LYNCH LAW

Dominion, Volume 14, Issue 68, 14 December 1920, Page 7

LYNCH LAW

THREE CRIMINALS HUNG IN SAN FRANCISCO POLICE CHARGED WITH PARTICIPATION Br Teleirnpji—Pr«B« Auooiation—CopttlbM New York, Deceinbcr 11. A sensational triple lynching case occurred in Santa Rosa, the suburb of San Francisco. During recent weeks San Francisco has been roused over the operations of a gang of ex-pugilists, who kidnapped girls and took' them to a lonely house, where they were ifcrribly maltreated. The police broke up the gang after twenty girls had been assaulted. Subsequently they traced the gang to Santa Jioaa. A pitched battle wiiSi revolvers followed, in which three San ■Francisco detectives-were shot dead before the men were captured and lodged in tlm Santa Rosa gaol. Yesterday morning a posse of fifty masked men visited the gaol and removed three of <ho prisoners—Boyd, Fitts, and Tarento —and hung them on a branch of a tree. Five companions of the lynched men, arrested with them, were removed from the custody of the San Francisco police, and placed in charge of State officials. The Chief of Police is investigating statements thail ipolicemen and friends of the murdered officers participated in the lynching. There ar« indications that the raidi was pre-arranged, and no resistance was made by the gaol officials at Santa Rosa wlien tiie lynahera arrived in motor-cars. They had an ovation on returning from their mifnion of vengeance. The belief is that the friends of the dead policemen took tills method of dealing the (severest warning to members of the San Francisco under-world—Aus.-N.Z. Cable Assn.