Wow. This thread moved fast. In the case of whether the sheriff should hang the stranger? No. I'm thinking that we are ultimately responsible for our own actions. If the crowd hung a scapegoat, the crowd would suffer the consequences. I believe that you can't murder someone without ruining the rest of your life. You can't know how your own spirit will punish you. Anyhow, that's what I've heard. Even police rarely shoot and kill a person. And when they do, they have to get counseling.

The mob must be brought to justice, no matter what it takes.