Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1907-01-12
Wife of Citizen Who Was Deter
mined to Stop Mob Smashes
His Repeating Rifle
MAY NEVER FIND GUILTY ONES
Doubt Expressed That Anything Will
Be Accomplished by the Grand Jury
Identity Of Rineleaders Not Re-
vealed-Governor is Not Blamed for
Lynchins.

Special to Times-Republican.
Charles City, Jan. 12.-It is certain
that the sheriff or any determined man,
backed by gun, could have stood Off
the mob and saved the life of James
Cullen, the murderer. Such man
would have undertaken the task ana
accomplished it, it Is believed, had 1t
not been for woman.
Because his wife smashed his shot
gun over the foot Of the bed, u. X.
Mosby, OF Charles City, was unable to
plead convincingly with the mob which
lyncked James Cullen, the wife muir
derer. Mr.. Mosby, who is the son of
cousin Of the famous Colonel Mosby OF
civil war notoriety, is firm believer In
law and order, and is ready to back his
opinions when the occasion arises, but
Mrs. Mosby has more use for live
husband than a dead patriot. Conse-'
quently, when he announced his inten-
ton Of taking his gun and going out to
argue with the mob. she got to the
weapon first and reduced SIG worth OF
Winchester pump" to junk with one
swing at the bedstead.
Half the horrors of Wednesday
nights lynching have not been told in
the press dispatches" said Mr., Mos
by. MY house fronts on Main street,
and is only a few blocks from the
bridge, where Cullen was hanged. From
my window / saw the mob of hoodlums
and fanatics drag the shrieking, strug-
Cling maniac to his doom.
Down in the south, where used to
live, sir, have attended with pleasure
the taking off of some undesirable cit
liens, but 1 have never seen anything
like this affair. 1t Is one thing for
party of righteously incensed men to
string up niger rapist, and another
for a mob with women in 1t to hang a
lunatic in cold blood. l tell you, when
I heard parcel of women sing Near
er, My God, to Thee as the mob pass
ed my window, 1t turned my stomach.
"In Iowa we are fortunate In having
good courts and comparatively few
crimes There is no need for lynch
law, and am opposed to such a thing
except in extreme and peculiar cases.
This was no case for such a thing, and
If 1t had lain in my power I should
have stopped it.
when saw them drag Cullen, who
was fighting like man, If he was q
murderer past my window, it rolled
me, and / said to my wife, Martha,
this has got to be stopped. If that
sheriff didn't have a streak Of yellow
in him as wide as his back, that prayer
meeting mob would never have gotten
into the Jail. One man with a gun can
sober up this crowd in one whoop if he
don't get downed first
my wife, sir, is a woman of rare
decision of character, and few words.
Some women would have wept or
scolded, but not She She just made
one swoop to the corner where my
new pump Stood grabbed the gun by
the barrel and busted it on the bed.
"That let me out. 1t deprived me
of all my arguments, so to speak, and
before could get organized with an
ther answer, it was all over"
Prosecutions Doubtful.
The grand jury has adjourned until
Monday and 1t is very doubtful If its
Investigations will accomplish any
| thing. 1t seems to be generally evident
that few are willing to admit that they
know anything definite about the mob.
Altho there were nearly a thousand
people in the mob and many admit
having been witnesses, they declare
that they do not recognize the leaders
or active participants. Some claim
that the leader and his assistants
were masked, while others say not
Ensign Roper declares the leader was
not masked and says that only few
of the active participants had handker-
chiefs tied over the lower part of their
faces.
County Attorney L. A. Rue in dis
cussing the investigation last night
said:
1--WE will do everything possible to
bring the guilty parties to trial. am
afraid that all we will be able to get
from witnesses will be lot of gilt
tering generalities about the mob and
no definite information as to the ac-
tive participants Out of the hundreds
in that crowd, some one surely must
have recognized the leader or some of
his assistants. We may havarf ex-
anime hundreds to get any thing tangi-
BILE"
| There seems to be an impression that
the identity of the excutioners of
/ Cullen is a secret to be kept at all
costs and it would not be surprising if
| it was.
Don't Blame Governor cummins.
Mayor H. N. Baldwin and other
prominent citizens declare that there is
no question but that the lynch spirit
was largely prompted by the commu-
tation of Buses death sentence and
| the delays in Furnishing other similar
criminals.
In this connection, tho, the censure
for the Communication of the Busse sem
tence is not centered on Governor
Cummins. Even his political oppon-
ents declare that Governor Cummins
| took the proper course in the Busse at
| fair.
The censure is generally directed at
the Iowa supreme court. They declare
that the statements of the supreme
court judges in urging leniency could
not be disregarded by Governor Cum
Minis.
The remarkable familiarity of every
one in this section with all details of
| the Busse case results in the general
ILLUMINATION of Governor Cummins from