Lynching of the Ruggles brothers

On May 10, 1892, brothers John and Charles Ruggles robbed the Weaverville stage in California, netting a small amount of money. Two days later, on May 12, 1892, the pair attempted a second robbery at a hilltop location five miles north of Redding, chosen because the stagecoach would be moving slowly with tired horses. During the holdup, a guard riding inside the coach shot Charles Ruggles with buckshot. Gunfire followed, wounding passenger George Suhr, driver Johnny Boyce, and guard Amos "Buck" Montgomery. John Ruggles then approached the wounded Montgomery and shot him in the back, killing him. Believing Charles was mortally wounded, John fled the scene with the stolen money while driver Boyce regained control of the team and escaped.

A posse found Charles Ruggles at the scene and took him into custody; his injuries proved less severe than initially believed, and he was held in the Redding jail. Under questioning by Wells Fargo detective John Thacker, Charles identified his brother John as his accomplice. A reward of eleven hundred dollars was offered for John's capture. He was subsequently arrested while eating at a restaurant in his hometown of Woodland, California, by a Yolo County deputy sheriff, and was transported by train to Redding.

While the brothers awaited trial, which had been scheduled for July 28, 1892, reporting from the period describes sympathetic attention from local women, who reportedly brought the two men flowers, cakes, fruit, and even marriage proposals while they were jailed. Contemporary accounts also note that defense counsel had been attempting to implicate the deceased guard, Amos "Buck" Montgomery, as a participant in the robbery, a strategy that drew public criticism. These circumstances were cited as contributing factors in the events that followed.

On July 24, 1892, before the scheduled trial could take place, an armed and masked mob—estimated at approximately 40 to 75 men—stormed the Redding jail. The mob blew open a safe containing the jail keys, removed John and Charles Ruggles from their cell, and hanged both men from a derrick at the corner of Shasta street. John Ruggles reportedly offered to disclose the location of the stolen money if the mob would spare his brother, but the offer was refused. No one was ever prosecuted for the lynching.