Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1902-04-10
straws. McEwen drew the short straw,
ord tho iob foil RI hic 1ot

"Atchison Is bisected by two or three
brooks, one of which traverses the
northwest section of the town and runs
into White Clay creek. This ravine had
very precipitous banks and was cross
ed by severaI. footbridges. At the east
approach of one bridge was a tall elm
tree. McEwen took his position under
this tree and awaited the appearance
Of Hartman, who necessarily passed
that way in going home at night. When
Hartman was half way across the
bridge, McEwen stepped out, dropped
to his knee, leveled a double barreled
shotgun and turned loose. He filled
Hartman with buckshot from his head
to his heels, but, strange to say, the
fellow did not die for months.
"Soon afterward General Blount,
then in command at Fort Leavenworth.
twenty miles away, sent a company or
cavalry to AtchisOn to deal with the
gang. Just about daylight in the morn
ing the soldiers reached AtchisOn. They
were in the nick of time. A squad OF
Cleveland's thieves were crossing the
river on the ice with half a dozen
stolen horses. The soldiers lined up on
the Kansas shore and ordered them to
surrender. They made a break for lib
erty, and a pitched battle was fought.
One of the fellows was killed, and, l
think, one or two were wounded. The
others were captured. Cleveland, hear
ing Of the difficulty, mounted his horse
and made for the interior Of Kansas.
On the way up Commercial street he
came across Charley Holbert, city mar
shall. He placed a pistol to Holbert's
head, accused him of having sent for
the soldiers and marched him up the
street for five or six squares. Then he
whacked Holbert over the head with
his gun and lit out. He was pursued to
the Blue river country, 100 miles west
ward, and killed.
"The thieves who fell victims to
Judge Lynch a few months later.
while not known as members OF the
Cleveland gang, operated extensively
throughout the period of lawlessness, in
which no effort whatever was made to
bring the outlaws to justice. After the
Cleveland gang had been effectually
broken up these predatory scoundrels
continued their operations. Their last
crime, and the n for which they were
gibbeted, was the attempted robbery of
an old mar named Kelsey. They tor
tured the old man and his wife until
they were nearly dead. The next morn
ing hundreds of their neighbors swarm
ed into Atchison. The thieves got
frightened and made a break for the
country. They were rounded up and
captured-four in all.
'"Then ensued probably the most ex-,
traordinary proceeding known to the
annals Of Judge Lynch. The mob took
possession of the Jail and the court
house and for a week held them. The
prisoners were tried one by one. Ster-
ling was convicted and executed. An
elm tree standing on the banks OF
White Clear creek in the southwest
quarter of the town was admirably
suited to the purpose. When the wag-
on bearing Sterling to his doom reach
ed the ground, the whole town was IN
attendance. A range Of hills to the
SOULu WIS SWdIlICu viii WObhNh NAN"
Barnes, a prominent farmer, a mar or
iron resolution and answering hon.
esty, was the leader of the mob. With
clinched teeth and blanched face he
ordered Sterling to take his place on
the seat of the wagon. and in a twin
king he was swung into eternity.
"The next day two others, a man
named Brewer, a soldier at home on a
furlough, and a young fellow known
as Pony. met the same fate. There was
much sympathy for Pony. He was a
drunkard, and all his ~delinQuencies
were attributed to this weakness. Just
as they were ready to swing him up
two or three members Of the mob told
him that if he would give information
as to others implicated, but who had