1900-08-23
A NIGHT OF TORTURE
n BROUGHT a FORTUNE TO IT'S IN
NocENT VICTIM.


Confessed TO Murder and was Aft
ersyard yfndfcated and Recovered
s25.000 From His ASSISTANTS.
Late In the fifties George w. King
was the proprietor of a hotel in OK
ford. 20 miles from Lafayette. Ind. In
1850 a stranger arrived at the hotel and
gave his name as Dr. Rowe. He told
King that he had no money and asked
to be trusted for his board till he could
get practice In tue place, promising to
pay him as promptly as possible. King
consented to the arrangement, and
Rowe soon became favorfte with the
people on account OF his companion
able disposition and superior intelli-
gence. The doctor, however, fell deep
er and deeper in debt. He had been at
the hotel for nearly a year when King
reminded him one morning that he
had not paid anything on his board
bill for three months. The converse
ton. 1t afterward appeared, was over
heard by some one in the hotel, though
nothing was thought of it at the time.
a week after the conversation Rowe
was called out late at night to see d
patient and failed to return. Days
passed without any word from him, and
his disappearance soon was connected
with the conversation that had passed
between him and the landlord about
the unpaid board. One night three
months later a party of disguised men
entered the hotel and, overDowering
King, took him TO woodland adjoin-
Ing the town.
He recognized the voices of several
OF his captors and especially of the
leader, who told him that he was sus-
pected of numbering Rowe and de-
manded that he eopfess- King stoutly
maintained his innocence, and the
leader of the mob ordered his COM
panions Ito string him up A rope
was placed around his neck, dozen
men pulled down stout limb. over
which the other end of the rope was
thrown, and when the limb was re-
leased it carried King off his feet and
left him hanging by the neck. He
was nearly unconscious when let down
and again ordered to confess.
After much delay he was restored
sufficiently TO understand what was
said to him. and he again refused, de-
claring his innocence and saying he
did not know what had become Of
Rowe. A second time he was strung
up and a second time let down. but
life was nearly extinct, and he was
much longer in being restored than be-
fore.
The luckless landlord knew he conld
not pass through another such ordeal
and live, so he consented to confess.
He purposely heightened the confess
sion In order to gain time. and said
that he and two men. named Rogers
and Haggard. had poisoned some whis-
ky and induced Rowe to drink 1t. and
after his death they had buried him
In a hollow some distance away. It
was nearly daylight when the confess
sion was made, and the lynchers de-
termined to take King TO Jail in Lafa-
yette and then arrest Rogers and Hag-
gard.
Before the jail was reached day had
dawned. and King recognized his cap
tors as members OF the Horse Thief
Detective company Of Benton. Warren
and Tippecanoe counties, nearly all Of
whom were known TO him. Confident
of his guilt. the men made no attempt
to conceal their indentity. So great
was the excitement and so iiateBse the
feeling against King that lie waived
examination and went 70 jail. hoping
that something would turn up to es-
tablIsh his innocence.
From the jail at Lafayette King adj
dressed letters to editors Of papers In
Cincinnati. Chicago. st. Louis, Louis
vile and other cities, setting out the
circumstances OF his confinement and
asking them 30 keep his letter in the
papers In hopes that 1t might fall un-
der Rowe's notice. The appeal was a
pathetic one and was copied into many
papers throughout the northwest
Two weeks after its first appearance
DR.. Rowe rode into Oxford and. at
tended by a number of citizens. pro
ceeded to Lafayette. where his appear
ance caused the immediate release of
the accused landlord In explanation
OF his disappearance Rowe said he had
left his home In the east on account of
domestic troubles; that he had learned
that his wife was on her way TO Ok
ford and be had determined to Ieavs
the place secretly in order 10 prevent
her from learning where he had gone.
He had gone to a little town in south
ern Illinois, and it was there that he
learned that the man who had be
friended him was suspected of his mur
der and was In Jail in Lafayette.
AS soon as King was released he
brought suit against 50 members of the
Horse Thief Detective company for
5000 each and also against the com
pany as a corporation. Thomas A.
Hendricks. afterward vice president,
was his counsel. but the case was not
allowed to come to trial. the lynchers
compromising by paying King $4,000
With this money he purchased farm
and other property near Lafayette,
where he lived till his death, at the age
of rs years indianapolis Correspond
enee.