The Story of Lane County's Two Known Official Hangings

EUGENE, ORE — The year is 1899, and Eugene, Oregon, is still reeling from a chilling crime that would forever shape the city’s dark history. The brutal murder of rancher John Linn sent shockwaves through the McKenzie River Valley. The culprits? Two young farmhands, Claude Henry Branton and Courtland Green. They thought Linn was carrying a small fortune of $1,000, but after killing him, they found just $65 in his possession. A far cry from their expectations, and the start of a series of botched cover-ups.

From Branton's failed disguise attempts—donning a fake beard to impersonate Linn—to the pair’s failed attempt to sell the stolen horses, their desperate efforts were doomed from the start. While Branton fled the state, Green, ridden with guilt, confessed and received a life sentence. Branton, unaware of the fate that awaited him, returned to Eugene, was arrested, and became the first person officially executed by hanging in Lane County in 1899.

But the tale doesn’t end there. Fast forward to 1903, when Eugene was once again thrust into a heartbreaking saga. Sheriff W.W. Withers, known for his fearless dedication to the community, was tragically shot and killed by Elliott Lyons, a fugitive wanted for embezzlement and horse theft. Lyons, aided by family members, shot the sheriff during an attempted arrest in Walton, and Withers died two days later from his injuries.

The community was stunned. Posses were quickly organized, and a $500 reward was offered for Lyons’ capture. After a dramatic chase, Lyons was captured near Creswell, though authorities feared an angry mob would take justice into their own hands. Fearing for his life, they rushed him to jail under tight security. Just a few weeks later, Lyons was found guilty of first-degree murder and sentenced to hang on April 17, 1903, marking Lane County’s second—and final—public hanging.

These two hangings remain the only officially recorded executions in Lane County’s history, but Oregon’s complicated relationship with the death penalty didn’t end there. In fact, the last person to be publicly hanged in the state was Daniel Norman Williams, on July 21, 1905, in Hood River. He was the 66th person to meet the noose in Oregon. That, however, is a story for another time.

The state saw the death penalty ebb and flow over the years. In 1914, voters repealed capital punishment, but by 1920, it was reinstated. Emmet Bancroft, convicted of murdering a Umatilla sheriff during a jailbreak, became the first man hanged after the reinstatement. A total of 15 more hangings followed, with the last occurring on October 30, 1931, when James E. Kingsley, convicted of murdering a police officer, was executed.

The state’s death penalty history took another turn in 1964, when John Anthony Soto, at just 17 years old, became the last person executed in Oregon, before voters once again repealed the death penalty. Oregon’s relationship with capital punishment would continue to twist and turn, with the death penalty reinstated in 1978 and Harry Charles Moore becoming the last person executed in the state on May 16, 1997.

But since 2011, executions have been on hold, with Oregon placing a moratorium on the death penalty. In 2020, the state closed its death-row facility, moving death-row inmates into general population.

And so, the legacies of these dark chapters continue to echo through Eugene and the rest of Oregon, where the ghosts of those long-past figures remain a part of the state’s complicated—and often controversial—history of crime, justice, and the ultimate punishment. From the grim hangings of Branton and Lyons to the state's evolving stance on capital punishment, these moments are forever woven into the fabric of our story.

Information for this article was found online along with the picture.

Michael Weber, known for his extensive coverage of crime news in Lane County, continues to provide valuable updates to the local community. He runs the largest crime watch group in Lane County, Lane County Mugshots Uncensored, which currently has over 84,400 members. Support for local journalism is essential, and donations can be made via Venmo to @Michael-Weber-379 (last four digits of phone number: 0825).