In the annals of American history, the year 1931 marks a grim milestone in North Dakota. In the early hours of January 29th, a chilling episode of mob violence unfolded in the quiet town of Schafer. Charles Bannon, a 22-year-old accused of a heinous crime, became the victim of a lynch mob, a stark reminder of a time when justice was not always served within the confines of the law. This event, North Dakota’s last recorded lynching, raises profound questions about law, order, and the desperate measures taken when communities feel justice is delayed or denied.
State’s Attorney J.S. Taylor, Charles Bannon, Deputy Sheriff Earl Gorden, and Sheriff Charles Jacobson in 1931, reflecting the tense atmosphere surrounding the Bannon case.
Bannon’s story is inextricably linked to the tragic disappearance of the Haven family. Just days before his lynching, Bannon had been transferred from the supposedly more secure jail in Williston to the smaller facility in Schafer. The purpose? To face arraignment for the murders of Albert and Lulia Haven, their sons Daniel and Leland, and their infant children, Charles and Mary. His father, James Bannon, was also incarcerated in the same Schafer jail, accused of being an accomplice to these horrific crimes.
The Vanishing of the Haven Family
The landscape of Haven family farmland east of Watford City, North Dakota, highlighting the remote location where the family disappeared and Charles Bannon was later accused of murder.
The Haven family resided on a farm near Schafer, a small village east of Watford City. Albert Haven, 50, his wife Lulia, 39, and their children – Daniel, 18, Leland, 14, Charles, 2, and Mary, a mere two months old – were a seemingly ordinary family. They had established themselves on their farm for over a decade, accumulating possessions that spoke of a life rooted in the land. However, after February 9, 1930, the Havens vanished without a trace.
Charles Bannon, who had been employed by the Havens as a hired hand, remained on the farm after their disappearance. He claimed to have rented the property and told neighbors the family had simply decided to leave the area. His father, James Bannon, joined him at the farm in February 1930. Together, they continued to work the land and tend to the Haven family’s livestock throughout the year.
Suspicion began to grow in October 1930 as Bannon started selling off the Haven family’s possessions and crops. James Bannon then left, stating he was going to search for the missing Havens, purportedly in Oregon. From Oregon, James wrote a letter to Charles in December 1930, advising him to be cautious and “do what is right,” a cryptic message that hinted at a deeper unease.
In December 1930, Charles Bannon was arrested on grand larceny charges. It was during the ensuing investigation that the horrifying truth about the Haven family emerged – they had been murdered.
Confessions of a Hired Hand
The Haven gravesite in Schafer Cemetery, marking the final resting place of the family and the culmination of the tragic events that gripped the community.
On December 12, 1930, Charles Bannon initially confessed to involvement in the Haven family’s deaths, but claimed an unnamed “stranger” was the primary instigator. The following day, in a more detailed confession to his attorney and mother, Bannon admitted to killing the entire family. His account described a violent confrontation triggered by the accidental shooting of the eldest son, Daniel. Bannon claimed he was forced to kill the other family members – Leland, Lulia, and Albert Haven – in self-defense after they allegedly attacked him.
Following Bannon’s confession, authorities located and arrested his father, James, in Oregon. James was charged with being complicit in the murders and extradited back to North Dakota.
In a final, written confession in January 1931, Charles Bannon again admitted to killing the Haven family after the accidental shooting of Daniel. However, this time, he omitted the self-defense claim, stating he killed the remaining family members out of fear.
In his last two confessions, Charles Bannon insisted he acted alone, attempting to exonerate his parents, particularly his father, James. Despite his efforts, authorities maintained custody of James Bannon.
A Mob in the Night at Schafer Jail
The interior of the Schafer Jail, with peeling paint, stands as a silent witness to the events of 1931, where Charles Bannon was held and subsequently taken by a lynch mob.
On the night of January 28-29, 1931, the Schafer jail housed Charles Bannon, his father James, Deputy Sheriff Peter Hallan, and Fred Maike, jailed for theft. Sometime between 12:30 and 1:00 a.m. on January 29th, a masked mob descended upon the small jail, their intentions clear – they were there for Charles Bannon.
Sheriff Syvert Thompson, awakened by flickering lights near the jail, investigated and was quickly captured by the mob. Witnesses, including Thompson and Hallan, estimated the mob to be composed of at least 75 men in 15 or more vehicles.
The mob forcibly entered the jail, overpowering Deputy Hallan. When Hallan refused to hand over the keys to Bannon’s cell, they forced him outside. Using timbers from the jail door they had broken down, the mob began to batter down Bannon’s cell door. Maike recounted that the cell door proved so resistant that the mob almost gave up. Once the door was breached, Bannon surrendered, pleading for his father’s safety.
