Ripley
County, Indiana
News Article
LYNCHED FIVE
Vengeance in Ripley County on Gang Of
Osgood Robbers
Three of the Victims Murdered in the
Jail and All Five Dragged Naked through the Streets
OLD ELM
TREE FOR A GALLOWS
Bodies Left For Versailles Citizens
To Cut Down
While the Mob of 250 Horsemen, who
Did their Work at Midnight Quietly Dispersed
LYLE LEVI
THE FIRST VICTIM
Once A Member Of Rittenhouse Gang Of
Counterfeiters
Had Surrounded Himself With Desperate
Young Men, who Terrorized the Community
VERSAILLES, Ind., Sept. 15.—Five
notorious character in this county were taken from the jail and lynched
by a most determined mob of
probably 250 men at 12:43o'clock this morning. Three of the men were
murdered in their cells for
refusing to surrender arid their bodies were dragged to an old elm tree
along with the other two and
strung up. The mob's terrible vengeance was executed because the men
belonged to a gang of robbers and had kept the community in terror.
The
victims are:
LYLE LEVI,
ex-counterfeiter aged
fifty-seven, an ex-soldier, shot through the breast then dragged to the
tree and hanged.
WILLIAM JENKINS,
twenty-seven years
old, skull crushed in with a stool, noose put around neck,
body
dragged to the tree and
suspended.
HENRY SCHITETER,
twenty-four years
old, skull crushed, body dragged to the tree and suspended.
CLIFFORD GORDON,
burglar, twenty-two
years old, bound, dragged to the tree and hanged.
ALBERT ANDREWS,
burglar, thirty years
old, bound, dragged to the tree and hanged.
Lyle Levi, the first victim, shot in
his cell, belonged to the old Levi Rittenhouse gang of counterfeiters
who had given the authorities
trouble ever since the war. He had been out of the penitentiary only a
few years. He was a widower
and was an associate of the younger members of the gang at their balls
and sporting events. His rig was used by the robbers Saturday night
when they went from Osgood to Correct to rob the Woolley store.
Henry Schuster whose head was crushed
with a club in his cell, had been in jail for burglarizing a barber
shop about ten days ago. He
had been in, many difficulties and was a typical terror, having a mean,
cruel disposition, and a man
always feared.
Clifford Gordon, the youngest of the
gang, was a daring, dangerous youth, who gloried in being a tool of the
older and more desperate
members of the gang. He had already escaped several close calls, and
was suffering from wounds
received during the Saturday night affair.
William Jenkinsy who was also beaten
to death in his cell for showing resistance, had married one of the
Levi girls several years ago
and had been training with the gang for some time. Before the Levi
girls were married their home
was headquarters for sporting men. and the beauty and accomplishments
of the family fascinated men of
that class. The Levis were natural-born musicians.
Albert Andrews came of a good family.
His father, Isaac Andrews, had a fine war record. He was shot five
times through the face, so
that his features were much disfigured, and he lived on his pension. Young Andrews had been suspected of
working with the gang, but never arrested until Saturday night, when he
was wounded with Clifford
Gordon in the Correct burglary. His waywardness was the result of
association with the gang,
and his parents have the sympathy of the community. All the victims
were from Osgood, and all were
confined in the jail for burglary. No murders have been openly charged
against them.
A
TERRORIZED COMMUNITY
The sensational tragedy of last night
is the worst of several which nave occurred in southern Indiana in
recent years. Nothing has
ever attracted such crowds as poured into Versailles today. All the
victims were supposed to belong to an organized band of thieves arid
highwaymen who have been robbing and terrorizing the citizens of Ripley
county for a number or years,
and whose headquarters were located in the town of Osgood.
For years southern Indiana has been
afflicted with lawless gangs. The railways and express companies broke
up the depredations of these
gangs along their lines, and latterly they have preyed on the citizens
The citizens have taken the
law into their own hands in this locality before, but never to such an
extent as today. The Reno brothers were lynched together at Seymour. Ind,
twenty years ago, and the Archer gang, three in number, were strung up together at Shoals Ind., twelve years ago.
There have been numerous lynchings of one and two at a time, but the "job lot" of five today breaks the record.
That an unusual state of feeling existed is shown by the determination
of the mob which led it to
the ferocity cf first killing three of the men in the jail and then
dragging the living and dead together
and hanging them to the same tree. In many cases members of this gang
had tortured and maimed their
victims in their efforts to make them reveal the hiding place of
treasure. Most of them were In the county jail awaiting trial for having attempted to
burglarize the general store of Woolley Bros., at Correct P. O. on last
Saturday night, two of whom,
Gordon and Andrews, were captured at the time, after running fight and
after each had been severely
wounded. The other prisoners were detained on the charge of having
assisted and aided in the
attempted burglary, and whose guilt seemed evident. So strong had the
public feeling been aroused against the prisoners, and so often had they
escaped the penalties of the law. It seemed now that the time had come
for action.
This morning, about 12:43 a. m..
