Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1908-12-15
A NIGHT OF TORTURE.
It Brought a Fortune to Its Halt
StrangIed Victim.
AN INNOCENT MANS ORDEAL.

Late IN the nItleS OF the laSL CEN
fury George w. King was the pro-
prietor OF hotel in Oxford, twenty
six miles from Lafayette, Ind. In
1859 stranger arrived at the hotel
and gave his name as DR.. Rowe. He
told King that he 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
rangement, and Rowe soon became a
fayorite with the people on account of
his compnnionable disposition and SUI
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
was called out late at night to see a
patient and failed to return. Days
passed without any word from him,
and his 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 party Of disguised
men entered the hotel and, overpow.
ering King took him to 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 stoutly
maintained his innocence, and the
leader of the mob ordered his com
panions Ito string him up" A rope
was placed around his neck, dozen
men pulled down q stout limb, over
which the other end of the rope was
thrown, and when the limb was re-
leased it carried King of his feet and
left him hanging by the neck. He
was nearly unconscious when let down
ar1 again ordered to confess.
After much delay he 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
1 up and second time let down, but
life was nearly extinct, and he was
much longer in being restored than be-
l fore.
The luckless landlord knew he could
not pass through another such ordeal
and live. SO he consented to confess
He purposely heightened the comics
{. sion In order to gain time and said
that he and two men, named Rogers
and Haggard, had poisoned some wits
ky and induced Rowe to drink it, an6
after his death they had buried hin
4 In hollow some distance away. Il
was nearly daylight when the confes
sion was made, and the lynchers de
termined to take King to, Jail in Lafa
yette and then arrest Rogers and Hag
gard.
Before the jail was reached day haf
dawnsd, and King recognized his cap
tors as members Of the Horse THE
Detective company Of Benton, Warner
and Tippecanoe counties. nearly all O
whom were known to him. Confiden
af his guilt. the men made no attemp
TO conceal their identity. So grea
was the excitement and so intense th
feeling against King that he waive,
examination and went to jail, hopin
that something would turn up to es
tablish his innocence.
, From the Jail at Lafayette King ad
, dressed letters to editors Of papers Ii
, Cincinnati. Chicago, st. Louis. Louis
| ville and other cities, setting out th
circumstances of his confinement an,
esking them to keep his letter In th
papers In hopes that 1t might fall ur
, der Rowe's notice. The appeal was
: pathetic one and was copied int
, many papers throughout the NORTH
west.
Two weeks after its first appear
ance DR.. Rowe rode into Oxford an6
attended by number of citizens, pro
, ceeded to Lafayette, where his az
pearance caused the immediate re
lease Of the accused landlord. In el
PLANTATION of his disappearance Row
said he had left his home in the eas
OH account of domestic troubles, tha
ne had learned that his wife was 0
& her way to Oxford and he had detel
mined to leave the place secretly l
y order to prevent her from learnin
l. where he had gone. He had gone I
little town In southern Illinois, an
1t was there that he learned that th
mpn who had befriended him was SUI
ported Of his murder and was In ia
in Lafayette.
AS soon as King was released /
brou-ht suit against thirty-twe men
hers Of the Horse Thief Detectiy
company for $4,000 each and ais
against the company as a corporation
, Thomas A. Hendricks. afterward vic
president. was his counsel. but ii
case was not allowed to come to tria
the lynchers compromising by payir
King $4,000. With this money
purchased farm and other Dronert