, 1935-08-04
Masked, Armed
Mobsrrlen Batter
Way Into Jail

YREKA, Calf, Aug. 3.-tPp- A
mob Of rs to so masked men dragged
G. l.. Johnson, "a. from the county
Jail here early Saturday and lynch
ell him for the Staying of Chief OF
PLlice +. r. Daw of DunSmuir, Calf.
The lone deputy sheriff on duty
in the county jail was kidnapped
and a byStander was held prisoner
until after Johnson, a white man,
was hanged from a pine tree three
miles south Of Yreka.
He was fully dressed, except for
his shoes left in his jail cell. when
he was cut down by sheriff's officers
az 4 a. m. Two hours after the mob
left his body dangling from the
three.
50 Men In Mob
The young man, a confessed rob-
Der from Reno, New, and klamath
rails, Ore, was taken from his cell
exactly II hours after the funeral
G. the police officer he was accused
OF killing last Monday morning.
Il suppose they talked it over at
Tire funeral" said Deputy Sheriff
Joe Clark. and got up the mob"
johnson was brought to Yreka
earlier in the week when lynch talk
Vas first heard in DunSmuir, 40
niles south OF here.
The men drove TO the county jail
i automobiles about 1880 a. m, and
promptly seized Fleming Martin, a
restaurant employee who passed the
Jail on his way home, and held him
prisoner until after the lynching,
He estimated the crowd numbered
80.
Quickly approaching the jail. they
rang the night bell. When Deputy
Sheriff Martin LANCE answered,
they covered him with pistols. over
powered him, bound him hand and
fcot and after falling to get the
keys from him carried him into the
country where they turned him
loose barefooted.
They smashed doors and ransack-
&C the Jail before finding the keys
to JohnSon's first floor cell.
when they burst into Johnson's cell
and o~verpowered him. said three
TRUSTEES. the only other prisoners on
the ground floor.
Showed Gun In Face
Bells had been ringing all night"
said LANCE, telephone bells and
teletype bells. so / didn't think much
Of II when the little bell Ito the
outer door, rang.
Il opened the door and the first
think I saw was a gun. 1t vas a
silver gun. Yeh, a nickle plated gun.
They showed the door open and
poked guns all over me. They bound
me with ropes and kidnapped me.
Took me for a ride. / didn't have
any shoes.
They bound my wrists first.
They had q lot of quarter inch rope
anc they twisted and yanked and
jerked me around with that. They
wanted me to tell where the keys
were.
Il wouldn't tell. I never told where
the keys were.
They found the keys somewhere
around here but I was out In the
country then. They took me nine
miles out In the country and turned
me loose In my barefeet.
Il went to half a dozen houses
ano knocked but none Of them would
get up. They were sure sore, none
Of them would help me.
Il had a police whistle and
went back to the highway and blew
that and stopped q ar.
All Wore Masks
They all wore masks. They wore
white handkercniefs that covered
ell the lower part OF their faces.
They was dressed in ordinary
city clothes. Dressed like small town
people. Some were dressed rough,
some were very well dressed. They
was dressed all kinds Of ways.
And they sure had plenty OF
guns"
LANCE said he recognized one OF
the men In the mob as a Dunsmuir
citizen, but that he did not know
his name. He said he wouldn't rec
ognise any Of the others II ha saw
them again.