Previous
Record 17 of 75
Next

Vigilantes Hanged A. H. Chow on the Hangman’s Tree

Date:January 26, 1870
Location:Helena, Montana
Event Type:Lynching
Victim Names:Ah Chow
Victim Gender:Male
No. of Victims:1
Accusation:Murder
Killing Method:Hanging
Compiled By:Kevin Hegg

Narrative

On January 26, 1870, Helena vigilantes hanged A. H. Chow after accusing him of murdering John R. Batzer. The Philadelphia Inquirer reported that his body was found hanging on “the celebrated hangman’s tree of the Vigilants,” with a placard pinned to him reading, “Beware, the Vigilants Still Live.” The staging of the body turned the lynching into a public warning as well as an execution.

Related Newspaper Article(s)

A Chinaman Lynched

The Philiadelphia Inquirer (Philadelphia, Pennsylvania)

January 27, 1870 (Page 4)

A. H. Chow, accused of murdering John R. Batzer, was lynched in Helena by the Vigilants and left hanging with a warning placard.

A Chinaman Lynched in Montana

Hartford Courant (Hartford, Conneticus)

January 27, 1870 (Page 3)

Report notes a Chinese man, said to have murdered Jonathan R. Batzer on January 15, was found lynched on Helena’s “Hangman’s tree,” with a warning note on his back.