LYNCH, Benjamin - Putnam

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LYNCH, Benjamin

Source: Mitchell, Indiana Commercial Thursday 29 Dec 1881 p 1

 
The wife of Benjamin Lynch obtained a divorce at Greencastle on the ground of cruelty. A few days after, Linch (sic) drove to the old homestead, 12 miles south of Greencastle when his two step sons, named Young, shot him four times and then beat him with a club, killing him.

Source: Crawfordsville Star, Dec 22, 1881 p 3


 
A special from Greencastle gives the following more explicit points regarding the terrible tragedy which occurred near there last week: "During the past week, in the circuit court, Nancy Lynch sued for and
 
obtained a divorce from her husband, Benjamin Lunch, the court giving her the charge of the only child. On the trial it was shown that Lynch was a sort of bully, and the terror of the neighborhood and had treated
 
his wife inhumanly. Much bad feeling was engendered in the trial between Lynch and parties opposed to him.  On Sunday morning Lynch approached the house of Mrs. Lynch in Cloverdale Township about 9 o'clock. He was met by two stepsons and a melee followed. Being shot at, Lynch ran, and finally fell in the road, having been shot four times. The step sons, named Young, when they came up to where he lay and found he was not dead, beat him on the head with a club until he was dead. After accomplishing the deed the boys went to the house of a neighbor and told what they had done, remarking that they had killed the d__d scoundrel.  The sheriff and coroner were notified and went at once to the scene of the murder. and went at once to the scene of the murder.  The murderers, William and Levi Young, were arrested, brought here and lodged in jail.  The sentiment in the vicinity of the residence of the parties is strongly in favor of the young men. Lynch was a dangerous character and, it is said, had threatened his step sons with violence. Whatever the provocation may have been, the murder was a most horrible one, Lynch's head being almost pounded to a jelly after being shot four times and he had fallen."   --- transcribed by kbz

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