Year: 1870

An Apprentice Whipped to Death---The Murder


er Hanged By Citizens.


From the Lawrence (Kn's) Journal, June 20.


A gentleman who came from lola,


yesterday morning, gave US the par
| ticulars of most atrocious murder


that was committed by farmer hv-


ing near Humboldt, and the summary


hanging of the murderer by citizens


of the locality. The particulars, as
they were narrated to US, are about
| these: There was a farmer named


Dosen, who for several years had been


living with his family on farm near
| Humboldt. He had a boy some twelve
or fourteen years of age living with


him that had been bound to him for a
term Of years. 1t seems that he had


been in the habit of cruelty whipping


this boy, and the lad had been fire.
quently heard by neighbors to cry


murder when being punished, but


they took no special notice of it, as


they thought the boy yelled to make
Dosen cease whipping him. About


two months ago, the monster again


whipped the boy most numerically.


Throwing the lad down, he put his
foot upon his neck, beating him all


the time Soon after this the boy dis


appeared, and the brute told the peo-


pie of the neighborhood that since the


last whipping he had run away. Not


thinking of such a thing as that a


murder had been committed, the


neighbOrs gave it not much attention,


under the impression that the boy


would return again. The boy did not
return again, however, and Dosen
Of n xr-hfIa oor,a fr fi1I nm tho
well that was in his yard A murmur


of suspicion began to run through the
neighborhood, and these suspicious


away the boy did not return; the well


in the meantime had been filled up,
and the monster of the cruelty no
doubt breathed freer, and he faneied
that he had destroyed all traces of his


damning crime. He was questioned


by the citizens and gave some paltry
excuse for filling the well, persisting


that the boy had absconded- This did
not satisfy them. There is something
that always seems to speak silently to !
people, and tells them when a great |
crime has been committed in their I
midst, and this same silent something |
would not permit the people of that |
locality to rest easy until they had |
learned all. Keeping a close watch /
upon the movements of Dosen, they |
commenced the work of re-opening |
the well. This done, the mystery /
was soon solved. At the bottom Of
the well was the mutilated body Of
the murdered boy, the marks of the
lash yet visible upon his lifeless form.
Dosen was Immediately taken into
custody. He finally confessed his
guilt, from which it appears that
this monster in human form, this
fiend who wore the guise of humanity
had been in the habit of cruelty beat
ing the poor friendless boy whom he
had pledged himself to be protector.


The last time he fiogged him the
boy was thrown to the ground, and
the wretch held him to the earth with
his bOot-heel, while he whipped him
to death, after which the body was
thrown into the well. DOsen was
taken to lola and lodged in jail Be
fore daylight Monday morning, or
rather at some time between midnight
and daylight, the jailor was aroused
by party who said they had a horse
thief whom they wished TO deliver to
the jailOr. That officer went to the
door, when a crowd rushed upon him
and commenced to ask and search for
Dosen. He was found, and hurried
off from the Jail to Elm creek, some
four or five miles from lola. Here the
eulprit was hanged, and his
body left swinging in the air. Our
informant states that it was hanging
there Tuesday morning.


Lynch law is to be deprecated where
the crime committed is the most ag-
gravated and atrocious but it does
seem if ever there was a case where
Judge Lynch was justified in dealing
with a murderer, this is
one.