A Vigilance Committee was a group of private citizens who organized themselves for self-protection. Vigilance committees were often established in areas where there was either no local law or the local law eforcement was ineffective or corrupt.  Vigilance committes were popular within the United States in the 19th Century.

Citizens in Southern Indiana formed the Southern Indiana Vigilance Committee.  This group was also known as the Scarlet Mask Society due to the red colored bandanas the group wore to cover their faces.

                   

Around midnight on March 10, 1886, the Sheriff of Martin County Jail in Shoals, Indiana, was awakened by a loud knocking on the door.  The Sheriff opened the door and was immediately seized by the vigilantes and bound.  The mob opened the cells and found the Archer's partly dressed- the Archer's believed the ruckus they had heard was their Gang coming to spring them from the jail.

None of the Gang offered any resistance as they were led from the jail to the lawn in front of the courthouse.  Three nooses were already arranged over the limbs of a maple tree.  Thomas Archer was the first to have the noose placed around his neck to be lynched.  Martin was the next to die.  The last to be lynched was John; his body swinging next to his father and uncle.  No members of the vigilance group were ever charged with the lynchings.

                         

                                                               Martin Archer in death
                        


                                                             Thomas Archer in death