The Leon reporter. (Leon, Iowa) 1887-1930, 1907-01-17
AN IOWA LYNCHING
James Cullen, of Charles City, Who
Murdered His Wife and Step
son Hung by Mob.


son Hung by a Mob.
Charles City, Iowa, was the scene of a
lynching party last Wednesday night
when an angry mob took James Cullen,
murderer of his wife and step-son from
the Jail after battering in the doors with
railroad iron and hung him from a
bridge across Cedar river.
Cullen was wealthy contractor and
considered very eccentric and by many
insane. He married widow few years
ago and they had considerable trouble
and on Tuesdsy morning about O'clock
he murdered his wife with large knife,
and attempted to murder his fifteen year
old step-son in the same manner. After
killing his wife Cullen went to the room
where the boy was sleeping and when
the lad felt the knife touch his throat he
battled bravely with his step-father and
finally gained possession of the knife.
Boarders in the house were aroused, as
was also Cullen's brother, Richard Gull
len, a banker of Warren, ILL.,, who had
been summoned to Charles City by wire
by Cullen and arrived only an hour be-
fore the tragedy. When the boarders in
terfered the boy started to go up town
to notify the officers and just as he was
leaving the house Cullen broke away
from the men and grabbed shot gun
and shot the boy dead. He then at
tempted to commit suicide by shooting
himself twice in the head but did not in
flict fatal wounds. He was arrested a
short time later while on his way to a
doctors Office to have his wounds
dressed:
Wednesday night about 11:3O o'clock a
mob of about 600 people attacked the
Jail and took Cullen out and hanged him.
He fought fiercely for his life but was
overcome and vengeance came swift and
sure at the hands of the resolute crowd
of citizens, when with the rope about his
neck he was swung aloft over the girder
OF the bridge, answering to the law that
is not found in codes or statutes, but
which is equally as relentless and effec-
tive.
The mob assembled early in the even
ing, after freely expressing their opin-
ions that he should be lynched during
the day. Many of the men in the crowd
are said to be residents of Nashua, in
which town the murdered wife of Cullen
formerly lived. Scarcely any attempt
was made at concealing their intentions
or Identities, and few of the immense
throng which gathered at the Jail doors
at IL o'clock wore masks, but went at
their work with an intensity of purpose
which could have no double meaning.
Half the citizens of the town had reached
the scene in time to see the murderer's s
life start on its way to the hell that has
long gaped for it, prominent business
men, even several of the clergymen,
women, children, all that were represen-
tative of the city gave their approval by
their presence A few hours before
they were a sober, thinking, ordinary set
of :ndividuals-W Wednesday night they
were mob, crazed but relentless. They
adjusted the rope of death with calm
faces and fingers that did not tremble-
it was the craze of set purpose.
The doors of the Jail were attacked
with a railroad iron. Leading citizens
caught up the heavy rail and charged
against the barrier, cracking it from top
to bottom and telling it to the floor.
They were met by Sheriff Schermerhorn,
the man sworn to protect his prisoner,
and he offered feeble resistance in the
way of entreaties for the mob to disperse.
1t was in vain, for they brushed him
aside as though he were a fly, and with
SWcpU luUO
ing, and to the cell of the murderer.
Behind the bars of his cell Cullen
had been pacing back and forth hoping
against hope that the sheriff would save
him and that the doors of the Jail would
hold. He heard the crash of the falling
doors, the weak resistance, and the
exultant roar of the mob. He felt the
building shake and tremble with the on
rush of feet. He saw their angry faces
set with a solemn resolution to make him
pay the debt of his horrible crime upon
a home made gallows, and not allow his
fortune of $4,000 to thwart the end OF
justice for coming years as in the case of
Busse. He stopped his pacing and stood
lifeless in the middle of the cell, and
then contorted his face into an agony OF
appeal for mercy, quality that did not
even exist in the mob, for they set to
work fiereely to pry out the cell fasten-
ings, while Cullen ran up and down the
enclosure sobbing out his innocence.
The bars OF the cell dropped to the floor
and the mob was upon him. In a sudden
desperation he sprang to meet them like
a wild man, and forced them back for a
moment, gamely fighting and scratching
and biting like a tiger. Time after time
he tore himself away from the vanguard
of the throng only to attack them again
in ungovernable fury. He was finally
surrounded and dragged down the cor
ridors and into the street. "There'li be
no LOUIS Busse justice in this" shouted
man in the crowd and the cry was
taken up and passed down the line. The
procession halted at the bridge, in the
center borne the now helpless captive.
He was jerked to his feet, and would
have fallen but for the press about him
Aman produced rope; tho victim was
held while it was adjusted about his
neck. The end of it was thrown over
the bridge girder and seized by willing
hands. Threats were made to shoot az
well as hang and guns were drawn, but
imperative orders came from the leaders
to put them up. Hanging goes tonight
but not murder" one OF them said.
Half the town was at the bridge by
L. o.