Amador ledger. (Jackson, Amador County, Calif.) 1875-19??, 1908-03-27
FROM OUR
CORRESPONDENTS
Judge Lynch at Pleasant valley
From Our Aukum Correspondent.

In 1850 young man from WiscOn
sin, stole horse from man that
lived near the valley. lie had left
his home in the East to seek his
fortune in the goldfields of Cali
fornia. lie had left, too, his wife
and two small children. lie bad pro-
missed his wife to return in couple
of years and bless her with the gold
that had stood panoramic like upon
his senses. Butt alas, the coils OF
fate was winding itself around him of
a nature that his imagination had
upon thesill-fated man of a nature
almost too horrible to relate. After
he had stolen the horse and been
caught mob of infnrlated men, link
ed in.almost every calling, gathered
in the valley and cried in vengence
for his blood. 1t was night and the
shadowy folds of darkness had
gathered over hill and dale, and had
written in shadowy shapes the
grotesque phantasms of all the
horrors of hideous niRhthood, mark
ing every crevice, nook and corner
almost as hiding place of horror.
The screech owl screamed in hooded
retreat in the shadow of the wood
land. The moon in the first quarter
played with sickened glare through
every open aperture and creVice,
mingling itself with the deep shadow
of darkness that settled like pail
over the dark and inaccessible re-
cesses below.
The mans hands we're securely
fastened by cords and hatless he stood
pale and haggard before the madden
ing crowd, that howled like infuriat-
ed demons tor his blood. A few level
headed men through sheer force of
magnetic influence prevailed upon
the bowling mob to hold him till
morning, hoping to save the poor IN
fortunate from Deaths door by more
sober senses in the morning. "We
will hang him in the morning just as
the sun RISES" a chorus of voices
shouted. Accordingly the man was
put under guard to await the break
ing of the sunlight over the land
scape. The evil that had gathered
through this motley throng played
with demonIacal actions in all its
horror of contemplation, revealing
in bacchanalian rivalry, bursting out
in all the horror of contemplated
crime. The night wore gradually
away. The moon had settled out of
sight hours, before leaving the. dark
ness holding its shadowy mantle
around. At last the grey dawn of
morn burst in silvery fringes the
horizon in the east. The darkness
retreated slowly by the upward burst
of the approaching sun. The golden
shafts of sunlight shot in bespangled
decorative actions in many phatasms
of beautiful shapes. The huttercups
and bluebells dripping with night
dew bowed their tiny heads as a ray
of sunlight tinted with gold their
dropping brow. The morning warbler
was thrilling the woods with his
morning song. All nature was alive
to the beautiful spring morning.
How varied was the evil contemplated
by the mob of the evening before
Soon the green grass that matted the
roots of a black oak tree would be
dripping and smeared by blood for
the mob had decided to shoot the
man to death. Five men were select
ed from the crowd as eXecutioners.
The names of three of the men we're
Major Graham, Handy, and the late
Gale Martin of Moco. The other two
men L have forgotten their names as
they were given to me long ago by an
eye witness to the killing. lie is an
old man past 80 and is still alive, and
lives near Pleasant Valley. But their
names are immateriaI. The three |
have named and the two nameless be-
ing tive in number we're drawn in line
to shoot the man to death. They
bound him to an oak tree with ropes.
"GiVe me whiskey, for God sake give
me whiskey!" He was handed a
bottle lie drank the eutire contents.
He was beastly drunk in minute.
His legs could not support his body
and he dropped through the loosely
tied rope limp as rag. lie was then
sat up against the tree. His hands
hung limp by his side. His head
lolled over upon his breast as Timber
as rag. They tied the rope round
and round his body, and around the