On June 8, 1883, Ike and Bill Barber were lynched by a mob in Waverly, Iowa. The brothers had a long history of crime, including horse theft and multiple murders across Iowa and Illinois.
Raised in Fayette County after their father died in the Civil War, the Barbers turned to crime early. Their violent reputation grew after they killed a deputy in 1882 and later shot five more lawmen during their capture—one fatally.
After finally being jailed in Waverly, fears of a lynch mob prompted authorities to move the brothers temporarily. But after their return, an angry crowd—led by the brother of the slain deputy—broke into the jail and hanged them in nearby Murphy’s Grove.
The lynching marked a grim end to one of Iowa’s most notorious outlaw stories.
