The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1900-01-21


Fort Scott, Kan, Jan. 20.-George
Silbee and Ed Meeks. half-brOthers,
who were convicted of murder here
earlier in the week, were lynched b. a
mob in the county Jail yard tonight. At
late hour their bodies were dangling
from two trees in the yard the author
tiles having been so completely sur
Drised that no effort had been made to
remove the CHASTITY evidences Of the
MODS work.
The two men, who hailed from KAN
sas City, had been convicted of murder
in the first degree, their victim being g
young German farmer named Leopold
Edlinger. whose murder occurred near
this city in October last. The murder
ers disposed Of Edlingers pair of mules,
one horse and a wagon in Bates cOun-
ty. Amos Philips, an accOmplice Of
the two brothers in the crime, 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 disposiug Of
their plumber in Bates county.
Lynching a Surprise.
The lynching was the work of a mob
NidL DeSdu gathering Al the Vicinity VI
the county Jail soon after dark, but the
purpose of the assembled crowds seems
not to have been suspected until the
Jail was attacked. A barb wire trOcha
that had been previously built around
the jail was torn. down, the heavy doors
leading to the prison were battered in,
and when the mob came bowling out
of the Jail with its intended victims
the interior ofthe place looked as if it
had been wrecked by dynamite.
George Silbee, the older of the two
brothers, dehed his captOrs until the
last. He placed the moose around his
own neck and died cursing the crowd.
Just as he was jerked into eternity he
turned to his brother with an oath and
commanded him to "die game" The
brother obeyed, maintaining an out
ward calm until he was Jerked into the
air
Defed the Mob.
Before this SIhee had shouted to the
mob in defiant tones that he himself
shot Edlinger- and that Amos Philips
struck him on the head with an ak,
He insisted that his brother Ed did not
participate in the crime.
BE sure and get Philips" the
doomed man urged Then, shouting to
his tormenters, he babe them. with a
curse, to string him up The vengeance
manifested toward the accomplice.
Philips. was probably due to the fact
that Philips, soon after his arrest,
made a full confession Of the crime,
though when he was put upon trial he
repudiated this earlier confession.
Ed Meeks was equally fearless in the
hands of the mob, but he did not mani
fest the spirit of braVadO shown by his
brother. His Lost words We're:
Hang me if you will, but I did not
help kill Edlingsr. George shot him
and Philips struck him with an ak.
1 did
The doomed man got no farther 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 limb, and in a moment he
was strangling 10 death.
Looking For Phillips.
When finally satisfied With their
vengeance upon the two brothers. the
leaders Of the mob went back TO the
jail in search Of old man Phillips. In
the meantime the Jail keepers had Sc
creted him in a room in the rear of the
structure. and when the lyncheTs came
back they were told that Phillips had
been hurried away After a brief search
the lynchers seemed satisfied with this
explanation and left the scene. thus
sparing the life of the third murderer.
Phillips viii probably be taken out Of
the city. There is some question as to
the old mans sanity.
The direct cause of the lynching was
a vicious attack by Silbee and Meeks
upon Deputy Sheriff Behmer. when the
latter went to thei~ cell tonight to in
sDect tho cage. Behmer then discov-
cred that the eonyicts had sawed the
hinges Of he cell door all but off. He
entered cage TO remove the prisc5-
ers 10 er cell, and as he did so
was y Silbee with an iron bar
which isOners had secreted. Other
deput a ne 10 Behmer's rescue. and
in the image fired several shots at
the co ts. One bullet took effect in
Silbee's 1se.
This shooting attracted crowd
Wild stories of the assault were soon
in circulation among the crowd which
gathered around the jail. and it only
required the few leaders who came
later to incite the gathering to violence
After the assault upon Deputy Beh-
mer, Silbeer and Meeks were shackled.
and the irons were still upon them as
they were swung to their death