Rosebud County news. [volume] (Forsyth, Mont.) 1901-1906, 1903-07-23
AS a Result Of Mob at Basin, Wyo.
ming.-Batter Down Jail Doors
and Kill Two Men Convicted Of
Murder in FIRST Degree.
DEPUTY SHERIFF ALSO A VICTIM

Basin, Wyoming, is now claiming
the attention of the public. A state of
lawlessness prevails there which for
nerve has no equal in the history of the
state.
A party of about thirty unmasked
men rode up to the Big Horn river and
compelled the ferryman to take them
across when they Immediately pro-
ceeded to the building used as court
house and Jail combined when they
fired a vol1ey into the Jail killing Dep
uty Sheriff c. E. Pierce instantly.
Pierce and George s. Meade had
been left to guard two prisoners,
Walters and German, who had been
sentenced to death.
Feeling had been running high
among the people for long time.
Germans crime was considered a
particularly inhuman one. He shot
his brother Tom at the latter's ranch
OH Shell creek, near Thermopols, in
cold blood, and then ran off with Tom S
wife, Maggie, who is also held as an
accomplice in the crime, but is out on
bail. German has had two trials,
each resulting in sentence of death by
hanging. But his attorney fought the
case hard and took an appeal to the
supreme court. The ranchers believed
justice would be defeated.
Walters was a travelling man, who
fell in love with Mrs. Hoover, after
several days acquaintance. Size re-
fused to marry him and he shot her
dead in her tracks about two years
ago. Justice has been delayed in his
case also, he having been sentenced to
death.
The mob after firing volley into the
Jail secured telephone poles and bat
tered the door in. They first came
upon Walters, who had crouched down
in the corner of his cell beging for
mercy, not wishing to inflict unneces-
sary punishment they shot him in
stantly, badly disfguring his face.
They next came upon Gordon whose
body was pierced by five bullets and
he was left presumably dead. He
fingered, however, until eight O'Clock
this morning, when he died. He made
no statement, but asked to see Maggie
German, his accomplice. She was far
away and his dying request could not
be granted.
It's work done, the mob quickly and
quietly disappeared. One report is
that not a single member of the mob
was recognized. Another statement is
that Deputy Meade recognized the
leader, but will not make known the
mans identity.
A still more alarming state of affairs
is reported from the vicinity of Their
mopolis. About six weeks ago, as a
result of the range feud that has been
so bitterly waged, a sheepman, Ben
Minnick, was killed by cattlemen.
Sheriff Fenton, it is claimed, has
captured the murderers, who are all
prominent cattlemen, and whose names
have been withheld, but, on account of
the threats made against him, he is un-
able to get his prison ers to basin. It
is claimed the same mob that lynched
German and Walters are not kindly
disposed toward Minnick's murderers
and have declared Sheriff Fenton will
never get out of the locality alive with
his prisoners.
Sheriff Fenton has wired the cover
nor of Wyoming for permission to use
the state militia at Landers, and has
sent telephone messages to Cody,
Basin, Meeteetse and other Wyoming
towns, asking for volunteers to assist
him in upholding the law. Every
where hardy sheepmen are responding
to the call, armlng themselves and
Fastening toward Thermopolis.