"Yes captain, they have got me this time, sure."
The captain had recognized in the wounded burglar one of the worst men the police of Omaha has ever had any thing to do with. He says the man's name is Fred Wilson, alias "Reddy" Wilson, one of the smoothest and most desperate burglars ever in the west. The wounded man recognized the captain as soon as he stepped into the room where he was. Captain Moystan gave the TIMES the following history of the wounded man: "Wilson has served three terms in the Nebraska penitentiary. The first job he ever did in Omaha was about fifteen years ago, when he held a grocery store proprietor up in broad daylight and robbed him. After getting the cash he ran out of doors, cut a horse loose that was standing in front of the store. He was chased over into the bottom west of Council Bluffs and his horse mired down in the mud. Before they captured him he succeeded in wounding two of the police who were after him. He got three years for this job. The next we heard of him was when he robbed a store in Blair, Neb. And was chased by the officers and overhauled near Arlington, Neb. Before they succeeded in arresting him this time he shot the job off of the deputy sheriff and wounded another officer. He was sent to the penitentiary again for this job. The next time we heard of him he was arrested for robbing the house of the secretary of state in Lincoln, Neb. He was captured that time without his wounding anybody and was sent to the pen for that job, and was just released from the Penitentiary February 1st. To show you how smooth this man Wilson is I will relate a job he did in our city after he got out of the penitentiary the second time. He came to Omaha, rented a room in a very aristocratic part of the city. He would remain in his room all day and go out at night, telling the proprietor of the house that he had a job of work which kept him out all night. In ten days he robbed a half a dozen stores of silks and satins and got away from the city without his landlady even suspicion that he was anything but an honest man. He was always regarded by the police of our city as a desperate and dangerous character and we never gave him the least opportunity to get the drop on us for we knew that he was a "killer" and a man that it would not do to take any chances with.
Captain Moystan says that Henderson was not considered a bad man when he lived in Omaha but bore a very good name there, in fact, he said that Henderson had done the police of that city good turns in giving them tips that led to the arrest of several hard gangs. Henderson was conductor on one of the motors while he lived in Omaha.
The city authorities felt that it was dangerous to keep the wounded burglar at the Henderson home, as they were afraid that his friends from Omaha might undertake to rescue him, so last night after dark, the officers removed him to the city jail where he could be more easily guarded and where the chances of his escape would not be so good. The city was considerably excited that night, and there was talk of lynching the wounded man but a wiser course prevailed and it was decided to let the law take its course.
The city has gained a bad enough reputation as it is by having such a gang in our midst without adding the crime of lynching to it. The wounded man is being guarded day and night no possible way of him escaping. He will be taken to the county jail as soon as he is able to be moved. It is not know if he will ever be bound for Logan as he is badly wounded.
Missouri Valley Times - Missouri Valley, Iowa - Thursday May 3, 1894
LYNCHED!
~ "Reddy" Wilson Hung from he Steps of the City Hall ~ A DESPERATE MAN GONE. ~ The Murderer of Marshal Whitney is taken from Jail and Hung. ~ He Dies Without Confessing any of His Crimes.
For the first time in the history Missouri Valley experienced a lynching bee this morning. A mob of about one hundred masked men this morning at 2 o'clock took "Reddy" Wilson, the murderer of Marshal Whitney, out of the city jail and hung him to the steps of the city building. The mob overpowered Special Police Tim Dean and Tom Norris, who were guarding the prisoner in the jail. They demanded the keys of the officers, but they refused to give them up saying the did not have them. A crowbar was procured from the electric light building near by, and the locks on the jail door were busted off and the mob entered the jail. A rope was placed around the doomed man's neck and he was asked if he had anything to say. He said that he had been forced into the life he led and had never intentionally killed a man, and claimed that he shot Marshal Whitney in self defense. He refused to confess anything and the leader of the mob said, "Boys, do your duty," and a hundred hands grabbed the rope that was around the poor wretch's neck and drug him out of doors. It was only ten feet to the steps leading to the second story of the city building and in a few seconds the crowd had his body under the steps when three men walked out from upstairs and taking hold of the rope pulled the body up and fastened the rope to the banisters. In a few minutes the mob had dispersed, and nobody but the officers were left on the scene. The body was left hanging until 6 o'clock a.m., when Squire Tamisiea ordered it cut down and taken to Losey, Bell & McGavren's undertaking establishment, where it was prepared for burial.
~ THE ELECTRIC LIGHT PLANT SHUT DOWN ~At 1:30 two masked men walked into the electric light station and ordered John Perry, the man in charge, to shut down. As each of the men had a 44 revolver shoved under Mr. Perry's nose, he concluded that it was the proper thing to do, so he shut off the light. Night Police C. W. Ryle was in the electric light plant and he was also covered with a revolver and told to keep quiet, as there was some business on hand and he was not expected to be in it and Ryle kept quiet. The city authorities had ordered the street lights to be run all night, as they were somewhat afraid the people might conclude to wreak their revenge on the wounded man in jail, and they thought that by running the lights it might deter them, but hadn't figured on the crowd holding up the man in charge of the lights. After the lynches had left the scene the lights were turned on again and burned until daylight. The arc light at the corner of Fourth street was let down onto the ground and the rope taken to hang the man with, but when the crowd reached the jail they concluded that the rope was too light so they went to the electric light plant and got a heavier rope with which to do the job. The arc light at Erie and Third streets was broken so that it could not be used, whether accidentally or purposely we could not learn.
