| Show ORIGIN OF LYNCH lawi LYNCH law is becoming alarmingly popular in this country the subject is therefore one of general int breet treet hence the reproduction of the following which embodies portions of an article fr in the pen of M A minor and which appeared in the philadelphia tones of february and later in the columns of american notes nates and queries on the lawn of the most charmin charming I 1 home in south virginia in a beautiful beautify valley of campbell county stands the old walnut tree on which lynch law was first administered avoca is the name bestowed on the old lynch place in in memory of tom moores avoca by a granad granddaughter liter of the colonel charles lynch of the revolution it is not generally known that the original lynch law never sentenced an offender to death but only to be whipped the term has been ascribed to more than one source modern dictionaries and a some ome of the have treated it as worthy of notice webster worcester and other lexicographers ascribe the origin of lynch law to a virginia former farmer named lynch and the traditions and records of the lynch family agree with the more formal references found in fistori al works there is in no room for doubt that the term danow now become a part of the english language and accepted of all men 1 was derived from that fearless and honored soldier of the revolution colonel charles lynch whose sword fangs on the wall of the lofty hall at avoca but that colonel lynch should be reputed the father ol of lynch law in the modern acceptation of the term is quite another matterand would be utterly unjust to him in the year 1780 when the fortunes of the patriots were at low ebb the scotch settlers and tories of virginia conspired to crush the rebellion their efforts were thwarted by the courage vigilance and energy of colonel charles lynch captain robert adams and captain thomas calloway aided by colonel william preston all virginians of wealth and influence colonel lynch being chief magistrate had the power of it a judge he was a man of striking individuality and vividly impressed the popular imagination so eminently a leader that he naturally and easily took his place at the head of the whig party in his section of the country these gentlemen ardent patriots kept a sharp watch u upon 0 n the loyalists and rw when one was d discovered sc playing into the hands of the enemies of washington he was seized taken to the residence resi denee of col examined bl by a court composed of the gentlemen above ove named and others and it found guilty tied to the walnut tree given thir ty nine lashes and made to shout libert Liberty forever lt 1 after this he was set free with words of counsel and admonition that left him a wiser if nota not a betterman better man oneff one of the tories arrested was found to have papers of importance to the royalists concealed in the hollow of a square bedpost he rec received elved the usual castigation was given a house to reside in on the premises besand and forbid forbidden den to leave them on pain of severe punishment these orders he obeyed the refrain of a popular song of that section was I 1 lurrah for colonel lynch captain bob and calloway I 1 they never let a tory off until he shouts for liberty the manner of procedure cannot be said to be lawless and unauthorized and was considered by most amply justified by the disturbed condition of the country resulting from the repudiation of allegiance legi ance to the english government the prisoner was brought face face to face with his accusers heard the testimony against him and was permitted to call witnesses and be heard indis in his own defense if acquitted he was let go often with apologies and reparation if found guilty he was punished as before stated and made to recant his disloyalty after the revolution I 1 the he legislature of virginia found it t necessary to protect tb these ese gentlemen b by Y special enactment from the civil suits b rought brought against them for taking the law nto into their own hands see hannings statutes at large vol XI pp ap 1345 5 in later times the mild sentence of thirty nine stripes gave place to the sentence of death and and many lives have thus closed without ceremony but no one ever came to his death at the hands bands of the gallant colonel lynch except on the battlefield battle field no ghostly body ever dangled from the bare old tree that has battled with the storms of one hundred and fiffy years 11 |
