Ottumwa tri-weekly courier., 1908-12-24
A NIGHT OF TORTURE
I Brought a Fortune to Its Halt
Strangled Victim.
AN INNOCENT MAN's ORDEAL.
Twice Strung Up by Lynehers, n.
Confessed to Murder and Was After
ward indicated and Recovered $685.
ooo From His Assailants.

1ldte III Lie ult1eS Oh the iaSL cen.
tIry 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
favcrite with the people on account of
his companionable disposition and BIZ
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 1t at the time.
A week after the conversation Rowe
was called out late at night to see
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 aud, oyerpow.
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 be was sus-
peeted of numbering Rowe and de.
manded thnt he confess. King stoutly
maintained his innocence, and the
leader Of the mob ordered his com
panlons "to string him up" A rope
was placed around his neck. dozen
men pulled down a stout limb, over
which the ether 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
vas nearly unconscious when let down
and again ordered to confess.
After much delay he was restored
sNSS-- NiSFSitis w ol-SSiSlSAu WuHt WAS
said to him. and he again refused, de-
ciaring his innocence and saying he
did not know what had become Of
Rowe, A second time he was strung
up and second time let down. but
life was nearly extinct. and he was
much longer in being restored than be-
fe,'c
The luckless landlord knew he could
net rass through another such ordeal
and live. so he consented to confess.
He rurposely len~thened the confes.
sscn in order to gain time and said
that he and two men. named Rogers
md Hageard, had poisoned some whis.
ky and induced Rowe to drink 1t. and
after his death they had buried him
10 hollow some distance away. It
was nearly daylight when the confes-
eion was made. and the lynchers de.
termined to take King to jail in I.afa-
yette and then arrest Rogers and Hag.
gard.
Eefore 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 Tiprecanne 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 and SO intense the
feeling against King that be waived
examination and went to Jail, hoping
that something would turn up to es-
fablish 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
pathetic one and was copied into
many papers throughout the north.
west.
Two weeks after its first appear
ance Dr. Rowe rode into Oxford and,
attended by number Of citizens, pro.
ceeded to Lafayette, where his ap-
rearapce caused the immediate re.
lease Of the accused landlord. In ex-
planation 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. Ee had gone to
little town in southern Illinois. and
It was there that he learned that the
MIN who had befriended him was sus-
pe"ted OF his murder and was in jaiI
In Lafayette.
AS soor as King was released he
BROUGHT suit against thirty-two men,
bers of the Horse Thief Detective
company for $1,000 each and also
against the company as a corporation.
Thomas A. Hendricks. afterward vice
president. was his counsel. but the
case was not allowed to come to trial,
the lynchers compromising by paying
King $4,000. With this money he
purchased farm and other property
near q fa yette where he ljved ttll hfs