The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1900-01-21
TWO BROTHERS LYNCHED
GEORGE sIBLEE AND ED MEEKs
HANGED BY A KANSAS MOB.
Latter Dened His Executioners and
Ordered His Companion to Die
Game-Jal Battered.

FORT SCOTT, Kan, Jan. 20-George
silbee and Ed Meeks. half brothers, who
were convicted of murder early in the
week. were lynched by mob in the county
Jail yard here tonight. AT a late hour their
bodies were dangling from two trees I'm the
yard, the authorities having been so COM
pletely surprised that no effort has been
made to remove the CHASTITY evidence of the
mob's work.
The two men. who came from Kansas
City, had been convicted OF murder in the
first degree. they having killed young
German farmer named Leopold Edlinger,
whose murder occurred near this city in
October last The murderers disposed of
Edlinger's pair of mules, one horse and a
wagon I'm Missouri. Amos Phillips. an
accomplice of the two brothers. was con-
victed yesterday OF murder in the first
degree. The evidence showed that the
three men belonged to a gang of thieves
who had been regularly disposing of their
plumber in Bates county.
The lynching was the work of mob
that began gathering In the vicinity of the
county Jail soon after dark, but the pur-
pose OF the assembling crowd seems not to
have been suspected until the Jail was
been previously built around the jail, was
borne down. the heavy doors leading to
the prison were battered In, and when the
mob came bowling out of the jail with it's
intended victims the place looked if 1t
had been wrecked by dynamite
George Silbee. the older of the two BROTH
ers. defied his captors until the last. He
placed the moose around his own neck and
died cursing the crowd. Just as he was
being hanged he turned to his brother with
an oath and commanded him to die
game" The brother obeyed. maintaining an
outward calm until he was jerked into the
air. Before this Silbee had shouted to the
mob in defiant tones that he himself shot
Edlinger. and that Amos Phillips struck
him on the head with an ak. He insisted
that his brother. Ed, did not participate
in the crime.
BE sure and get Phillips" the doomed
man urged. Then. shouting TO his tormen-
tors. he bade them, with a curse, to string
him up. The malice manifested toward the
accomplice. Phillips. was probably due to
the fact that Phillips, soon after his arrest,
made full confession of the crime, though
when he was put upon the stand he repudi-
ated this earlier confession.
Ed Meeks was equally fearless in the face
of the mob. but he did not manifest the
spirit or bravery shown by his brother.
His last words were: Hang me If you
will. but 1 did not help kill EdNnger
George shot him and Phillips struck him
with an ak. 1 did
The doomed man got no further in his
statement. for four or five men had him
by the feet, others drew the moose around
his neck, throwing the loose end over a
limb. and in a moment he was strangling
to death.
When finally satisfied with their ven
geance upon the two brothers, the lead
ers of the mob went to the jail in search
of Philips. In the meantime the Jail keep
ers had secreted him in a room in the rear
of the structure and when the lynchers
came back they were told Philips had
been hurried away. After a brief search
the lynchers seemed satisfied with this ex-
PLANTATION and left the scene, thus sparing
the life of the third murderer. Philips
will probably be taken out OF the city.
There is some question as to the old man $
sanity.
The direct cause OF the lynching was a
vicious attack by Silbee and Meeks on
Deputy Sheriff Behmer. when the latter
went to their cell tonight to inspect the
cage. Behmer then discovered that the
convicts had almost sawed off the hinges
OF the cell door He entered the cage to
remove the prisoners into another cell. and
as he did so was felled by SiIbee with an
iron bar which the prisoners had secreted.
Other deputies came to Behmer's rescue
and in the scrimmage fired several shots at
the convicts. One bullet took effect in Sill
bees leg. This shooting attracted crowd.
Wild stories OF the assault were soon in
circulation among the crowd gathered
around the jail and IL only required the
few leaders who came later to incite the
gathering TO vengeance. After the assault
on Deputy Behmer. Silbee and Meeks were
shackled and the irons were still on them
they were swung to their death.