The mob produced a rope, placed a noose around Bannon’s neck, and dragged him from the jail. Deputy Hallan was locked in a cell with James Bannon and Maike, left to listen to the unfolding horror.
Sheriff Thompson, outside, overheard the mob demanding Bannon “tell the truth” or face hanging. Bannon insisted he had already told the truth. After seizing Bannon, the mob confined Sheriff Thompson in the jail cell with Hallan, barricading the door, effectively preventing any intervention.
Initially, the lynch mob took Bannon to the Haven farm, seemingly intending to hang him at the site of his alleged crimes. However, the farm’s caretaker confronted the mob, ordering them off the property and threatening to shoot if they did not leave.
Lynched at Cherry Creek Bridge
The modern bridge over Cherry Creek, approximately where the original bridge stood, serves as a haunting reminder of the lynching of Charles Bannon at this location.
The mob then transported Bannon to the bridge over Cherry Creek, about half a mile east of the jail. This new, high bridge had been constructed just the previous summer. Bannon was pushed over the bridge’s edge, the noose around his neck tightening. Authorities noted the rope was a half-inch thick, and the noose was a professionally tied hangman’s knot, suggesting premeditation and expertise.
Charles Bannon was buried in Riverside Cemetery in Williston.
Governor George Shafer condemned the lynching as “shameful” and immediately ordered an investigation. Attorney General James Morris, Adjutant General G.A. Fraser, and Gunder Osjord, head of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, were dispatched to Schafer. Morris focused on the rope, noting the expert knot and a distinctive red hemp thread, concluding the lynching was “well-planned” and led by “three or more leaders.”
Despite the governor’s orders to “go to the bottom” of the lynching, the state investigation proved fruitless. No member of the lynch mob was ever arrested, and after less than a week, Morris declared it impossible to identify anyone involved.
The Federal Council of Churches also investigated the lynching in the spring of 1931. Their findings pointed to “grossly inadequate” protection for Bannon, suggesting authorities had been negligent in their duty to safeguard the prisoner, especially by housing him in a vulnerable jail near the crime scene.
James Morris, upon learning of the Council’s investigation, contacted Rev. Howard Anderson, who led the inquiry, seeking any information that might aid the authorities. Anderson responded that their investigation focused on the circumstances leading up to the lynching, not on identifying the mob members, which he deemed the responsibility of local law enforcement.
James Bannon, Charles’s father, was subsequently tried for the Haven murders. Concerned for his safety, his attorney, W.A. Jacobsen, sought assurances from Morris regarding his protection. The trial was moved to Divide County, where James Bannon was convicted and sentenced to life in prison. Despite appeals arguing insufficient evidence and biased witnesses, the North Dakota Supreme Court upheld his conviction.
James Bannon entered the state penitentiary on June 29, 1931, maintaining his innocence. He was eventually paroled in 1950 at the age of 76, after Attorney General Alvin Strutz investigated community sentiment and concluded that, while opinions varied, many believed James was at least complicit in covering up the murders.
In the aftermath of Charles Bannon’s lynching, State Senator James P. Cain introduced a bill to reinstate capital punishment in North Dakota, arguing it might have prevented the mob violence. However, the North Dakota Senate rejected the bill.
Schafer Today
The Schafer Jail today, preserved as a historical site, stands as a tangible link to the past and the story of Charles Bannon’s lynching.
Once the county seat of McKenzie County, Schafer today is a near-ghost town. The Schafer jail still stands, along with a few other buildings, including an abandoned school. A historical marker next to the jail recounts its history and the events of January 29, 1931, when Charles Bannon was “taken by an angry mob and lynched.”
In his 1939 report on the lynching, Attorney General Strutz reflected on the lack of prosecution for the mob’s actions. He believed that despite potential difficulties in securing a conviction in McKenzie County, an attempt should have been made to punish those responsible, asserting that “such a crime should not be allowed to have been committed without at least an attempt to punish those who perpetrated the same.”
Schafer remains a quiet reminder of a dark chapter in North Dakota’s history, a place where justice was tragically circumvented by mob violence, leaving an indelible stain on the pursuit of law and order.
| Accused killer Charles Bannon, right, and his father James | |
|---|---|
| Murdered members of the Haven family were buried together in Schafer Cemetery | |
| The Haven farmyard: The killings started in the barn, left, and Bannon hid the bodies in the shed, right | |
| The remote cave where Lulia Haven’s body was found | |
| McKenzie County Sheriff Syvert Thompson and Deputy Peter Hallan tried to stop the lynch mob | |
| Bannon was hung from this bridge over Cherry Creek | |
| Watford City newspaper editor James Curran displays the noose used to hang Bannon and shows how the lynchers disguised themselves |
This map illustrates the Haven farm, pinpointing the barn, farmyard, and house as locations where the killings occurred. It also shows the shed and straw pile where Bannon concealed the bodies.
