Smyrna times., 1908-12-30
A NIGHT OF TORTURE
1t Brought a Fortune to Its Half
Strangled Victim.
AN INNOCENT MANS ORDEAL.
Twice Strung Up by Lynchers, He
Confessed to Murder and Was After
ward indicated and Recovered $685.
600 From His Assailants.


600 From His Assailants.
Late in the fifties of the last cen
tury George w. King was the pro-
prietor Of a hotel in Oxford, twenty
six miles from Lafayette, Ind. In
1859 a stranger arrived at the hotel
and gave his name as DIR. 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
favorite with the people on account of
his companiOnable disposition and su-
periOr intelligence. The doctor. how
ever. fell deeper and deeper in debt.
He had been at the hotel for nearly
year when King reminded him one
morning that he had not paid any
thing on his board bill for three
months. The conversation, it 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 a party Of disguised
men entered the hotel and. OverpOw-
ering F.ing, took him to Il 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 ''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 it carried King off his feet and
left him hanging by the neck. He
was nearly unconscious when let down
and 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
up and a 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 he consented to confess.
He purposely heightened the confes-
sion in order 70 gain time and said
that he and two men, named Rogers
and Haggard, had poisoned some whis-
ky and induced Rowe to drink it. and
after his death they had buried him
in n hollow some distance away. 1t
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 EIaC
gard.
Before the jail was reached day had
dawned. and King recognized his cap
tors as members of the Horse Thiei
Detective company of Benton.. Warner
and TippecanOe counties. nearly all OF
whom were known to him. Confden
of his guilt. the men made no attemD
to conceal their identity. So great
was the excitement and so intense tht
feeling against King that he waived
examination md 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 il
Cincinnati, Chicago. st. Louis. Louis
vile and other cities, setting out tn
circumstances of his confinement an,
asking them to keep his letter in tn
papers in hopes that it 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 Or. Rowe rode into Oxford anC
attended by a number of citizens. prC
ceeded to Lafayette, where his ar
pearance caused the immediate re
lease Of the accused landlord. In eS
PLANTATION Of his Disappearance Row
said he had left his home in the eas
on account Of domestic troubles. tha
he had learned that his wife was 0
her way to Oxford. and he had detel
mined to leave the place secretly /
order to prevent her from Icarnin
where he had gone. He had gone {
little town in southern Illinois. an
It was there that he learned that tn
man who had befriended him was su!
pected of his murder and was in ia
in Lafayette.
AS soon as King was released b
brought suit against thirty-two men
bers of the Horse Thief Detectiv
company for $1,000 each and ais
against the company as a corporation
Thomas A. Hendricks. afterward vic
president. was his counsel. but I'll
case was not allowed to come to tria
the lynchers compromising by payir
King $4,000. With this money |