North Dakota's Twelfth

Eight white men, three Indians and one Negro have been lynched in North Dakota* since 1889 when the region became a State. The eighth white man died last week, hanging under a bridge at the end of an inch-thick rope.

He was Charles Bannon, 22. Just a year ago he shot and killed A. E. Haven, on whose farm near Schafer, N. Dak. he worked. Then he killed Mrs. Haven and the four Haven children. He buried them in the barn. Not until November was he arrested, when he sold some of the Havens' hogs. In December he confessed his crimes. Last week he had been taken from a distant jail back to Schafer for trial.

The North Dakota mobsters wore masks, but did not shoot holes in the dangling body. "Lynch law in North Dakota should not be tolerated," announced Governor George F. Shafer.

* Unofficial count. North Dakota's records have been in chaos since last month when fire destroyed the State Capitol (TIME, Jan. 5).

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