~ THE MOB FORMED ~
About midnight small bodies of men could be seen making their way to the Second ward school grounds. They came in twos and threes from all directions, and every man of them wore a mask, so that it was impossible to identify them. There was very little talking done by anyone. (5 lines that are too blurry to read.) ..going on in the little groups in which the men had divided up into. At 1:20 the order to march was given by the man who was acting as captain of the mob, and the company moved out of the school house and onto Huron street and marched to Third and then to the jail. Not a word was spoken on the trip by anyone above a whisper. The men set their heels down with a hard thud that proved to the onlookers that the day of judgment was close at hand for "Reddy" Wilson, the murderer of Marshal Whitney. The company marched in a solid phalanx like men going in battle, each man determined to see that the death of Marshal Whitney should be then and there avenged.
~ AT THE JAIL ~
When the mob formed in front of the jail Special Police Tim Deal and Tom
Norris were overpowered and requested to give up the keys to the cells, which
they refused to do, saying the didn't have them. Two of the mob were sent to the
electric light house and in a minute or two returned with a crowbar, with which
the outer jail door was pried off, and the lock of the inner door, which is made
of iron bars was broken. Upon entering the jail the prisoner was found on a bed
in the corridor of the jail, instead of in the cell as had been expected. He was
informed that his time had come and that if he had anything to say he had better
say it quick, as the proposed to send him before his Maker to answer to him for
his murder of Marshal Whitney.
The doomed man never quailed but claimed he had shot the Marshal and Lyon in
self defense, had never killed a man before, and had been forced into the life
he had led. "He told the mob they would be sorry for the act they were about to
commit, and if they would let him alone he would soon die anyhow." He would not
tell who his pals in the crime were and wouldn't say anything as to his
relatives and wore a stold sullen look and seemed to care little whether he died
or not. After he had spoken a few words a rope was thrown around his neck and he
was dragged to the stair steps and willing hands took hold of the rope and swung
the man off into eternity with the blood stain of Marshal Whitney still fresh on
his soul. The knot was tied under the man's left ear in a professional manner
and the man who fixed that rope knew just how a job of that kind should be done.
At daylight this morning the citizens who were out before 6 0'clock saw the body
hanging to the steps of the city building and for a background was the sign,
"Public Library." A sheet had been wrapped around the body, and as it swun in
the breeze it presented a ghastly sight, a terrible warning to the tough element
of the city to make themselves scarce in this neighborhood - a warning to all
burglars that Missouri Valley is not a healthy place for such people.
~THE CAUSES FOR THE LYNCHING ~
Mob law is to be regretted under any circumstances, but there were many causes leading up to the lynching of "Reddy" Wilson in this city this morning. The city for the last six months has been overrun with tramps, thugs, robbers and plug uglies. The officers of the city have done all in their power to keep this element down and have given their best efforts in that direction, but the police force has been too small to cope with the gangs of tough men that travel through the country at the present time. Missouri Valley is especially well located to catch all these people, as it is at the junction of three main lines of railroad and is on the direct route from east to west and north to south. Being a first class city the thieves think of course they can reap a rich harvest here. Were it a small country town they would pass it by without stopping. During the last two months there have been no less than twenty robberies committed in this city, and the citizens felt the time had come to call a halt. When the parties who were employed in the raid on Lyon's place were arrested at the forfeit of Marshal Whitney's life and the accounts heard from Lyon, and Night Marshal Deal the people were worked up into a pitch of frenzy almost and they were determined that something should be done that would serve as a warning to that class of people to give Missouri Valley a wide berth. When the report was circulated through the city that the officers had been led into a trap and murdered, the cry for revenge went up from almost every man on the street and we believe that if Henderson had not been taken to Logan he would have been lynched on the night of the murder, and we think that Morris did a smart thing when they got the man out of the city. We believe the citizens of Missouri Valley are as law abiding and peace loving people as there are in the United States, but their patience had become exhausted by the number of crimes that had been committed in this city, and their determination to make an example of the burglar that was in their reach was only business. Of course a sober second thought of the matter would have convinced them that the better course would have been to allow the law to take its course, but when they thought of their murdered marshal, who was an excellent officer, a splendid man, a good citizen, and an honor to any community lying cold in death, caused by the bullet from a revolver in the hands of the burglar in their reach, it is little wonder they concluded to take the law into their own hands and wreak a summary vengeance upon the man who so ruthlessly shot Marshal Whitney in cold blood. The Times does not believe there is a man in Missouri Valley, who believes for a moment, who believes in mob law-not a man n that crowd who did not believe that it was better for the law to take its course, but it must be remembered that the day before the lynching they had followed a friend and brother to an untimely grave, sent there by the murderous bullet of the burglar. The people away from this city do not realize the causes, surrounding the lynching. Missouri Valley does not favor mob law, and this morning every man in the city regrets the hanging of the burglar but had he escaped they feel that the that he might have again returned to the city and murdered other of our citizens. We all are sorry that a lynching should have occurred inour city, but that will not bring the dead man back or clear the stain upon the city, but there is a consolation in knowing that the lynching will be a salutary warning to other burglars to stay on the other side of the Missouri river.
