John Campbell, head of an outlaw band that had murdered the Jewett family of Garden City, is hanged by a crowd of eight hundred angry men in Mankato. Caught in Mr. Jewett's clothes, Campbell claims during his mock trial that Indians had committed the crime, captured him, and forced him to wear the victim's clothes. The "jury" finds him guilty but recommends waiting for a real trial before handing down his punishment. The mob persists, however, and Campbell eventually confesses to the crime.