The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1903-08-07
LYNCHING THE MURDERER
A Crowd Of 400 Gathers at AsOtin Tuesday
Night and a Masked Band Hangs Hamilton
to a Telegraph Pole

|
A masked band of men overpowered
the guards at the Asotin Jail Tuesday
night and taking the self-confessed muir
derer of little Mabel Richards they tied
again to the details of his horrible crime
they strung him 20 the guy wire Of a
telegraph pole and dispersed to their
several homes.
The spread of the news Tuesday that
the ranchman William Hamilton had
| confessed to the dastardly deed of attack
ing and numbering an innocent child
took hundreds of spectators to the little
town Of Asotin. Every conveyance in
Lewiston had left by O'Clock. 1t was
felt that Hamilton's life hang by
thread. Everything was a in turmoil of
excitement. The father of Hamilton
went around through the crowd armed
with Colt revolver. this precaution. 1t
is thought, was taken by the afflicted
man to prevent the angry people from
venting their wrath upon him. There
was little use for that as the crowd felt
sadness for the parent whose son had
brought shame on his name The old
man was prevailed upon to retire at an
| early hour and he was not a witness Of
the scenes that followed.
AS time wore on the feeling that the
criminal would have to die at the hands
of mob became more intense. The
little girls blanched face, the marked
neck, the bloody club that finished the
beastly act and the cold d-blooded way the
fiend told Of how he had murdered an
innocent babe as he would cat, mouse
or snake in the field stirred angry men
to action.
AT I2I5 a company Of men rode up to
the Jail door, dismounted, overpowered
the deput es that the injured father of a
murdered daughter had sworn in to pro-
tect the life of the perpetrator of the
deed. The keys were wrested from the
first deputy and an entrance was made to
the prieoner and the doomed man was
dragged from the jail that had sheltered
him.. In the mean time hundred
masked men pstrolied the street and
kept the mass of spectators back. As
the procession came from the jail yard
the street patrolmen surrounded them
and marched dragging the man down
the street 10 point where First and FL
! more streets inteFsect, There line was
thrown over guy rope to telephone
post and a loop placed around the pris-
oneT's neck. He was here asked to make
a statement He again confessed the
crime. asked that his jewelry be returned
to his parents and that he might see
them in heaven,
Then there was another sho,t wait.
The manner Of Hamilton's death was
under discussion. Some Of the mob
thought hanging too good for him and
wanted TO torture the british fellow, but
the original program prevailed and IL
was decided tO hang him.
SINE one produced a black mask like
that used IN a legal hanging and il was
put over the head Of Hamilton. II
reached down TO- his shoulders The
rope was drawn tight about the neck and
was seized by powerful men and the
body was lifted off the ground and sus-
pended at height Of about four feet.
The dying wretch began to gasp for
breath and his efforts were plainly dis
cernable distance Of two blocks so
l. .H4 4 I -
quiet was the crowd. The rope was tied
to the telephone pole aud when the
crowd vas satisfied the wretch had
bresthed his last IL quietly melted away
aud the citizens sought their beds. The
streets were soon deserted.
The body was left hanging in the sun
for an hour "Wednesday morning and a
| few clrioas spectators stopped and looked
al the dangling form. The coroner aud
| deputy sheriff took the body from the
rope AID placing IL in pine coffin buried
J il in lot in Asotin cemetery.
| A coroner's jury was called aud Haniil-
toms death was adiudged to the acts of
parties unknown II is expected that
the nshal formalities will he gone through
/ with but no certain Knowledge OF who
the persons were who did the lynching
will ever come 10 the officials