Jailer Kenan was awakened by the ringing of the bell at the jail
residence. On opening the
door he was met by three masked men, who shoved pistols near his face
and demanded office keys of
the cells and ordered him to accompany them to where they could be
found. At this moment Deputy Jailer Black appeared on the scene and he also was held
in restraint till the keys were secured.
MOB
ENTERS THE JAIL
The jailer and his deputy were then
locked In a cell of the woman's department, the outer doors of the Jail
unlocked and thrown open and
the organized mob of 250 men on horseback had complete control. The
work was done with courage
and determination. There was no noise or confusion and only a few
people in this town knew what was going, on. In the lower cell rooms were
confined Levi, Schuster and Jenkins and there the visitors proceeded
first. Levi's cell was first
reached. He
was awake, and was ordered to throw up his hands, he refused and at the
command of the leader of the
mob two bullets were fired into his body and he fell to the floor
pierced to the heart.
In the next cell was Schuster, lying
on his cot. He was ordered to get up and dress, but he refused and
begged for his life. A
blow on the head from a heavy stick, crushing his skull, silenced him
and he rolled to the floor a corpse.
The taste of blood increased the fury
of the mob. William Jenkins was in the next cell, only a few feet from
his wife. In another part of
the jail,The committee rushed In his cell, overpowered him and beat him
over the head until his cries
ceased and his body lay limp on the floor. The three corpses were then
thrown out In the corridor together.
The committee then went upstairs,
where the wounded burglars, Clifford Gordon and Bert Andrews, were
confined. Gordon had a bullet
in each shoulder, twenty-seven buckshot in one leg and fifteen In the
other. Neither he nor Andrews
were able to make much resistance. Their hands were tied behind them,
ropes placed around their necks
and they were dragged headlong down the stairway, where their
companions lay. Ropes being placed around the necks of all the order was
given: "Pull on the ropes, boys, and hurry up."
The command was obeyed and the
bleeding bodies were dragged out and.along the streets with a shout.
Each man holding a rope
mounted a horse and moved at a fast pace. The path is marked with blood
and bandages from the wounded
burglars were picked up today along the way.
DRAGGED
TO THE OLD ELM.
Two blocks north of the jail on the
bluff near the famous "Gordon's leap" was found an old elm tree. The
ropes were thrown over its
toughened limbs and the five men were quickly strung up. During the
work the mob guarded every
street leading to the jail and none was permitted to approach. The mob
then retreated in the same orderly manner in which it had assembled and soon
disappeared from the town. From the old elm hung the lifeless forms of the five men. naked and ghastly,
until morning. The scene was appalling. The bodies were cut down before sunrise and covered under the shade
of the tree. Later a coroner's inquest was held and the corpses turned over to relatives who had arrived
to take them to Osgood for burial.
Excitement is at a high pitch here.
The lynching will be generally approved by the better class of people
if it will result In the
breaking up of the Osgood sang. The talk of further lynching seems to
be the result of the excitement as there are no signs of the returning mob
to-night. Thousands have visited, the scene today and hardly a twig of the old elm remains, the branches having
been carried away by the curious throng.
Sheriff Busching, who is still
suffering from the wound received in the fight at the store on Saturday
night, has received a message
from the Governor to use all means in his power to apprehend the men
composing the mob. However,
it seems the sheriff is powerless, as no means of identification of a
single man has been obtained.
Versailles is a town of some eight
hundred people. It is one of the oldest tn the State, and although it
is five miles from a railroad
station and has no telegraphic communication with the outside world, as
have more pretentious towns
of the county, it Is still the county seat. Judge New, of North Vernon,
is now holding court here, but it is not known what action will he taken toward
bringing to justice the members of the mob. The men are supposed to have come from several towns, including
Osgood, Milan, Correct and some may have been from this place.
WORK
OF THE ROBBERS.
For years farmers would come to town
with cattle or loads of farming products and next morning they would be
found along the roadside
suffering from a wound and minus the proceeds of their sale. Old German
farmers have been visited and
both men and women have been subjected to all the tortures that a
hardened mind could stand. Aged
German women have been forced to stand upon a red-hot stove in an
effort 10 compel them to disclose the hiding place of some treasure in the
house.These depredations have continued unceasingly. Arrests have been made, but the guilty parties had covered
up their lawlessness, and it was seldom that convictions followed.
During the past week
robberies had increased alarmingly. On last Saturday word was received
by the sheriff that the store
of Woolley Bros., at Correct, Ind., ten miles from here, was to be
entered. Information was given by Pete Hostutler, a supposed member of the gang,
who had been hired to get in with them. Sheriff Henry Bushing arranged that this informant should
accompany them, and, securing five deputies, including County Treasurer
Johnson, they went to the
place Sheriff Bushing concealed himself in the cellar, while his
deputies were stationed at a
convenient distance outside. Shortly after midnight the gang reached
Woolley's store. Clifford Gordon and Hostutler were designated to break into
tho building. Gordon himself effected an entrance and just as he
stepped Inside the sheriff
grabbed him. Both pulled pistols at the same time and began firing.
