The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1910-03-25
RECALLsO[DCR| ME-
FINDING OF GRAVES OF CAMP
BELL AND LISCOMB.
Men Were Brutally Murdered BY a
Mob in New Ulm in 1866: Cap
tain Holmes ard Number Of Men
Found BCdies in River Where They
Had Been Placed By Fiends Who
Had Done Killing.

While walking through Rnra Grove
cemetery a day or 50 ago, {. 4. Chap
man discovered the graves of Campbell
and Tiscomb. two men who were muir
dcred by Il mob at New Tim on or
about Christmas. 1886 Each has Il
headstone. The murder took place in
the winter, and the infuriaied mob cut
holes in the Ice in the Minnesota river
and showed the bodies in Captain L.
\. Holmes headed company that
recovered the bodies.
Were Orderly Citizens.
1t appears that .5hipbcil and LIS
comb were good, orderly citizens OF
Mankato. who had beer soldiers. but
who were then engaged in trapping.
They went TO New Tim to sell their
furs, AMI having no other place to
spend the evening went into Il saloon,
but did not drink, and all the evidence
was that they were perfectly sober.
During the evening they gave an Illus
tration Of how Indians use their bowie
knives, for the edificatiOn of the crowd,
and good humOr prevailed all around.
One of the men made II ab behind
him, unfortunately, just as someone
entered the door, and he new conner
was accidentally struck in the leg and
an artery was severed and he bled to
death
Crowd Became Infatuated
Although the accident was clearly
unintentional the crowd in the saloon
became Infatuated, STEPPED as tney
were with liquor, and Il mob formed
and the two men were lynched, after
being dragged through the streets and
tortured, their limbs broken and other
horrible things done to them. The
bodies were then pat under the ice,
and every effort made to conceal the
crime.
When the news of the outrage reach
ed Mankato the people were indignant,
and it was determined that the muir
dercrs Of the two men must be caught
and punished II was necessary to
recover the bodies first in order 10
prove crime, and company went
to New Tim, of which b. d. Pay was
one, but this company was unsuccesS-
ful in finding the bodies. linen another
company of picked men was organized,
led by Captain l.. \. Holmes. and this
company went to New Tim. and after
encountelin9 opposition on the part OF
residents and officials it went directly
to the river. where some chips of ice
were found that had not been swept
off The holes were located, although
frozen up in the interval of several
days that had elapsed. Captain Holmes
gave his men instructions that if the
bodies were found they were to be
lifted out and not laid down until the
Nicollct county side of the river was
reached, so that no official proceed
ings on the bodies could he had IN
Brown county, where justice was not
looked for
One Man Sent to Prison.
The bodies were found, and were
taken into NicOlet county, as planned.
They were found to be terribly mutt
lated. Several parties were arrested III
connection with the murder Of the
men, and trials were had at st. Peter
and Redwood Falls, ana delays were
had and time dragged on, Just as the
practice is now in murder cases, and
finally all got off except one man, who
got Il prison term.
The bodies Of Campbell and Liscomb
were buried IN this city, and they. as
well rs the crime, have been for
gotten for many years, and the mem
DRY of it is only revived by the find
ing Of the two headstones.