The Oskaloosa herald., 1909-04-22
OKLAHOMA mob
LYNCHES -FOUR
Quartette Of Notorious Men Are
Hanged at Ada.
ATTORNEY PLEADS IN VAIN
Lynchers Include Best Citizens Of
the County - Victim Defies
Crowd and Urges II
to Hurry.
lATTORNEY PLEADS IN VAIN

| Ada, Okla, Apr 90 Urging the 200
citizens who stood about him, rope
ready and pistols poised. to hurry up
with their grim purpose, refusing
coldly to give them information as to
| the crime that he and his companions
| had committed, laughinly Boosting that
| the affair would not be bloodless
were he armed, and distributing the
| diamonds he wore as mementoes of
the occasion, Jesse West, ranchman
| and bad man, calmly awaited the fix
ing of the rope that was to swing him
! and his friends into eternity yester-
day morning. a... l.,
]. B. Miller of Fort Worth, slayer
of from six to thirty persons; B. B.
| Burrell of Duncan, Okla, and Joe AL
len of Canadian, Okla were the other
victims of the lynching. -, a.,. ..s..
Best Citizens in Mob.
Two hundred citizens of Ada, prac-
| tically all of them of the better class,
who were thoroughly disguised with
| the kind of Justice" melted out to
criminals in the smaller towns OF Ok
l
hands and hanged the four men for
the murder of Deputy United States
| Marshal A. L. Bobbitt. ial is..t.,,
A few minutes after three o'clock
yesterday morning the few persons
| then awake, the electric lights were
suddenly shut off. The city was
plunged into darkness. Telephone
I communication was also cut off. There
was no noise. Soon few stragglers
began to appear near the Jail build
| ing. Good morning neighbor," was
the greeting, tits fine day for
day" And the newcomer admitting
that it was, soon found himself chal-
leisure to the spot The crowd grew
larger. There was little said. A big
man in a SLOUGH hat soon appeared.
Glad to see you boys" he said. Are
you all ready?" A suppressed cry was
the only answer. The men silently
made their way toward the Jail few
blocks away.
County Attorney Appeals.
They had scarcely gone a block
when County Attorney Robert VIM
bish, who had received word that the
mob was forming, met them. The
crowd came to stop at his request:
Men of Ada, you are disgracing this
community In the eyes of the world.
Think this matter over calmly and let
the law take its course. / appeal to
you as an officer Of the law to return
to your homes" The mob listened at
tentively, then proceeded on its way.
The attorney attempted again to talk
to them. This is no time for
speeches." said the leader, and the
march was resumed. The jail was
| soon reached. Only Guard Mccarthy
was on duty.
JaiIer Shows Game Spirit.
Mccarthy" said the leader, open
| this door at once. We mean business.
| Hurry; it's near daylight"
"You might as we'll go home boys"
| responded the officer. This door will
never open from this side"
Another whispered conference and
then three of the mob threw them.
selves against the frail door and the
mob rushed in. Guard Mccarthy was
struck with a revolver and rendered
unconscious. The four prisoners were
| quickly secured. West fought des.
| perately. The others made no resist
ance. r.s..fss..- '@-er .'.s' 3d..
IF you are going to hang me, do 1t
| quick" said Miller. O.. ..,' o.,
| The nah LODI fba fpur man N q harm
a few hundred feet away and stood
them in a straight line. ..ls su.H F
"Tell us what you devils know about
| Bobbitt's murder" shouted the mob
| leader .-atafsr. .s..-..a Fl
| West answered for the four. He
said: I'VE don't know who you men
are, and we don't care. For myself,
know If had six shooter few
| of you would bite the DUST but that's
talk as long as my shooting iron is In
Texas. You boys appear to have q
| Job to do. Why don't you do it? We
won't tell anything. and you"
"The Ropes" Yeils Leader.
| "The ropes" the leader broke in
] and the four unfortunate men were
carrid to beam and strung up. Just
| before the rope was placed about his
neck Miller calmly removed diamond
from his shirt front and requested that
| it be sent to his wife In Fort Worth
From his necktie he drew out a dia
mond scarf pin, with the request that
1t be given to Guard Mccarthy for his
kindness to him. The mob then dis
L -
the lynched men We're cut down.
When the mob removed the men
from the Jail they failed to modest
Oscar Peeler, 17-year-old boy. who
was implicated In the murder, but who
had turned states evidence. He sale
/ Miller killed Bobbitt. Jesse West paid