Laura Jane Harvey Murder: Part Fourteen

Two weeks before the sentence of B.A. McComb, to be hung until dead, was to be carried out, a stay of execution was issued by the Iowa Supreme court until the case could be heard on appeal, most likely not until the December term. This information was duly passed on to Judge Trimble who passed it on to Sheriff Derby. The public however, was in the dark about this stay of execution.

By mid morning of July 27, 1864, the streets of Ottumwa were quickly filling up and by noon, they were said to be crowded. It was a peaceful crowd of 2000+ men, women and children who presumably had come to see McComb hung. At noon, the time of the execution, the crowd centered around the jail and a dozen of the more vocal started shouting for the jailer to bring out the prisoner so that he may be hung. 

Sheriff Derby became involved and a pushing match ensued with the Sheriff knocking down several of the ringleaders and calling for more assistance. Four high ranking citizens came to Derby's aid, Senator Dixon, Judge Hendershott, Judge Stiles and Captain Stuart all tried their hands at calming down the crowd and urging them to wait until the appeal process was over and for justice to prevail. 

An unnamed woman climbed a nearby fence and yelled at the mob saying that if the men wouldn't see justice was done, the women would attend to it. That spurred the crowd into action and a rush, led by a man wielding a sledgehammer, started towards the front door of the jail. Sheriff Derby stepped in front of the door temporarily halting the man holding the sledgehammer who undoubtedly was pondering how far he was willing to go in the name of justice. 

Meanwhile, a portion of the crowd broke off and ran around to the backside of the jail and started kicking boards from the high fence that surrounded, the yard and gained entrance. Another sledgehammer was produced and the mob quickly broke down the side door, entered the jail and smashed the lock on the cell of McComb. As he was being dragged outside, he pleaded with the mob to give him an hour of time to prepare for his death.

The mob hauled McComb across the street to the Catholic church and Father Kreckle was summoned to perform a quick baptism while the crowd looked on. When McComb had been baptized, they walked him down Court Street to Front Street and then onto Market Street where a wagon was located and he was put in the back of it under the watchful eye of the mob. As a multitude of people followed, the wagon started to cross the river to the other side where the body of Laura Harvey had been found. Hordes of people waded through the waters ahead of the wagon and for unexplained reasons, it turned back towards the city side of the river and turned east out of town on Front Street, people struggling to keep up.

About a mile outside of town on the Agency Road, a suitable tree was located and a rope was tied around the neck of McComb. Fortunately for him, the crowd started arguing about the location and after some back and forth, the rope was removed and McComb was put back in the wagon and they continued on over a ridge where another tree on uneven ground was located. As a result of the uneven ground, it was difficult to get the rope around McComb's neck again but they managed.

Before the other end of the rope could be tossed over a branch of the bent tree, McComb asked if he could have a few last words and when granted said, "I have the rope around my neck as you see, and have only a few moments to live, but I am an innocent man. If you will give me until the next court, I will prove that George Lawrence is living, and that I did not murder Laura Harvey."

Among the crowd, shouts of, "take him back," were starting to override those shouting, "hang him." This caused some of the mob leaders to worry that the tide was turning and that if they waited much longer, they wouldn't be able to hang McComb. They took up the other end of the rope and turned their attention towards the tree while trying to get the rope up and over the desired branch. While they were momentarily looking away, several other men jumped up into the wagon and a wrestling match over the control of the rope began. Eventually one of the latecomers was able to cut the rope and get McComb into another nearby wagon which sped towards town. With the help of Sheriff Derby and others, McComb was put back into his cell again. Derby gathered up a detachment of guards and set off into the evening, eventually arresting six of the recognized leaders of the mob and lodging some of them in jail and releasing the others on bail.

The following week, the newspaper identified those arrested as E.T. Veach, George Ewing and William Harris of Pleasant Township, W. German of Competine, John Harris of Dahlonega and C. Myers of Agency. Veach was brought before the judge on charges of assault with intent to commit murder and questioned for a time. He was released on a $300 bond. The remaining five waived their examination and paid bonds of $200 each to be released until they could be tried on charges of obstructing an officer in the discharge of his duty. It was noted that the charged men had attempted to save the county money by preemptively hanging McComb and that indeed, they had with the payment of their bonds, which should be enough to make the repairs to the jailhouse door and then some.