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r CHARITON, IOWA.Wednesday, May 19th, 1875.MORE MOB LAW.A MAX IX STOKY COOXTY JIRUTA1I.Y MUKIJKRKI) IIV A 110)1.The Slate Hey inter of the 11th inst. contained the particulars of the hanging of :i man in Story comity by a mob. It was a brutal, fiend isli and disgraceful affair,that should call, for the sternest possible measures from the authorities. We condense the following as giving something of a history of the affair:Early Sunday morning, (May 9th) coroner, Mr. 0., P. I»o’. inson,was notified that Mr. George N. Kirkman had been hanged bv a mob, at his residence, in Indian township, the night previous. The Coroner cm-pniincllcil a jury and repaired to the scene of the tragedy and proceeded to hold an inquest. They found the body badly bruised and mangled, and that lie had come to his death by hanging at the hands of a mob, only four or live of whom directly participated, but as to whom the guilty parties are nothing was developed.George N Kirkman, the deceased was one of the pioneer settlers of Story county, having settled on the farm’ on which lie resided at the time hv was murdered :n 1852, before the county was organized. He was then a poor man, but by hard knocks and close attention to business he amassed property to the value of $25,000. He was 'reputed to be prompt and strictly honest in all of his dealings. To his friemls.who were many, lie was kind-hearted and generous; to his enemies, who were comparatively lew, he was outspoken and bitter.lie had of late years turned his attention somewhat to lino slock,and took a great pride in his short horns.The cause that led to the commission of the terrible crime are .supposed to have been a trouble that bad existed for some years between the deceased and a couple of I is sons-in-law in regard to the sup os-oil intention on his part to disinherit a part of his children, and the murder was of the most brutal character, the party being dragod from his bed in the night, and hung with a rope, where he was permitted to remain until m uning.The following extracts from the test mo» - before the Coroner will parii.v slmw the circumstances coir netted with the murder:J,ra. Dulitn Kirknmu. wife of the lt;ecc i.-od, swore as follows: The firsi .hing I knew this morning, between tw.» and three o’clock, some persons uaiuio into the bedroom where I was sleeping with Mr. Kirk-inau, sezed him and look him out of bed into 1 lie kitchen where lie hallooed “Marion,” (calling for Marionmurdering him in the utterest cold blood and ferocity, without phanco of defchse—a' • cowardice Which shames manhood-and mankind, and puts a stignia and infamy upon ouratnto and our people, which noteven the prompt arrest, conviction, and punishment of the twenty .mur. dcrcrs can either efface, palliate, or excuse.Only one thing in decency remains. That is, for tho State to unite with Story county in fcrrct-ting out these Vigilantes, arresting, and punishing them. Gov. Carpenter may be expected to display at once to the last degree of its power the strong arm of the State. As an Executive of a State in which mob law and mob murder have risen so defiantly and so alarmingly, he has a plain ‘duty to perform which he is not the man to shirk.Join W \ h'.Miur on War anil the Clunc'ies.Tho Boston Globe publishes the following letter of Mr. John G. Whittier, written to his friend, liev. J. B. Miles, D. D., general secretary of the association for the reform and codification of the law of nations :Alcsuuky 14, 4th Month, ’75. To Janies IJ. Miles, Secretary, *fce.My Dkak Eiiikno :— It is eminently fitting to connect the centennial anniversary of the opening natlles of the revolution with the growing sentiment of eivilizatii.il that there is “a more excellent way” nf settling the disputes of nations than the ordeal of war. It is cheering to note the very general favor with which the plan of arbitration has been received by statesmen and civilians in this country and in Europe ; but there arc other signs of the times well calculated to occasion solicitude on the part of every lover of peace. The menace of danger now seems to come from the professed church of Christ. At this moment the peace of all Europe is threatened by the secret plots and monstrous public pretensions of eo-elesiastieism. If war comes in consequence, if the fairest harvest fields of the world are made an arena of battle, men who claim to be especially the priests and representatives of the gospel of peace will-be held responsible. Woe to that church which, for the sake of power and dogma, breaks the truce .if God among the nations, makes its missionaries assassins, and mingles blood with its wine of sacrament. It is high lime for the Christian church to awaken to a full sense of its awful responsibility. If, after the dreadful experience of eighteen hundred years, it fails to perceive tiie necessity of shaking itself eleai of the barbarism of war, it has smalt e aim upon the world’s respect ami confidence. Its leaves are not for the healing of the nations, 1 amvery truly, thy friend,.John G. WmTTiKK.Neatness.A g r s every oay .oilet is a pari, of nvr character. The maiden who is slovenly in the morning, is not to be trusted, however fine she may look in the evening. No matter how humble vour romn, there are eight
Newspaper Details
Chariton Patriot
Chariton, Iowa, US
Wed, May 19, 1875
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Daniel H.
CT, USA 08 Aug 2017
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