Bert Andrews was with the robbers
outside and he. too, joined In the fight, while the deputies came to
the assistance of the sheriff. Some thirty shots were fired. The sheriff was
shot through the hand and Gordon was shot several times. Gordon and Andrews succeeded In escaping and
returned to Osgood, where they were arrested. The robbers had driven
out to the place in a buggy
belonging to Lyle Levi and from information subsequently gathered It
was learned that the robbery
had been planned at the home of William Jenkins. While the citizens
have not been able to fix the various robberies upon these men they were thought
to be part of a gang that has committed most of them. When it became known that they were in jail, it
was quietly suggested by the victims and sympathizers that "justice" be
summarily dealt the prisoners.
VERSAILLES
UNDER GUARD
Two men were left in jail, Charles
Kelly, aged fourteen, for burglary. and Arthur McMillen, for carrying
concealed weapons. The latter
was let out tonight on bond. McMillen says three of the prisoners were
killed in the jail and one of
the others almost killed there. The mob came very neat taking McMillen
out.
Tonight the jail is as quiet as the
humblest residence. Besides the one lone prisoner. Kelly, the only
occupants are Deputy Jailer
William K. Kenan and his guard, William Black. But while the jail Is so
lightly guarded it does not
follow that the excited little town is asleep without patrol. Marshal
John E. Tyler, with twenty-five deputies, is alert against any possible surprise and
every road running Into town is picketed. This precaution is not taken
In anticipation of a second
visit by the regulators. The danger apprehended Is from another
quarter, the friends of the
lynched men. No private citizen of Versailles probably has reason to
fear personal violence the danger dreaded is arson, there being rumors of threats on
the part of the friends of the men who were mobbed to even up matters by applying the torch to the jail
and courthouse. The public officers are also threatened. That is why
this little city is disturbed
tonight and under the closest guard. If trouble comes it is expected
from Osgood. The feeling
between the two places is of the bitterest and the opinion expressed
here tonight is that there are plenty of others in Osgood who deserve the same, fate of
the five found dangling to limbs this morning.
The coroner's verdict will be that
the five men came to their death at the bands of a mob, the members of
which are unknown,
ANOTHER
STORY
An Associated Press dispatch says: At
1 a. m. a skyrocket went up south of town. That was the first signal.
Then there was a skyrocket
went up north of town, followed by others from the other two sides, and
the march to the jail proceeded
as orderly as a regular army, till the men met from all parts of the
county at the jail. The distance had been carefully arranged on each side of
town so that they were about equal, and the mobilization caused no
delay. The program had been
so carefully prepared and carried out that there was no delay at the
jail or anywhere.
William Lockhardt lives near the elm
tree where the men were hung. He saw the crowd, heard all they said as
he stood by his window. He saw
the skyrockets and then heard the marching. He heard the shooting at
the jail and describes
the cries of the prisoners as heartrending as they were dragged along.
When the crowd came out of the
jail he recognized the voice of a prominent citizen give the command:
"Ready, forward, march."
Then the crowd rounded up around the
tree in perfect order without any disturbance. The same voice asked: "Are you ready." The answer was: "All ready."
Then the leader yelled: "One, two.
three, up" and the only other words heard were the shrieks of the
victims, especially of one of
them who was strangled slowly, and cried: "Oh, God, have
pity. Can't I be saved?"
In less than fifteen minutes after
reaching the tree the men dispersed to their horses and vehicles, which
had been left in the bottoms
outside of town.
At a late hour tonight Kelly was
taken from the Jail and lodged at the hotel under guard. After McMillen
had been released Kelly was
the sole occupant of the cell part of the Jail. He is only fourteen
years old, and the horrors of last
night so preyed on his mind that he was overcome by nervous fright,
and, calling Deputy Jailer Kenan, begged piteously to be taken out for the night.
The matter was referred to Circuit Judge New. who gave the desired order.
The
Levi's May Seek Revenue.
RUSHVILLE, Ind.. Sept. 15.-The
lynching at Versailles is tire sole theme here tonight. It has greatly
excited the Osgood colony In
this city, which numbers about one hundred, nearly all named Levi and
closely related to Lyle Levi,
the old soldier who was strung up by the mob. Friends here blame Pete
Hostutler, the alleged detective, and believe he planned the robbery at Correct
and induced the two young men who were lynched with several others to accompany him. This led first to the
arrest of Andrews and Gordon and the subsequent wholesale lynching. The Levi family is 200 or 300 strong around
Osgood. In its ranks are said to be many desperate men, who will cause blood to be spilled in revenge for the
deaths of their kinsmen.
Lyle Levi was a member of the
Eighty-third Indiana Regiment Several of his old comrades live In this
county and know him as a
brave soldier. He has been a widower for years and has followed various
occupations. He was in fair
circumstances.
CAUSE
OF THE LYNCHING.
