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the rope.” In an instant he was hanging four feet above the ground and died without a struggle. THE CAUSE OF THE DESPERATE DEED. The FLAME reporter was at considerable trouble to ascertain the causes that led to this sudden life-taking. That there was not the slightest real justification for such a horrible act all admitted, and the only circumstance that had a bearing upon it, so far as could be learned, was this: Porter had talked with Carmody and Casey about going over the Hoosier pass and jumping some claims on the head of the Blue, all of them having worked in that vicinity, and the two latter finally backed down from the proposition and declared they would have nothing to do with it. Porter was angered, doubtless, and being an assassin by nature he did not let it appear until he had “got the drop” on his intended victim. THE SCENE ABOUT THE JAIL, when the fathorite visited it on the morning succeeding the double tragedy, was the most novel description. A noisy mob thronged in front of the jail, and examined with curiosity and exclamations of disgust or horror, the hanging body of Porter, which was allowed to remain in this position until afternoon, when the sheriff cut it down in presence of the coroner’s jury. One of the hands had lost a thumb, an ear had evidently been bitten off in some brutal encounter, the broken jaw or cheekbone had bled profusely from the blow inflicted by Link’s heavy cane, and the blood had run over and besmeared the dirty, pallid features, while the neck had stretched to twice its natural length. On the streets the crowds surged to and fro and canvassed in excited accents the thrilling occurrence. THE ISSUE WAS FORCED An inquiry among the saber-headed, thinking class of (Continued from Page 1) men in the town convinced the writer that while all regretted the necessity of exercising lynch law, yet to such a pass had things arrived that to insure the future peace of the town and to protect the lives of its law abiding people, a_ terrible example of summary justice was imperatively demanded. The murder of Johnson by Sims, the shooting of Dr. Breckenridge and narrow escape of JG. Brooks, president of the town board, were still fresh in the minds of the people and with the issue forced upon them as it was, they could not have acted otherwise. THE MURDERED MAN, Thomas Carmody, was an Irishman by birth and was about twenty-nine years of age. He has lived in Grand Haven, Mich., where he worked at the stonecutter’s trade. He has a cousin living there, a Catholic priest. An aunt, also, lives near Boston and another cousin, Tim Donlan, at 135 South Canal street, Chicago, where Carmody also lived while he was a member of a military company in that city. Three years ago he came west and went into the San Juan country and about fifteen months ago he came to this county and has worked at the Duquesne smelter and at other places. He was a faithful quiet man who could always command work. The remains were interred in the Fairplay cemetery yesterday morning. PORTER’S ANTECEDENTS. William J. Porter, the murderer of Carmody, was born in New York and was forty-two years of age. He was at one time a prominent wheat buyer of Janesville, Wisconsin, and was in comfortable circumstances. His father and mother as well as two children of his own, still live at Porter, Wisconsin, the place being named after his father. They were respectable and well-to-do. Porter went into the side-show business and after traveling a while lost all of his
Newspaper Details
Denver Colorado Prospector
Denver, Colorado, US
Wed, Nov 01, 1972
Page 4
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 12 Dec 2025
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