LYNCHING OF TEN MEN.

Daily Telegraph (Napier), Issue 3679, 30 April 1883, Page 4

LYNCHING OF TEN MEN.

The Butte Inter-Mountain, a paper published in AVestern Mantaua, has an account of the lynching of ten men by " vigilants," Avhich occurred at AVccksville, a new railroad point near Missoula. The InterMountain says:—"Less than three days ago, it -will be remembered, "Billy the Kid," Avell knoAA'n iv Butte, AA r as captured, shot all to pieces, and throAvu into the ri\-cr, but last Sunday Avas the bloodiest red-letter day ever knoAvn at tho terminus. For many weeks jiast a spirit of hiAvlcssness, robbery, and murder had reigned supreme at this point. Good citizens Avero terrorised, and the rules of the robbers aaxtc so potent that it became unsafe for any man Avith a dollar in his pocket to appear on the street even in broad daylight, Avhilc under cover of darkness a carniA'al of crime Avas conducted by the thugs and cut-throats, avlio so .greatly outnumbered tho good citizens that any attempt to arrest and punish tho criminals Avas attended Avith almost certain death to those avlio might otherwise have been Avilling to aid in the enforcement of Isiav, and in A'isiting upon the heads of the guilty the proper penalties for its infraction. Dire alarm took possession of the business community, and it finally became evident that unless all good men Averc Avilling to sacrifice their property and liberty, it Avas ncccsssary to terminate the existing reign of terror. Tho courts Averc paralysed, and their edicts Averc defied. Urged to desperation by the extremities of the situation, a vigilance committee was organised with'great secrecy, and the accessions Avere soon sufficiently numerous to render its members bold enough to announce their purpose of suppressing the high-handed outrages almost hourly coming to light. Once organised, no time AA-as lost in carrying out the object of the association. On last Sunday night four despcra- ! does, known as 'Ohio Dan,' 'Blondy,' | Edward Enright, and another man, avci-c arrested. The first three avctc hanged Avithout ceremony, and the fourth Avas converted into a lead depository. At the ' V,' another camp two miles Avcst of AVeeksville, a similar scene Avas enacted, three men, names unknown, being hanged on the same tree, aud at the same time. AVhen tho coach left AVeeksA-ille, so a lady passenger stated to Mr Hart, the bodies of ' tAvo men Avere still dangling in the air from a limb of a tree, gi\-ing the early morning scene a. ghastly aspect. It was also reported to her that the three victims of the 'V' Averc similarly suspended, having been thus left by the avenging A'igilants so that there should be no possibility of a return of life. The hanging of these seven men has in all likelihood exerted a salutary effect in improving the morals of the toAvn, and if the protectiA'e society hanged only those avlio deseiwcd the death penalty the fact that the Courts AA'ere inoperative Avill largely justify their conduct. On another authority it is learned that last Monday Avituessed the hanging of three men more, Avhose crimes had become known, and avlio Avere considered too Avicked to be alloAved to afflict the earth any longer with their presence."