Judge Lynch
From The Arthur Conan Doyle Encyclopedia
Historical expression.
Charles Lynch (1736-1796) was an American planter, politician, military officer and judge who headed a kangaroo court in Virginia to punish Loyalists during the Revolutionary War. The terms "lynching", "lynch law", or "Judge Lynch" are believed to be derived from his surname.
In the Sherlock Holmes stories
- Scowrer Morris suggested that "a Judge Lynch that might try the case" if they became too repressive (VALL 2915).