Some
of the Outrages the Gang Has Been Connected With
OSGOOD, Ind., Sept. 15.-An unusual
number of robberies during the last few months is responsible for the
lynching last night. The gang
has terrorized this community with waylayings and burglaries until
people in Osgood were actually
afraid to be on the streets at night. Strangers who came to Osgood were
sure to be marked and if they did not get out of town before night they
would be knocked down and robbed. There have been several of such cases
and in one instance recently
one of the victims was shot.
About six weeks ago four masked men
entered Herman Cammon's home near Milan, beat Cammon insensible and robbed the house while Mrs. Cammon and
their daughter, Mrs. Butts, of Osgood, stood by in terror. Schurer was supposed to be in the gang and Dr.
Alexander Joseph and his son, Peter Joseph, of Osgood, were arrested and discharged on the preliminary
hearing. Mrs. Butts claimed she knew Dr. Joseph by his voice. He was
her physician in Osgood and
had learned that Mr. Cammon had come to town to get $500 from her
divorced husband. Andrews and
Schuter, two of the lynched men, gave evidence for Dr. Joseph's alibi
In his case. Bert Andrews and Clifford
Gordon, who were wounded in the fight with the sheriff Saturday night
at Correct, and who then escaped to their homes here, called Dr. Joseph to
dress their wounds and his order that they were unable to be removed to
jail was overruled by the officers on
Sunday.
Today Dr. Joseph accosted Pete
Hostutler, the detective who trapped the gang, and Hostutler knocked
Joseph flying. Later John
Johnson, a witness for the lynched men on their preliminary hearing
yesterday and a friend of the gang,
also accosted Hostutler and was knocked down and had Hostutler and was
knocked down and had three ribs
broken on the street here. Hostutler has been in this vicinity for a
year, coming here from Tipton county. He is a pugilist and whipped "Bunk" Levi, a
son of Tom Levi, a few months ago. Hostutler easily worked himself into
the confidence of the gang and
went with them to rob the store of Correct Saturday night. He first
notified the sheriff and
yesterday gave his evidence without fear. His life was said not to be
worth anything after that and merchants who had employed him to get in with the
gang made up a purse to get him safely away.
Hostutler had also whipped the
McMillin boys, who live in the country and have been in several
scrapes. Charles McMillin was
in the cell with Bert Andrews when the mob visited the jail last night.
The people have been waiting for
months for an opportunity to clean out the entire gang. It had been
generally talked that when
they get them all in jail the lynching would happen. The mob is said to
have been made up of citizens
from Milan, Elrod, Correct, Versailles and Osgood. Although, Lyle Levi
had not been connected with any recent cases except the Saturday night
affair at Correct, his general reputation and his association at dances
and sporting events with the
gang of young toughs, made him practically one of them and there was no
surprise that he was strung
up with the others. Mrs. Jenkins, whose husband was lynched, is In jail
at Versailles. She is a niece
of Lyle Levi
HISTORY
OF THE GANG.
Counterfeiters
and Highwaymen Who Had Terrorized the County.
OSGOOD,
Ind., Sept. 15.
When Lyle Levi, one of the gang
lynched today at Versailles, came out of the army, where his comrades
had known him as a fearless
soldier against the rebels, as well as a card sharper in camp, he
returned to Ripley county and
joined his brother Isaac on the old farm, which had been cleared off by
the elder Levi in the pioneer days
of the State. There was a large family of boys and one girl, who
afterwards became the famous Missouri Rittenhouse, queen of the counterfeiters
and horse thieves, but Is now a devout Methodist, living at Osgood, where she and her brother Lyle took the
pledge at a joint meeting conducted by William Murphy and Frances Guthan, now the M E pastor at Fairland.
Ike Levi had become acquainted with a counterfeiter in the days before the war, and to his brother he imparted
the secrets of the craft which he had been taught. The federal
government in those days had
not the close supervision over this lawbreaking,and the Levis soon
found
their new business a profitable
one. The old homestead, in a remote part of the county, furnished them
the necessary seclusion in their work. Trading up and down the Ohio river
and in counties adjacent to Ripley they disposed of great quantities of
spurious coin. Federal
officers appeared in Ripley county late In the sixties. There was a
brush of some sort with the
Levis, but old residents fail to recall the exact nature of it.
However,
the officers disappeared, and when they returned to their headquarters
without accomplishing their purpose or whether they were made away with
is a point of mystery.
In the earlier seventies the Levi
buys had gathered a formidable gang about them, and, branching out into
the horse stealing line, raids
were made into neighboring counties and even as far away as Ohio and
Kentucky. After a while
operations were carried on in the home county, and this led to a
vigilante organization of farmers that quickly stopped the stealing in Ripley county.
Shortly after the war James Rittenhouse came out from the East and
located on forty acres near
Osgood. He courted Missouri Levi and married her. His marriage brought
him in the gang, and soon he
was the leader of it. He had been a skillful mechanic, and under the
tutelage of the Levis he became far more crafty in making coin than his
teachers. Ho discovered a method of Imitating gold that has been a
marvel to secret-service
officers The famous "Webster-head plates, for making the most dangerous
counterfeit bill ever known
by the government, seemed to have been in use about this time, and the
Levis aided in flooding the country with the $10 counterfeits. The gang got In
touch with the famous Driggs gang at Dayton (O.) and the Pete McCartney
crowd. It was suspected for a
long time that the Webster plates supposed to have been buried In a
Mississippi River Island, had
been dug: up and conveyed to Ripley county, but the Treasury Department
claims now to have different
Information, although tho government has never located the plates.
