Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1905-09-06

BEW ARE
: PARTY OF LYNCHERS. ::
".............:........
With the history of the tree of
death in Arcadia valley in their minds
the persons upon whom such notices
were served did not look upon them
as jests or idle threats. Seventeen
corpses had dangled from the limbs of
this tree in mute testimony of the sin
cerity of purpose of the land leaguers;
and the receipt of such notice after
the leaguers had teen brought to bay
was not a pleasant incident. The
government maintained surveillance
over the criminals and their suspected
allies, however, and prevented the exc
cution of any threats. The notice
sent to Smith found to be in the hand
writing Of Robert Lindsay.
1t was in high political places that the
most telling fight was made by the
leaguers to escape the penalty Of their
crimes. To explain this fight l must
revert for moment to the national
political situation of that year. Grant
had completed his globe-circling tour
and was being urged for third presi
Dental term. Among the 300 delegates
to the Chicago convention that stood by
him to the last we're James Lindsay and
Carroll r. Peck Grant was defeated fol-
nomination by the unexpected launch
ing of the name of James A. Garfield
around whom the ant1-Grant forces raj
lied The schism in the party preceding
the convention was widened by the
nomination and election of Garfield, and
the bitterness of feeling was nowhere
more intense than in Missouri.
Robert Lindsay was prominent in the
Grant faction of that state, being an Of
ficer in large political organization
with such stanch republicans as Chaun-
cey l. Filley and others of equal prom
inence. His father was Grants per-
sonal friend and political beneficiary
and the relations between the former
president and the Lindsay family were
very warm. as indicated by James Lind
says appointment to one responsible
position after he had proved defaulter
III previous one.
United States Attorney Bliss, upon
whom fell the chief burden of prosecu-
ton of the leaguers in the courts. was
appointed by President Grant, and other
government officials. the weight of
whose influence should have been on the
side of the prosecution, were found luke
warm in the cause. | do not mean to
imply that there was any overt neglect
OF duty on the part of the government
prosecutors nor that any of the Grant
politicians used their influence corrupt
ly; but | DO say that from mysterious
sources and in the most mysterious
manner there came strange happenings
all in favor of the defendants. It did
not take me long to see that at the rate
matters were going the land leaguers
would soon be free without trial.
AT the time of his arrest Robert Lind
say charged his trouble to Carl Schurz.
In the newspapers he charged that Sec
rotary Schurz had discharged James
Lindsay from the Ironton land Office
without cause, and that he, Robert, had
issued circular attacking Schurz for
this act. In order to get revenge for the
issuance of this circular .Schurz had
concocted this plot against the Lind
says, according to those worthless. The
secretary of the interior was member
of the anti-Grant faction, and this gave
some color, with the uniformed. to the
cry of his political plottings against the
Lindsays. This is the first time since
the celebrated land fraud cases came
before the public that the exact truth
concerning their origin has been made
public. The starting point, as | have
related, was the falling out of Robert
Lindsay and his lieutenant Whybark,
and not any desire on the part of Sec
rotary Schurz to punish his political
adversaries In the republican party.
TO raise the cry of political persecu-
ton, however, was to put forward the
strongest available defense. James
Lindsay came forward with newspa-
per interview in defense of his son and
In condemnation of the federal author
tiles. Carroll r. Peck, in the Ironton
paper owned by him, charged me with
having involved the government in an
expense of $4,000 to satisfy the polit-
ical enmities of my superiors. AS
matter OF fact, about $1,000 had been
spent up to that time. The strongest
political forces in the state were being
pushed to their utmost capacity to bring
about the release of Lindsay, especially,
and the bitterest Of feuds were fomented
After the 18th of September. 1881,
when the word flashed across the land