The herald-advance. (Milbank, S.D.) 1890-1922, 1908-12-18
A NIGHT OF TORTURE
It Brought a Fortune to Its Half
Stranded Victim.
AN INNOCENT MANS ORDEAL.

Twice Strung Up by Lynchers, He
Confessed to Murder and Was After
ward vindicated and Recovered S25,.
900 From His Assistants.
Late In the hfties Of the last cen
fury George W. King was the pro-
prietor Of u hotel in Oxford, twenty
six miles from Lafayette, Ind. In
1859 a stranger arrived at the hotel
and gave his name as DR.. Rowe. He
told King that be had no money and
asked to be trusted for his board till
he could get practice In the place.
promising to pay him as promptly as
possible. King consented to the ar
rangelnent, and Rowe soon became a
favorite with the people on account OF
his colnpanionable disposition and su-
perior Intelligence. The doctor. how
ever, fell deeper and deeper In debt,
He had been at the hotel for nearly a
year when King reminded him one
morning that he had not paid any
thing on his board bill for three
months. The conversation, 1t after
ward appeared, was overheard by
some one IN the hotel, though moth
ing was thought Of it at the time.
A week after the conversation Rowe
vas called out late at night to see a
patient and failed to return. Days
passed without any word from him,
and bis disappearance soon was con
nected with the conversation that had
passed between him and the landlord
about the unpaid board. One night
three months later a party Of disguised
men entered the hotel aud, overpow-
ering King, took him to a woodland
adjoining the town.
He recognized the voices of several
Of his captors and especially OF the
leader, who told him that he was sus
pected Of numbering Rowe and de-
manded that he confess. King stoutiy
maintained his innocence, and the
leader Of the mob ordered bis com
p~anions TO string him up" A rope
was placed around his neck, a dozen
men pulled down a stout limb, over
which the other end Of the rope was
thrown. and when the limb was re-
leased 1t carried King OF his feet and
left him hanging by the neck. He
was nearly unconscious when let down
and again ordered to confess.
After much delay be was restored
sufficiently to understand what was
said to him, and he again refused, de-
claring his innocence and saying he
did not know what had become of
Rowe. A second time he was strung
up and q second time let down, but
life was nearly extinct, and he was
much longer In being restored than be-
fore.
The luckless landlord knew he could
not pass through another such ordeal
and live. SO be consented to confess,
He purposely heightened the confes-
sion In order to gain time and said
that he and two men, named Rogers
and Haggard, had poisoned some whis-
Ky and induced Rowe to drink 1t, and
after his death they had buried him
In a hollow some distance away. 1t
was nearly daylight when the COMES
sion was made, and the lynchers de.
termined to take King to jail In Lafa-
yette and then arrest Rogers aud Hag-
gard.
Before the jail was reached day had
dawned, and King recognized his cap
tors as members Of the Horse Thief
Detective company Of Benton, Warren
and Ttppecanoe counties. nearly all of
whom were known to him. Confident
Of his guilt, the men made no attempt
to conceal their identity. So great
was the excitement aud so intense the
feeling against King that he waived
exa mination and went to jail, hoping
that something would turn up to es-
tablish his innocence.
From the Jail at Lafayette King ad-
dressed letters to editors Of papers in
Cincinnati, Chicago, st. Louis, Louis
vile and other cities, setting out the
circumstances Of his confinement and
asking them to keep his letter in the
papers In hopes that it might fall un-
der Rowe's notice. The appeal was a
pathetic one and was copied into
many papers throughout the north
west.
Two weeks after its drst appear
ance DR.. Rowe rode into Oxford and,
attended by q number Of citizens, pro-
ceeded to Lafayette, where his ap-
pearance caused the immediate re-
lease Of the accused landlord. In ex-
PLANTATION Of his disappearance Rowe
said he had left his home In the east
on account Of domestic troubles, that
he had learned that his wife was on
her way to Oxford, and he had deter
mined to leave the place secretly In
order to prevent her from learning
where he had gone. He had gone to
q little town In southern Illinois, and
1t was there that he learned that the
man who had befriended him was sus
pected Of his murder and was in Jail
In Lafayette.
As Q as King was released he
brought suit against thirty-two mem
bers Of the Horse Thief Detective
company for 5000 each and also
ODnloS$ 49, N~ o-.~----