The Dynamite of Gilman: A Murderous Grudge Ends in Lynching

Albert Schaeffer, a Bohemian seaman, satisfied his hatred of George Hodala at Gilman yesterday morning by placing a charge of giant powder under the house where they lived, causing the death of George and Michael Sherrick and Anna, the nine-year-old daughter of Hodala, and the serious injury of Hodala and his wife and John, his five-year-old son.

Three months since Schaeffer made a violent assault on Mrs. Hodala but was thwarted in his attempt. Mrs. Hodala blamed her husband for the outrage and secured the arrest of Bodala [sic] on a charge of simple assault and battery. He was taken before Justice Vaughn and committed to the county jail in Seattle, during the term of his incarceration toward Hodala, and swore that when he was released he would wreak vengeance upon him. Returning to Gilman at the expiration of his sentence, he continued his violent insults and placed Bodala in great fear of being harmed. Bodala again caused his arrest upon a charge of threatening to kill, and Schaeffer was again sentenced to a short term in the county jail. This made him more violent than ever towards Hodala and when he got back to Gilman he behaved so violently that Hodala concluded to leave the country. He accordingly sold his property and prepared to remove to San Francisco.

The means that Schaeffer threatened to take in settling his accounts with Hodala was to blow him up by giant powder. Bodala accordingly kept close watch upon his premises and prevailed upon two of his countrymen named George and Michael Sherrick, to remain with his family in his house until they should leave for San Francisco. On Christmas night the vengeful Bohemian attempted to carry his threat into execution. Taking a keg of ordinary blasting powder he placed it under the dwelling of his enemy, attached a fuse and caused it to explode. Fortunately the powder was not properly located to do any damage, and beyond making a loud noise and awakening and thoroughly frightening the inmates of the house, the people inside were none the worse off for the murderous attempt. Efforts were made to induce Hodala to cause the arrest of the culprit, but he declined, saying he did not care to further aggravate their relations before his departure.

Hodala had definitely set yesterday for his departure, and it was hoped by him that he would be able to get away without suffering any injury from Schaeffer. But he was grievously mistaken. Some time after midnight of Sunday, Schaeffer left his house with a box of dynamite and placed it quietly under the dwelling of Hodala in order to make the attempt certain of success he crawled on his hands and knees under the house with the explosive. Lighting his fuse he quickly retired and at 4 o'clock an explosion that awakened the entire town took place. The house was shivered to pieces, some of the pieces of timber being blown as far as 200 feet. The windows in all the dwellings within 200 feet were shattered and many persons were thrown from their beds. The entire populace was aroused and hurried to the scene of the explosion.

A most sickening sight was then presented. The house of Hodala was a perfect ruin, and the occupants, who had been peacefully sleeping a few minutes before, were either killed or frightfully injured. The bodies of George and Michael Sherrick were blown twenty-five feet from their sleeping place, and the heads and limbs of both were scattered about the premises. Anna Hodala, the nine-year-old daughter of the household, was so severely wounded that she died an hour afterwards. The husband was badly hurt. One of his legs being torn almost from his body John Hodala, the five year old son, was very badly injured about the head, and his recovery is pronounced impossible. Mrs. Hodala was extricated from the ruins unconscious, her condition almost as deplorable as any of the others. Her recovery is not expected. The 15 month's baby was taken from the wreck, comparatively uninjured.

Schaeffer was arrested in his cabin at 6 o'clock in the morning, surrounded by every evidence of having perpetrated the crime. His pantaloons were tattered at the knees, as if he had been crawling, and his shoes were very dirty. Justice Fry took him to the Knights of Labor hall, where he remained during the day. The atrocity of Schaeffer's crime became more and more clear to the minds of the people of Gilman. Strong talk was heard of the necessity of lynching him. This talk took definite shape about 10 o'clock, when a band of 100 determined men, during the absence at Seattle of the constable, gathered at the Knights of Labor hall and secured the prisoner without much difficulty. The crowd had prepared a new one inch rope which was thrown over a limb, the noose placed about the neck of the wretch. He was then asked to make a confession of his crime, but he refused.

The rope was tightened thirty seconds. Schaeffer was suspended from the limb and swung in the air for about 20 minutes. For the second time a confession was demanded; he declined, until that his limbs were not in dead earnest, his tenor very utterly changed. He presented to Mr. H. Brook, who took him down.

Justice Fry and others arrived at Gilman at 5 o'clock and began proceedings against Schaeffer. It was a case of most remarkable circumstances. His name was Albert Schaeffer, a son of a Bohemian family, and his name was known in Newcastle. He expected to go over the trouble by his manhood and Newcastle.