Vigilante Justice in Auburn Leaves Logger Dead
A citizen posse chasing three men over a property dispute ended in a fatal shooting, with local authorities absolving the shooter of any wrongdoing.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
In an exciting man chase near Auburn yesterday evening, Charles Paulson, a logger from Merrill, Wis., was shot and killed by John North, a young farmer. Armed with all sorts of weapons, a posse, organized for Marshal Bonner of Auburn, had been chasing Paulson and two others for an hour. When the posse came up with the pursued, North called to them to halt. They did not do so and North fired several shots from his rifle, one of which took effect in Paulson's back. He was carried to a nearby home, but died before a physician could reach him. The Auburn authorities have decided that, as the town marshal had called on John North and other citizens to act as a posse, they were justified in shooting the fugitive tramps if necessary to prevent their escape. Hence no charge will be lodged against John North.
“The Auburn authorities have decided that... they were justified in shooting the fugitive tramps if necessary.”
This reflects an era where 'posse' justice was legally protected, standing in sharp contrast to modern standards for police conduct and the use of force, yet it highlights the often-violent tensions between settlers/farmers and the itinerant 'tramp' labor force of the early 20th century.
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