In the latter part of the seventies
Rittenhouse was captured, having passed some spurious sold coins that
led to his arrest, and
officers also found his outfit. His wife Missouri Rittenhouse, a
handsome woman, with dramatic ways, was also apprehended. She was sentenced to
the Female Reformatory at Indianapolis, and he was started on a fourteen-year term at the
Jeffersonville prison, During her trial she almost won the sympathy of
the jury by her little
theatrical plays. Once she fainted in court. After her imprisonment she
persuaded the matron to bring her, before Walter Q. Gresham. who was then on
the Federal Circuit bench, and there she pleaded for the release of her husband whom, she claimed, was dying
in prison.. The husband was in the consumptive ward of the prison hospital. Judge Gresham was somewhat
affected by the cunning woman's tears. And he took the matter under advisement. The next day the dying
consumptive escaped from prison, where, he was serving a seven-year
term, and is still at large.
He reached Mexico safely. A recent attempt of the federal authorities
to lure him into Texas failed.
While Mrs. Rittenhouse was in prison her home was leased to a stranger,
who on turning over hay in the barn
one day three years ago. discovered $900 In bogus gold coins. These
were exhibited in a store window at Osgood and then sent to the United States
treasury, where they were ranked as some of the best imitations ever sent in. Upon her release Mrs.
Rittenhouse returned to Osgood. Her brothers Ike and Lyle had both been
convicted again for
counterfeiting, the government holding the family under close
surveillance after its operations became so well known. These two men both
served two terms. Lyle has been out five years and Ike. now an old man. has been out only two years.
Six years ago William Murphy, a son
of Francis Murphy, temperance evangelist, visited Osgood and held a
revival. Rev. Francis A.
Guthrie, a Methodist preacher who had but recently moved to the town,
persuaded Lyle Levi to attend the
revival, Lyle was converted and signed the pledge besides. The preacher
called on Missouri Rittenhouse introduced
his wife to her and in a short time had the queen of the counterfeiters
In the bosom of the church. There she has remained till this day. and Mr.
Guthrie, in speaking of her today said she is thoroughly reformed and
is a genuinely pious woman.
Lyle Levi, who was lynched today, was admitted to the church on
probation, but was soon a
backslider.
The Rittenhouse home, now remodeled,
ceased to be the haunts of counterfeiters and horse thieves. In the old
days it was a famous
rendezvous and at night the farmers hesitated to pass the place. The
old house was a log cabin, weather
boarded,
and with additions shooting out in various directions. It set back
about two hundred yards from the
road, with a creek on one side and wild shrubbery on the other.
Isaac Levi, the oldest of the boys,
is now about eighty years old. About three years ago he was before
Judge Salter in Indianapolis
for counterfeiting, his old offense, but on account of his age he was
merely given a year's sentence. Lyle Levi was fifty-seven years old the
day he was hanged by the mob. "Bunk" Levi, another brother, now In
Ripley county, is a prize
fighter of some local prominence and only a week ago engaged in contest
with Pete Hostutler, the man
who has been playing detective and who trapped the gang Saturday night.
Tom Levi, the fourth brother,
lives at Noblesville. He was once arrested for counterfeiting, but was
shown to be innocent. Mrs. Rittenhouse, the sister, is about sixty years old. and
still retains some of her beauty.
In recent years Lyle Levi has kept a
saloon in that part of Osgood known as "Texas." There have been dark
rumors of affairs in that
saloon, but none of these have ever resulted in arrests.
Bert Andrews, one of the men lynched,
came from a good family. After his wife left him he began to associate
with the Levi gang. His
father, Ike Andrews, was shot five times through the back during the
war and now lives on a pension.
Heine Shuter has always been known as
a reckless young German and was in jail at Versailles for burglarizing
a barbershop ten days ago.
Clifford Gordon was a teamster at
Osgood and a tough member of the gang, under suspicion in several
"hold-ups" recently.
OLD
GANGS OF COUNTERFEITER
David Powell
Captured Lyle Levi
In the Seventies
In 1863 David Powell, father of
ex-superintendent of Police George Powell, was chief of the
Indianapolis police, and
after being succeeded In this office was for ten years, off and on, a
deputy United States Marshal, and during this time he had many and varied
experiences with counterfeiters operating in the southern part of the
State. Capt. David Powell, so
called during his career as police chief and deputy marshal, arrested
many members of the Reno and
Johnson gangs of counterfeiters, and in the seventies brought to
justice Lyle Levi, counterfeiter, one of the five men lynched in the Versailles
jail.
