Rensselaer Union, Volume 5, Number 30, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1873 — A Lynching Affair in California. [ARTICLE]

A Lynching Affair in California.

California papers give the follow ing particulars of the recent lynching of a notorious desperado who hail for years been n terror to the. community in which he resided, and who had aided on several occasions in the execution by mob-law of men suspected of crime: Several daVs ago at Salinas City,' in Monterey County, in this State, one Tarpey, an Irishman, assaulted Mrs. Nicholson, a very respectable married woman, in her own house, and murdered her in a most horrible manner by cutting her throat. He was "arrested aiid taken to jail at Monterey, where he has been awaiting a preliminary trial. The indignation of the citizens of Salinas, and of the settlers of Monterey and Santa Cruz Counties, against the scoundrel, soon became uncontrollable as the news of the brutal outrage, was noised abroad. Yesterday the popular wrath came to a climax by the quiet gathering of several hundred determined, armed men from the surrounding country, at Monterey, who went to the jail, seized and tied the sheriff,and then proceeded to force an entrance -into the building. While the outer iron door tens being battered in, the mother of Tarpev, a very old woman, together with his wife and little daughter, mingled in the crowd, begging for mercy for the unfortunate wretch, but without avail. Almost before the first blow of the sledge-hammer was Struck on the door of the cell, Tarpev began to plead for his,life. In one breath be begged, in the next denounced his assailants as cowardly murderers, in the next asserted his innocence of intentional murder, and. in-, the next called on (tod fbr mercy for & few moments he acted like a madman but finally jtfter the door was broken in lie got calmer, amTtficd so reason witli the men who sought his life ns retribution for his great crime. But little tune was wasted in the cell. The men did not tell Tarpey then that they meant to hang him, but said they intended taking him to Salinas City, and the crowd were only present to prevent his being mobbed on the way. But something in the gold, determined faces of the men told him that this was mere subterftige. He knew what Was up—knew that Bheriff Wasson was not there, and knew that if what they said was true, •the jail aud his cell would not have Wen forced open to secure his person. Haknew that his hour had come, and he resolved to make an effort for his life. He pleaded and argued and denounced, but nothing he said availed him in the slightest. TJie men simply seized him quietly and led him, protesting and begging, to the door of the jail, where a two-seat spring wagon had been drawn up: Almost the first persons the unfortunate man’s eyes fell upon were his wife, his mother and .his child. The two women rushed forward and clasped him in their Arms and hung upon his neck, at the same time begging and entreating the crowd to have mercy. Tarpey jeined liis entreaties with theirs, and finally the Scene became so agonizing' that the men had to cut it short. Tarpey was then told that he must get into the wagon. Two or three men approached, and amid his appeals for mercy and prayers, they bound huh hand and foot and lifted him into the wagon. The eaVe-taking with Ms wife and mother folio wed,*„d was piteous to behold The wouicn dung to him and prayed for Ins soul. His little child cried and screamed, while Tarpey seemed so overcome that lie wag speechfetg. Finally they were torn apart and the wagon was driven rapidly off towards Salinas.

The crowd, three, or .four hundred strong, followed close up in buggies and on horseback. A bqdy of twenty ©r more men on horseback rode beside the wagon, and to these, as “the wagftn went along, Tarpeyt never ceast-d 1 his entreaties for mercy and his arguments to show that he should not bo so summarily dealt with. Three miles from Monterey the procession halted, the wagon stopping under a pine trap, with theory, wjde»apreading branches: The crowd closed •tsp arid sur rounded the spot, while the prisoner was told that'liis hour had come and he would he allowed half an hour to arrange his business affairs and to make his peace With God. | And then for tlte first time Tarpey seemed to realize the awful fact that he was to die. With this realization seemtffi to come a certain degree of nerve. He ceased begging like a coward, but stood up on the seat of the wagon and began to entreat in ;i manly way for a show of justice. f ./ He talked steadily for nearly half an hour—in tact, until he was told that the time was hiaify up. "He argued that the county should have an opportunity to hear his case and decide. He protested that he did not;kill the wotnan intentionally, but that he moiint to shoot the nytn who he he: lieved had drawn apisfol on him. He deprecated lynch law, ! and . said that it brought everlasting disgrace on a community that resorted to it. He said lie knew .that he had' been a bad man, and he had done many wicked things, and now he was willing to bow to whatever fate the law might decree, but he did not want to be strung up like a dog, without even the semblance of a trial,. If he must be killed —if there were men who thirsted for his blood, let them shoot him, hut he begged that his .family might be spared the dis-. grace of his iH-Ihghtinged like a dog. Tarpey saw that ltis .pleadings did not lmvh the Slightest'effect/ and that he was doomed. *H‘e Saw several MexicAns, friends and relatives of men he helped to hang by mob violence years ago, ana he knew that their hearts thirsted lor revenge. He saw Nicholson, the husband of the murdered woman, and knew that there was not a ray of riieroy in his heart. He saw .the faces of dozens of other quiet, resolved men whom he knew liad made up their minds that he must die. Above all, he saw a certain degree of resolution in the crowd —a disposition to get the disagreeable task performed as quickly as possible. He heard muttcrings such as “Gome, now, that’s enough!” “Hurry up and let’s get it over!!’ “Come, don’t let’s stay here all night!” and similar expressions. From these and the general air of determination in the throng lie knew that his pleadings were in vain. Finally, after many stagings to make haste, the doomed map. announced with a gasping voice that he was ready to die. Two Spaniards, in whose eyes there shone a peculiar light, came quickly up and adjusted one end of a rope around Tarpey’s neck, lire other end they threw over the limb of a tre'e, and, leading it down the stump, made if fast pear the ground. The pine box was pbteed on‘the r 'ar seat of the Wagoh and iTarpcy was lifted to the top of it. At this time the man was deathly pale, but he seemed firm and resigned to his fate. He acknowledged again that he deserved iris fate, though lie never ceased entreating that he might, be saved the disgrace of liaiigipg.. Ho asked the rorgiveuess of the crowd, and said he imped there were none there who were his enemies. Many near by shook hands with him and assured him that they were not. Then his eyes were bandaged with a white handkerchief, Tarpey all the time pricing in a low voice for forgiveness. At a signal the wagon was driven suddenly" out, and at the same instant one of the Spaniards gave Tarpey a push backward from the box. The body fell about four feet, and as the rope was new it stretched, and the toes just touched the ground’ Nicholson, tho Spaniards and two or three others, rushed to the rope aud pulled the body up a couple .of feet, where it was permitted to hang. There were a few violent struggles, and then tfll was over. The crowd remained on the ground for nearly half an hour longer, and then disjiersed in different directions, some going to Salinas, others back to Monterey arid still others to Watsonville. The body was left hanging to await the criming of Tarpey’s friends to claim it. And so ends the great tragedy. As I said, there is not a man here to-day who does not justify what has been done, though all of course regrCt the necessity for it. A foul murder has been committed, and it lias been terribly and promptly avenged. Jf the example will only result in profit to others it will not have been furnished in vain.