Footnotes:
1. See State Historical Society of North Dakota Website.
2. Williston Herald, Will Arraign Bannons Soon, Says Attorney, Jan. 15, 1931, at p. 1. Williston Herald, Mob Lynches Chas. Bannon at Schafer, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 1.
3. State v. Bannon, 62 N.D. 517, 244 N.W. 1 (1932). See Williston Herald, No Trace Found of Missing Haven Family, Nov. 20, 1930, at p. 1.
4. Bannon, 244 N.W. at p. 1. See Williston Herald, No Trace Found of Missing Haven Family, Nov. 20, 1930, at p. 1.
5. Bannon, 244 N.W. at p. 1. See Williston Herald, No Trace Found of Missing Haven Family, Nov. 20, 1930, at p. 1. After Bannon was lynched, the Associated Press reported in the Bismarck Tribune that:
The Havens were reserved people, who fraternized little with their neighbors. There was not the strong bond between them as there exists between the many settler who came to this section to pioneer. So little was known of the Havens’ affairs that when Bannon said they disappeared his story was first accepted. For nearly nine months, Bannon lived on the farm, and it was not until they failed to pay a farm loan that had come due that an opportunity was afforded to investigate their disappearance.
Bismarck Tribune, Believe Lynchers Waited Hoping for True Account, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 2.
6. Bannon, 244 N.W. at p. 1. See Williston Herald, No Trace Found of Missing Haven Family, Nov. 20, 1930, at p. 1.
7. Bannon, 244 N.W. at p. 7 (letter).
8. Bannon, 244 N.W. at p. 7 (letter).
9. Williston Herald, Bannon Alone in Killing of Haven Family, Dec. 18, 1930, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Believe Lynchers Waited Hoping for True Account, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 2.
10. Bannon, 244 N.W. at p. 8 (statement).
11. Bannon, 244 N.W. at pp. 8-11 (confession). See Williston Herald, Bannon Alone in Killing of Haven Family, Dec. 18, 1930, at p. 1.
12. See Williston Herald, Bannon Alone in Killing of Haven Family, Dec. 18, 1930, at p. 1; Williston Herald, Bannon Senior in Jail Here, Dec. 25, 1930, at p. 1; Williston Herald, Will Arraign Bannons Soon, Says Attorney, Jan. 15, 1931, at p. 1.
13. Bannon, 244 N.W. at pp. 11-12 (final confession). See Williston Herald, Will Arraign Bannons Soon, Says Attorney, Jan. 15, 1931, at p. 1.
14. See Williston Herald, Mob Lynches Chas. Bannon at Schafer, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 1; Bismarck Tribune, Charles Bannon, Confessed Slayer of 6, Lynched by Mob, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 1.
15. Bismarck Tribune, Charles Bannon, Confessed Slayer of 6, Lynched by Mob, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 1.
16. Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Few New Facts are Uncovered During Coroner’s Inquest, Jan. 31, 1931, at p. 1.
17. Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Few New Facts are Uncovered During Coroner’s Inquest, Jan. 31, 1931, at p. 1.
18. See Williston Herald, Mob Lynches Chas. Bannon at Schafer, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 1; Bismarck Tribune, Charles Bannon, Confessed Slayer of 6, Lynched by Mob, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 1; Bismarck Tribune, Believe Lynchers Waited Hoping for True Account, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 2; Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at pp. 1, 3; Bismarck Tribune, Few New Facts are Uncovered During Coroner’s Inquest, Jan. 31, 1931, at p. 1.
19. Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Few New Facts are Uncovered During Coroner’s Inquest, Jan. 31, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Elder Bannon Thought He Would Be Killed Too, Feb. 2, 1931, at p. 1.
20. Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Few New Facts are Uncovered During Coroner’s Inquest, Jan. 31, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Elder Bannon Thought He Would Be Killed Too, Feb. 2, 1931, at p. 1.
21. Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Few New Facts are Uncovered During Coroner’s Inquest, Jan. 31, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Elder Bannon Thought He Would Be Killed Too, Feb. 2, 1931, at p. 1.
Bannon’s multiple and conflicting stories about how the murders took place seem to have been one factor that incited the lynch mob. For example, in his Dec. 12, 1930, statement, he admitted witnessing the murders but claimed that another man committed them. He apparently convinced his mother that this was the “true” story of the murders. Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at p. 3. An Associated Press story reported that “[m]any persons were of the belief that Bannon was spared earlier violence because of the feeling prevalent here that he would ultimately give a true account of the killings.” Bismarck Tribune, Believe Lynchers Waited Hoping for True Account, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 2.