During Mr. Powell's time the hunting
down of counterfeiters was one of the chief duties of a government
officer, and owing to his
ability in this sort of work, he was especially assigned to hunting
down such criminals. In speaking Of the various gangs of counterfeiters,
Mr. Powell said last night:
"The Levi gang, and, in fact, all of
the gangs operating in that section of late years might be termed
offspring of the old Reno
gang, for the Reno gang was the parent of them all The Reno gang began
its operations about the time
of the breaking out of the civil war, and at that time it was in the
heyday of its existence and was noted for the desperate acts of its members. The
operations of the gang educated the younger gangs of later years. They
were all desperate men, and
would stoop to any crime to gain their point or to avoid arrest. Peter
McCartney, whose criminal
career Is known to every police officer or detective In the United
States, was the engraver and plate maker for the Reno gang. He was the
acknowledged leader, and in 1863 lived on Noble street, in this city. He was suspected by the government officers,
but it was difficult to entrap him and effect his capture. I finally
entrapped him by means of a
decoy letter, and placed him under arrest as he was leaving the
post office In this city. At the time of his arrest McCartney had upon his
person a steel plate used for printing 50-cent pieces (paper), known in
those days as shin plasters.
McCartney was an artist in his line, and made plates that produced
bills almost Impossible to
distinguish from the genuine. All told, he served thirty-one years In
prison, and died there while serving
his last term.
"In 1870 I had a warrant for
Simeon Reno and one for the purpose of searching his father's house,
located about four miles
south of Seymour. John Browning, who is now a conductor on the Monon
Railroad, accompanied me, and
his prompt action on this expedition saved my life. As we approached
the Reno homestead we saw Simeon and his father at work in a field. As we
entered the field and approached the men the father, surmising who we
were.pointed to the house and
said, 'Go, Simeon." Simeon started to leave the field, and his father
leveled a shotgun at my head,
but while he was taking deliberate aim Browning sprang upon him and
dashed the barrel of the gun into
the air as it was discharged. But for this prompt action I am certain I
would have been a dead man. "We
made a thorough search of the house and found In counterfeit bills
under a large hearthstone. The entire Reno family was composed of desperate
characters, and they did not hesitate to commit any crime. Two of tho
Reno boys were lynched at
Seymour several years ago, and another met death at the hands of a mob
in Kansas City.
MISS
BURNS THEIR FENCE.
"In 1865 the operations of these
counterfeiters extended as far at Frankfort, and John Kimble, of that
place, assisted them by
bringing the "queer" money to this city. Miss Molly Burns, a daughter
of old John Bums, who at that
time ???? on St. Mary street, was the confederate who received the
money and distributed it here, I arrested Kimble during one of his trips here In
'63. Miss Bums was also arrested and a search made of the house, but the counterfeit bills Kimble had brought were
found sewed in the hem of Molly Burns's skirt. Kimble died in jail,
while awaiting trial. John
Bums, the father of Molly, was afterwards arrested and sent up for five
years for passing a $20
counterfeit bill on a farmer living near the city.
"The Johnsons were another gang of
counterfeiters who were but a ramification of the Reno gang. The
Johnson family lived on a
farm owned by John Stumph about three miles from this city on the
Three-notch road. When I was
ordered to arrest Johnson and his two sons and to search the house for
bad money. I left the city in a government wagon, accompanied by two
soldiers and two of my own trusted men. I had been informed by a government detective that a $20 plate was
in possession of the Johnson family which was so good that the government had offered a reward of $5,000
for its capture. We arrived at the house* at 3 o'clock in the morning and after stationing my men, I broke open
the front door with a fence rail. As the various members of the family began to get up and show their faces. I
told them that we had them covered with our guns and that they should
not say a word but should
dress and come down stairs. We found $200 worth of raised bills in the
house but the plate we could
not locate, so I made Johnson and his wife, two sons, and two daughters
get into the wagon and I
brought them to the city and lodged them In separate rooms at a hotel
on Illinois street. I kept them there two days before one of the women agreed to show us where
the plate was hidden,on condition that we release the female portion of the family. I went back with one of
them and found that the $20 plate had been hidden under an ash-hopper.
I captured another Johnson
who lived on North Illinois street. A man giving his name as Carter
approached me one day and
said that he would lead me to Johnson, provided I would let him see him
first and get $300 with which to go South. He led me to the house and I
remained outside while he entered and transacted his business. As he left the building he took out his
handkerchief, which was the sign that Johnson was inside, so I entered
and began my search. I failed
to find my man until I kicked over a barrel In the cellar, under which
he was hiding.
CAPTURE
OF LYLE LEVI
" It was In the seventies that I was
sent to capture Lyle Levi, who was at that time living at Osgood, about
six miles from Versailles,
where he was lynched. Major Gordon, hearing that I had been
commissioned to arrest Levi, came to me and warned me of the desperate
character of the man. He had at one time defended him. He said I would never be able to arrest him at his own
home and said it meant death for me to make the attempt. When he saw that I did not intend to back down, he
gave me all the information about the man and the place that he could.
