The Denison review. [volume] (Denison, Iowa) 1867-current, 1900-10-12
A NIGHT OF TORTURE
1T BROUGHT A FORTUNE TO ITS IN
NoCENT VICTIM.


Twice Strung Up by Lynchers, He
erward vindicnted andv recovered
$4,000 From His Assailantss
/ Late in the tiftes George w. King |
was the proprietor of hotel in OK
ford, 90 miles from Lafayette, Ind. In
1859 stranger arrived at the hotel ana
gave his name as DR.. Rowe. He told
King that he. bad no money and asked
to be trustetl3or his board till lie could
get practice in the place, promising to
pay him as promptly as possible. King
consented to the arrangement, and
Rowe soon became favorite 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 conyersa-
, ton, it 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 a
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 party of disguised men
entered the hotel and, overpowering
L.. Il; md a1 ini i'm.
;. 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 confess. King stoutly
- maintained his innocence, and the
=. leader of the mob ordered his COM
- panions ito string him up" 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
"a 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 coult
-. not pass through another such ordea
and live so he consented to confess
,- He purposely heightened the comics
- sion in order to gain time, and sale
=, that he and two men, named Rogers
VI a and Haggard, had poisoned some whis
ky and induced Rowe to drink it, ant
! after his death they had buried hin
in a hollow some distance away. |
" was nearly daylight when the comics
!, =, sion was made, and the lynchers de
rs termined to take King to Jail in Lafa
=. yette and then arrest Rogers and Hag
49,, -. gard.
is' Before the Jail was reached day ha
dawned, and King recognized his caI
~ tors as members of the Horse THE
W Detective company of Benton, Ware
" and Tippecanoe counties, nearly all Q
~ whom were known to him. Confider
VIC of his guilt, the men made no attemI
iei to conceal their indemnity. So grea
'ne was the excitement and SO intense til
~ feeling against King that he waive
examination and went to Jail, hopin
en- that something would turn up to e.
on' tablish his innocence.
hce From the Jail at Lafayette King az
,eh dressed letters to editors of papers
ien Cincinnati. Chicago, st. Louis. Loui
MS vile and other cities, setting out til
" circumstances of his confinement al
=, asking them to keep his letter in tt
w papers in hopes that 1T might fall III
der Rowes notice. The appeal was
pathetic one and was copied into man
yea papers throughout the northwest
Two weeks after its first appearant
Dr. Rowe rode into Oxford and a
d! tended by number of citizens, pr
ceeded to Lafayette where his appea
ance caused the immediate release
the accused landlord. In explanatio
by Of his disappearance Rowe said he hi
left his home in the east on account
no domestic troubles; that he had learnt
that his wife was on her way to 0
'Wn ford and he had determined to lea
lree the place secretly in order to prove
'me her from learning where he had gon
the He had gone to little town in sout
one ern Illinois, and it was there that
to learned that the man who had /
him friended him was suspected of his mt
as der and was in Jail in Lafayette.
Chls AS soon as King was released
ness brought suit against 80 members Of t
mig Horse Thief Detective company +
III $4,000 each and also against the col
pany as a corporation. Thomas
llns Hendricks, afterward vice presidel
'ow- was his counsel but the case was 4
the allowed to come to trial, the lynche
ana compromising by paying King $25,0t
the With this money he purchased fan
tug and other property near Lafayet
'ack where he lived till his death, at the a