~ REPORT THAT THE OTHER BURGLAR CAPTURED A MISTAKE ~
A report reached the Valley last night at 9 o'clock that the burglar that had escaped and had been in hiding in the timber north of the city since the morning of the murder had been captured at Mondamin. In a few minutes after the report had been started the city was almost as much excited as it was when the searching parties were out after him on Sunday. Little knots of men were gathered on every corner discussing what the effect would be if he should be brought back to this city, and the universal verdict was that it would be very unhealthy for him if he was brought here. A report was circulated that he had been taken off the train and taken across the country to Logan, Night Marshal Deal and Abe Daniels left on the freight train for Mondamin at 1 o'clock to bring the man back to the city if he proved to be the right man. When they reached Mondamin they found the man under arrest was a fellow by the name of Carruthers,
and he had been arrested by constable Ike Thomas. He was not the man wanted,
although he answered the description of the missing burglar in many particulars.
It was found that he had been working near Mondamin for several days, and was
only unfortunate in resembling in a small degree the man that is so badly wanted
in this city. A thousand different reports were circulated to the city last
night about the missing burglar, but they were aft from the imagination of
excited citizens.
~ THE BURIAL OF THE BURGLAR ~ The burial of the burglar will take
place this afternoon from the mortuary. He will be laid to rest in the Potter's
field, as he had no money and no friends, and as the mantle of earth falls over
his body the mantle of forgetfulness will fall over the memory of him and there
he will lie, unknown and unwept, until the judgment morning, when he will be
called before the Great Judge to answer for his many crimes, among which the
blackest is the murder of Marshal Whitney. So mote it be.
~ NOTES OF THE LYNCHING ~ It was an orderly crowd. The burglar's face
was slightly skinned when he was dragged out of the jail door. The man that tied
the knot under the burglar's ear knows how the job ought to be done. The body
hung from the steps of the city hall from 2 to 5 a.m. this morning. The other
prisoner in the jail was so badly scared that he won't enjoy a mean of victuals
for the next four hundred years. Everybody has his own opinion as to the
lynching this morning. When a fellow tells you he knows who composted the crowd
of lynches, tell him he don't know what he is talking about. We don't think
anybody knows who they were. The lynches were all masked so that one man didn't
know who the next man to him was. The fellow that started the report that the
lynches was a crowd from Logan, surely must have been mistaken. This is the
first and it is hoped that it will be the last lynching bee ever seen in
Missouri Valley. The murder of Marshal Whitney was the first one ever committed
in this city. Had Marshal Whitney been less popular than he was the lynching
might not have happened - everybody was his friend. The report in the Omaha Bee
this morning must have been written before the event happened as it says the man
was hung to a tree and the lynches had to light a match in the jail to find the
man. There were two lamps burning in the jail when the burglar was taken out.
The Bee was too previous with its report and its reporter must have known that
the lynching was to have taken place and write it up in advance. None of its
particulars were correct. The last fair days have been the most exciting ones
ever know in this city.
Missouri Valley Times, Missouri Valley, IA May 3rd, 1894
Marshal Whitney
At 3 o'clock Sunday the remains of the murdered marshal was laid to rest in Rose Hill Cemetery. The deceased was
a member of the Junior order of American Mechanics, and was buried by that order. The members of the order went to
the home of the deceased in Snyders addition and escorted the remains to the Methodist church. At the third ward
schoolhouse the procession was joined by the Mo. Valley Cornet band, and was let to the church to the strains of the
funeral dirge. At the church an eloquent sermon was preached by Rev. Roderick. The coffin was covered by a beautiful
floral offering by the members of the order and the merchants of the city. After the sermon the funeral procession was
formed again and headed by the Mo. Valley band, marched up 3rd St. to the cemetery, where the remains were laid
away until the last day. The dead marshal was a brave man, a good officer and a splendid citizen, and his untimely
and tragically death has cast a gloom over the entire city. He leaves an aged mother and two sisters to mourn his
untimely death.
In memory of Marshal Abner Whitney
Born July 17th, 1860 at Charles City, Iowa
Died April 28th, 1894 Missouri Valley, Iowa
Buried Rose Hill Cemetery, Missouri Valley. Iowa