He described the man's
appearance, especially about the high cheek bones arid the scar upon
his face. Colonel Scott, he
informed me, kept the hotel at Osgood. I started with a double team and
was accompanied by a man named
Mason and Samuel Lamb. At that time there was a quarterly meeting being
held at Versailles. We arrived
In front of Scott's Hotel just as It was getting dark, and Scott came
out as we stopped. "How do you do, Brother Scott," I said, "put my team away and give
the horses feed, for I have to preach at Versailles tonight." This
speech reassured Scott, who
started to take the horses to the barn.
"At that moment Lyle Levi came out of
the front door of the hotel and I approached him with outstretched
hand. As I shook his hand I
said: 'How are you this evening, Brother Levi? Will you accompany us to
the conference?' As I held
both his hands Mason quickly slipped the handcuffs upon his wrists. I
then told Scott he need not mind about the team, but to bring It again to the
road. We chained Levi in the wagon and left Mason to guard him, while
Mr. Lamb and I went to his
home to arrest Mrs. Missouri Rittenhouse. We entered the cabin and told
Mrs. Rittenhouse who was
carrying a small baby, that she must go with us. Her mother began
cursing us and took down a gun that was hanging upon the wall but she was
disarmed and contented herself with hurling vile epithets at our heads.
We discovered $300 in bad
money in the loft of the cabin. We immediately started back toward
Greensburg, at which place we
arrived at 3 o'clock next morning. Fearing an attempt at rescue by some
of Levi's friends, I walked ahead of the team with a gun in my hand for over
three miles. but no molestation was offered. Lyle Levi was sentenced to seven years In prison by Judge Gresham."
GOVERNOR'S
PROMPT ACTION.
Deputy Attorney
General Moore Sent to
Scene of Lynching
Governor Mount not only took prompt
steps to Investigate the Ripley county lynching, but late In the
evening he commissioned
Deputy Attorney General Moores to visit the scene of the mob violence
and invoke, n the name of the
State of Indiana, any power or force necessary to prevent further
trouble. The reports late in the afternoon had It that a mob would probably swing up a
few more members of the gang that has been terrorizing Ripley county for so long a time, and If Mr. Moores gets
there on the eve of another affair similar to that of early yesterday
morning he may find himself
In an Interesting situation. But he has in his breast pocket the
commission issued by the Governor
and bearing the seal of Indiana stamped on a big red disk. This
commission not only authorizes him to thoroughly Investigate the troubles, but
to take such steps as he may deem necessary to prevent any recurrences of mob violence, drawing on any force that
the Governor himself might call out to maintain law and order.
Mr. Moores left at 6:15 last night
over the Big Four and expected to reach Osgood by 3 o'clock in the
evening. Orders have been
issued to railroad employees to hold trains necessary for him to make
this connection.
The Governor was much shocked upon
receipt of the news from Ripley county in the morning and expressed
his indignation that the fair
name of the State had been sullied by such lawlessness. He at once sent
the following message to the
sheriff:
"Wire me at once particulars of
lynching reported to have occurred in your county. I further direct
that you proceed immediately,
with all the power you can command, to bring to justice ail parties
guilty of participation in the murder of the five men alleged to have been
lynched. Such lawlessness is intolerable, and all the power of the
State, if necessary, will be
vigorously employed for the arrest and punishment of all parties
implicated."
At a late hour last night no reply
was received from the sheriff. After the message was sent to the
sheriff the Governor
exhausted every effort to reach the official by telephone. It is
believed the Governor's message will be ignored. A private dispatch, received in
the city in the afternoon, says the Governor's message was read with indignation by the people, who insisted
that no help was needed to capture the lynchers, and added that three more would probably swing before morning.
Governor Mount spent most of last
evening waiting in his office for some news from Ripley county, but In
this he was disappointed. His
telegram to the sheriff could go by wire only as far as Osgood and
would have to go from there
to Versailles by stage, so it is doubtful If the sheriff got it before
evening. A prominent citizen of Decatur county dropped Into the office to ask if
anything further had been heard.
"While there is no excuse for the
lynching," said he, "the people of Ripley and adjoining counties have
been long suffering with a
bad gang of thieves and I am not so much surprised at the action as I
would be if I did not know the
state of affairs that has existed there for years. There has been a
more or less loosely organized gang extending from the southern edge of Decatur and
Franklin counties, down through the hills of Ripley. into Ohio and
Switzerland counties. They
have an "underground railroad" and stock stolen around there, and a
great deal of it is stolen, Is
never heard of again. Country merchant have their stores sacked and the
goods are never found. There even have been not few instance's of old men
and women being visited in the night and tortured into telling where
their money was. So
thoroughly have the people of the rural districts been terrorized that
they were afraid to appear in court
against these thieves lest they
be visited at night and made to suffer."
GOVERNOR
TELLS A STORY
This recital brought a story from
Governor Mount. A number of years ago the Farmers' Detective Company,
of Montgomery county, traced
a team stolen In the county to Ripley, where it had been hidden by a
family named White. The
father and his two sons were doctors and the family was accounted
eminently respectable, but investigation
showed that they made a regular business of taking care of stolen stock.One of them left the State, another was
sent to prison and the third committed suicide before the trial.
