An account of the unfortunate demise of James Whiteford
Missouri in the middle of the 19th Century was a harsh place to live, law was hard to keep and what law was found was often administeered by vigilante mobs. These mobs were responsible for numerous illegal hangings in Clark County. Two of the most famous were James Whiteford, a native of Canada, who was hung by a lynch mob near Athens, Missouri on October 7, 1860 and Bill Young, who was hung by a vigilante mob on October 29, 1879, after being acquitted by a jury of the Clark County Circuit Court on October 25, 1879. Young had been accused of the August 3, 1877 axe murders of the Spencer family. He had celebrated his acquittal by getting married. Sheriff Samuel Frazee was sheriff at the time. It is interesting to note that Young had been a member of the lynch mob who had effected a citizen's arrest upon James Whiteford, charging him with horse theft. Young had been accompanied by John Baird, William White, Solomon Foutz and James Reeves. Baird was sentenced to death and was hung in Lewis County, Missouri, on a change of venue. Young was tried in Knox County, Missouri and sentenced to prison for 8 years and was pardoned by the Governor. White and Foutz also spent time in prison, and were pardoned early. Reeves turned states evidence and was set free.
