Rensselaer Semi-Weekly Republican, Volume 39, Number 39, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 18 January 1907 — LYNCHING ING IOWA. [ARTICLE]

LYNCHING ING IOWA.

MOB FIRST PRAYS OVER VICTIM IN CHARLES CITY. Women and Children Are in Mob Which Wltnexaea Hanging of James Cullen, Who Had Murdered HI» Wife and Stepson. r James Cullen, a white man, aged about GO years, was taken from jail jn Charles City, lowa, Wednesday night and hanged from the bridge that crosses the Cedar River there, in the gpgence of a crowd of more than 1,000 persons, including some women andchildren and four ministers. A prayer ■"service preceded tiro li neliing. ~ Cullen was in jail charged with the murder of his wife and stepson, a boy 16 years old. The murders' were committed in the Cullen home, just outside 'the city, some time during Monday night. Tuesday Cullen came to town with a revolver-shot wound in his head, and was looking for a doctor to dress it when officers, who had been informed by neighbors of the murder of his wife and child, arrested him. The man admitted that he had killed his wife and stepson, and accounted for the wound in his head by saying that lie had attempted to commit suicide but had failed, and then changed hig mind. When he .came to town to have the wound dressed he did not think that the murders-had been discovered. When arrested he said that he-had- killed his wife and stepson in-seif-defense, but would say nothing more.

First Attempt to Lynch Fails. News of the murders and Cullen's arrest stirred liis neighbors and residents of Charles City to a frenzy. This was increased when relatives of the murdered woman made it known that Cullen had on several occasions attempted to kill her and hail always treated her brutalily. Cullen, who made a living as a carpenter, had a bad reputation among those who knew him. Soon after his arrest threats were made to lynch him and a mob was formed to attack the jail. An attempt was made late Tuesday night to force an entrance into the jail, but this failed. Wednesday it was learned, that Cullen was not seriously injured and relatives of the woman he murdered went about town inciting their friends to make another attack on the jail. Suddenly at 11 o’clock Wednesday night a mob began to ‘form near the jail. In a few minutes the news spread over the town that another attempt was going to be made to lynch Cullen and hundreds of men rushed to the jail.

Smash Down Jail Walls. Some of these brought up heavy railroad irons and in an instant these had been brought to play on the outer doors of the jail. These were easily demolished. Then the mob with hammers and picks broke a hole through the brick wall of the jail into the cell occupied by Cullen. The sheriff was overpowered and made a prisoner while men in tne mob dragged Cullen outside. With his head bandaged and so weak with terror that he could hardly walk Cullen was dragged to the county bridge over the Cedar River. Mere men in the mob held back the crowd, which now Included many women and children, while others solemnly conducted a prayer meeting with Cullen in the center of the group. After those who were about to kill him had prayed for a few minutes a rope was tied to the bridge rail, a uoose thrown around Cullen’s neck, and he was shoved from the bridge.