This Month in History
Event Calendar

September

MON TUES WED THURS FRI SAT SUN
Week 1 1st



1894
Watertown experiences mob lynching ** WPO Article


Week 2 8th






Week 3 1904
Wilbur Wright's first airplane flight on Sept. 15th






Week 4 22nd

1804
Expedition has first encounter with Teton Sioux near Fort Pierre.




Week 5 29th
1804
Lewis & Clark camp near Mobridge, S.D.




 

** Article from Watertown Public Opinion (Sept-1894)

"Mob lynches man accused of assaulting Watertown woman"

excerpt from article reads...

By 10 p.m., it became evident that it would require superhuman efforts to save the tramp. Shortly after 10 p.m., one of the men in the mob which had now collected around the jail, climbed the light pole near the building and let the arc lamp down to the ground, while another person shut off the current. Immediately, groups of men overpowered the guards while others thrust their way into the building and down into the basement where the prison­er's cell was located. The lock on the cell was quickly smashed and rope was thrown around the prisoner, whereupon he was dragged out of the cell, up through the hallways and out into the street.

During the entire time after the lights were extinguished, the operation was car­ried out without sound, save for the shuf­fling of feet and the grunts and groans of the guards and the prisoner. When the prisoner reached the street, a number of members of the mob grabbed the rope and started south on the run, dragging the prisoner along on the ground. The group stopped when they reached the first corner and members turned to ask the prisoner if the had any­thing to say No reply came forth. They started to run again, reaching the corner where the Methodist Church now stands. Another halt was made and the question was asked, "Are you guilty?"

Only some unintelligible syllables were uttered by the prisoner. Some of the mob said he professed his innocence, while oth­ers claimed he said he could not say he was innocent. The mob turned again, this time to a light pole on the southwest corner of the courthouse square. The loose end of the rope was thrown over a crossbar, but before the victim was hoisted up, one member of the mob savagely stamped on his face and body Then he was jerked into the air and left to die.

According to the report of the lynching in the Public Opinion, "It was a bold piece of business. No crowd bent upon a similar mission was ever less noisy. There was no swearing, no boisterous talk except by a few of the stragglers, no attempt at con­cealment.