An 1883 illustration of a lynching conducted by "Judge Lynch"

This print image of a lynching appeared in Harper's Weekly in 1884 and depicts "Judge Lynch" as he came to be known throughout the nation. The real Colonel Lynch gained national attention for his extrajudicial treatment of Tory sympathizers in the 1780s. In California, the terms "Judge Lynch," "Lynch Law" and "lynching" appeared in newspaper accounts of summary punishments as early as the 1850s.