The lynchers may not have known that, in addition to his written confessions, Bannon also “walked through” the murders during a January 1931 visit to the crime scene with several county officials including longtime McKenzie County Judge P.C. Arildson. At James Bannon’s trial, Arildson testified that, during the site visit, Bannon explained how he killed each member of the Haven family and also pointed out the places where each act took place. State v. Bannon, Appellant’s Brief, pp. 78-79.
Another possible motivation for the lynching is raised in a July 10, 1985, Williston Herald story, Fair Project recounts 1930s murder, lynching. This story (and the letters that accompany it) suggests that the lynchers may have thought Bannon responsible for the 1925 deaths of four children in an unexplained farm fire. Information about the fire can be found in the Oct. 22 and Oct. 29, 1925, issues of the Watford Guide.
22. Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Few New Facts are Uncovered During Coroner’s Inquest, Jan. 31, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Elder Bannon Thought He Would Be Killed Too, Feb. 2, 1931, at p. 1.
23. Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Elder Bannon Thought He Would Be Killed Too, Feb. 2, 1931, at p. 1.
24. Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at pp. 1, 3. Bismarck Tribune, Few New Facts are Uncovered During Coroner’s Inquest, Jan. 31, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Elder Bannon Thought He Would Be Killed Too, Feb. 2, 1931, at p. 1.
25. Williston Herald, Charles Bannon is Buried With Only 6 Mourners Present, Jan. 15, 1931, at p. 1.
26. Bismarck Tribune, Shafer Orders Probe Into ‘Shameful’ Bannon Affair, Jan. 29, 1931, at p. 1. Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at pp. 1, 3.
27.Bismarck Tribune, Mob Took Killer to Scene of Murders Before Hanging Him, Jan. 30, 1931, at pp. 1, 3.
28.Bismarck Tribune, Few New Facts are Uncovered During Coroner’s Inquest, Jan. 31, 1931, at p. 1. The Tribune reported that:
Belief that it will be impossible to identify members of the mob that lynched Charles Bannon was expressed by Attorney General James Morris Saturday as he completed his investigation into the hanging.
See also Williston Herald, Fair Project recounts 1930s murder, lynching, July 10. 1985.
29.Bismarck Tribune, Investigating the Schafer Lynching, May 20, 1931, at p. 4. Frank Vyzralek, Murder in Masquerade: A Commentary on Lynching and Mob Violence in North Dakota’s Past, 1882-1931, North Dakota History, vol. 57, No. 1 (1990) at p. 26.
30. Letter from James Morris to Rev. Howard Anderson dated April 3, 1931. Letter from Rev. Howard Anderson to James Morris dated April 6, 1931.
31. Letter from W.A. Jacobsen to James Morris dated Feb. 18, 1931.
32. Bannon, 244 N.W. at pp. 13-14. State v. Bannon, Appellant’s Brief, p. 71.
33. Bismarck Tribune, Prison Gates Yawn for James Bannon, June 30, 1931, at p. 1. Report to Members of the North Dakota Board of Pardons from Attorney General Alvin Strutz dated May 18, 1939. Bismarck Tribune, Freed Bannon Still Claims Innocence, Sept. 12, 1950, at p. 1. On his release, James Bannon told the Tribune that he was “innocent” and “railroaded” into prison. Elderly and frail, Bannon also said that his release from prison after nearly 20 years was “nothing to get excited about.”
34. Bismarck Tribune, Measure to Hang Murderers Loses in State Senate, Feb. 14, 1931, at p. 1. The Tribune quoted the comments of Senator W.E. Martin, who opposed the measure:
“Don’t be in a hurry to hang a man,” Martin declared. “Don’t take a chance with a jury. But hang him when you know he is guilty. In every frontier town, lynching is the only thing where you know a man is guilty. In McKenzie county, they did the only thing they could do.”
35. See Douglas A. Wick, North Dakota Place Names, at p. 174. Wick wrote that Schafer was the county seat of McKenzie County from 1906-1941, with a population of more than 200 by 1920, but that the town declined because the Great Northern Railroad decided it could not afford to extend its rail line east to Schafer from Watford City. The marker at the jail reads:
The Schafer Jail is of native granite stone and concrete construction. It was completed in 1910 and served McKenzie County for 31 years. It was from this jail that Charles Bannon, the confessed murderer of the six members of the Albert E. Haven family, was taken by an angry mob and lynched off a bridge 1/2 mile east of the jail on Jan. 29, 1931.
36. Report to Members of the North Dakota Board of Pardons from Attorney General Alvin Strutz dated May 18, 1939.
Jan. 27, 2003; updated Jan. 28, 2004; Jan. 21, 2005; October 16, 2006.
