The daily Gate City and constitution-Democrat. (Keokuk, Iowa) 1916-1922, 1920-12-10
THREE GANGSTERS
HANGED BY MOB
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most beautiful residence str eets. II
Odd Fellows cemetery.
The three gangsters were rushed
inside a great human circle to the
great oak tree, sixty feet inside the
cemetery gates A rope with per
feet hangmans moose was tossed
over Boyd's limp head.
The rope was quickly thrown over
an overhanging limb and members or
the band began to pull. BcyIS BODY
was slowly pulled up until his feet
were three feet clear Of the e. ouho:
Some of the lynching party stepped
back and raised their rifles to tire at
his body. They were told Lot II DO
SO.
Let 'em just die" the leader OF
the band is said to have ordered.
Boyd's neck was broken by the
moose.
Fits, screaming and kicking, WAS
dragged under the tree. blow IRON
the butt of a gun Quieted MN ana
he was executed in manner similar
to Boyd.
Valento, apparently unnalved, but
game, walked under the tree. He Ga
not move, it is said, while the moose
was tossed over his head anu his
body was drawn up slowly.
! Inc OAHU osaySu VIZ N
until assured all three Itien we've
dead. Then they departed quietly.
The slain Sheriff Petray would nave
been eishty-fve years old TODAY. Tho
day has been sloganed "hansnlan
Friday" anu the phrase is already on
the lips of thousands of people.
Hanging from a single limb, the
stark, yellow bodies Of Valento, boy,i
and Fits swung in the gentle breeze i
and a light drizzle of rain.
/ BOYD, the slayer, his arms pln1onea
to his side by a rope, hung from tne
left. Fits. his mouth stuheo WIN
a gag and his face bloodstalneo, was
in the center. Falento' strlppeu ~
the waist, was on the Tight
! Groups of grim faced men hurrled
t. IN The scene and surrounded the still
warm bodies shortly afterwards.
Women also made their appear,
i,nca and in several cases were leu
historical from the scene. =
The death tree of vengeance Is
within A few feet OF the center Oh the
veterans Memorial and the Dig gun
IN the soldiers plot was poinlihs
directly at the bodies OF the oeau
men.
Witnessed Lynchine.
SANTA ROSA, Calf, Dec ia
Santa Rosa citizen, who SAID ne VII
messed the lynching OF ChaIles va
Ien1o. George Boyd and Ierrance
Fits, today told the story as toilo"s
as to the United Press:
They dragged the felio"s up
slowly. A bunch in the crowd haa
their guns out and were READY 70 M
the gangsters with bullets, but otherS
shouted not to snoct as they "oulu
hit their friends. The men with guns |
we're pushed back and no sho1s were
fred.
.srhe three men didn't kick much
at first. Then one mans neck began
to stretch. You could see it. Va
ilento next began Topping his artfe
like a chicken. He did this for quite
a while and the crowd shouted that
he was getting his medicine now
Royd didn't kick much because ne
was too near dead from Jackson's
bullet wound and Fits was too
scared and beaten UP to do anything.
He got a lot of rough treatment be-
fore he was strung up.
( 81 guess they kicked for I'VE min
utes before they died
while was passing one or the
guards down town / was mistaken
for one Of the lynchers Put on that
mask, you fool the guard said to me:
II pulled out my handkerchief and
put it across my face.
Most of the guards were armed
with shot guns and revolvers.
81 watched the hanging until the
men had stopped kicking, Then l
was sick and l turned away. l had
been crouching across the road from
the cemetery. It was sickening.
Dozens of flashlights and spotlights
lighted up the scene"