During the evening the Governor
answered a number of inquiries from Eastern papers on the
subject. The following,
sent to Philadelphia, is a sample of his replies:
"The place when lynching took place,
being remote from railroad or telegraph station, I have been unable to
secure particulars of the
lamentable occurrence beyond the information conveyed by press
dispatches. The outbreak was wholly
unexpected and I had not the slightest intimation of the impending
lawlessness. As soon as I learned of the occurrence's I immediately wired the
authorities of Ripley county to proceed at once and vigorously to bring
the offenders to justice. I
intend to reinforce this demand by every means possible and with all
the power at the command of
the executive "authority of the Stale. I have sent a. representative to
the scene of the tragedy and Intend
to employ every proper effort
to the end that no guilty man may escape. The people of Indiana are law
abiding and I am confident
that I
shall be cordially sustained in my earnest purpose to make an example
of evil-doers in this
instance that will
long remain as a warning to other would-be transgressors."
THE
GOVERNOR'S TWO LETTERS.
Sent
to Ripley County Official-
Moore's Report.
Deputy Attorney General Moores filed
a report with the Governor yesterday of his investigation of the
Versailles lynching. The
report was as follows;
As directed by your order, I
proceeded on Wednesday afternoon to Osgood, in Ripley county where I
found no indications of
disturbance and consequently went at once to Versailles. There had been
no outbreaks since sunrise,
and were absolutely no signs of further trouble in that vicinity."As the Ripley Circuit Court was in
session, I called on Judge Willard New and assured him of your hearty co-operation in every effort to enforce
the law. Judge New stated that unfortunately Prosecutor Connelly had been absent from Versailles on Wednesday,
but, having returned, he would instruct the grand jury at once."As soon as court met the grand jury were
called in, and Judge New clearly and forcibly charged them as to their duty to bring to justice the murderers of
the men in the charge of the court, assuring them that this was their immediate duty, and that all other
business must yield to it.
"Upon the withdrawal or the grand
jury" I had a consultation with the prosecutor, Marcus R.Connelly, who
manifests a proper spirit of
determina- tion to bring the guilty to justice, and Is proceeding with
the grand jury as he assures me,
to give the matter the most thorough investigation. Mr. Connelly,
unfortunately, has no deputy in Ripley county. He does not live in Versailles, but at
Batesville, some distance away. His circuit is large, and his duties
onerous. His duties as
prosecutor require his presence in Vernon Oct, 4, and in Scottsburg
Oct. 18, in attendance upon the
courts in his circuit. Counsel resident in Versailles or Osgood should
be immediately appointed to assist him. He cannot at the same time procure
evidence and advise with the grand jury, and evidence in cases of this
sort must be sought. It does
not volunteer itself. If Mr. Connelly has Immediate and competent
assistance the grand jury
should get the names of the murderers and evidence of their guilt
before the adjournment of the court.
"There is absolutely no danger of
further outbreak In Ripley county, nor is there any good reason why
those engaged in the crime of
last Wednesday morning should not be discovered, indicted, apprehended,
prosecuted and convicted."
Attorney General Ketcham was called
into a conference with the Governor and Mr. Moores and the Governor afterwards announced that every effort
would be made to secure the indictment of the lynchers. He sent the following letter to Judge Willard New at
Versailles:
" I am glad to learn from the Hon.
Merrill Moores. deputy attorney general, of your prompt action in
calling together the grand
jury and giving to them vigorous instructions to probe to the bottom
the recent diabolical crime that has tarnished the fair name of our beloved
State. It was not for lack of implicit confidence that you would act
promptly and with becoming
energy that I sent Mr. Moores to Versailles, but because I could get no
information from the sheriff,
and because of rumors of further outbreaks. I desire to congratulate
you upon your promptness, and to assure you that the executive authority of
the State will sustain you and aid you in any lawful way that may be deemed by you necessary In uncovering and
bringing to justice the perpetrators of this horrible crime."
The
letter sent to Prosecutor Connelly read as follows:
"I am pleased to learn from Mr.
Merrill Moores, deputy attorney, general of the State, whom I sent to
Versailles to Investigate and
report upon the recent lynching, that there is no further cause for
alarm. I am glad to know prompt action has been taken by Judge New in
calling the grand jury and giving to that body a vigorous charge to
probe to the bottom this
outbreak of lawlessness and the unjustifiable murder of prisoners
awaiting due process of law.
"I hope the judge will furnish you
able local counsel to aid you in your arduous and responsible duties
during the investigations and
prosecutions that must follow the indictments found.
" I wish to assure you that the
executive authority of the State will support you in your efforts to
expunge from the good name of
Ripley county and of our honored State this stigma that has been
brought through the recent acts of mob violence, and that the perpetrator?
of this diabolical crime shall be brought to justice."
(News Article) Date: 1897-09-22;
Paper: Indiana State Journal