Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-05-15
HANGING LOUISIANA.

The author of ''Rural life in Louisiana"
thus describes hanging in the rural dis
tricts of the State:
"Why," exclaimed we, as we ap-
preached the Jail, ''we thought the law
required that the execution -s4aor4a- taLa
place within an enclosure!'
$50 it does" says the sheriff, "and
don't you call that an enclosure-say?'
pointing with his long cane to worm
fence surrounding the building; II put
that there this morning; the law don t
require me to build stone wall, nor a
brick one nuther, just to hang fellow,
nor does it itrequire, that [ am aware of,
that | should chink the cracks between
the rails, nuther, to keep any body from
seeing" --. ~.
"Where have you erected your gal
lows?'
90, that amt erected yet, but soon
will be; here Bill he continued, 'take
this rope (drawning from his pocket a
piece of plough line, about eighteen
inches in length) and go and tie one end
of it round Tolly's neck, and fetch him
here"
The deputy departed and soon re-
turned; leading the culprit, secured as
commanded. He was short, chunky,
don t-care=a=cuss' looking fellow, who
satntered along with his hands in his
pockets. ..s
He was placed by the side Of long
cotton wood sapling, which was lying on
the ground. Ithad recently been stripped
of its bark, except the fork at one end:
The sheriff drew off his blanket coat,
threw it across the fence, looked full in
the culprit's face, and addressed him:
"Mister Tolly, you're mean looking
sneak, amt you?' Durn yer, I'll teach
yer how to set fire to shanty, and be
guilty O. arson-pull off yer hat, sir, and
hold up yer head"
The deputy, having fastened the other
end of the rope to the sapling, Mr.. f.
seized prong of the fork in either hand,
poised it above his head as high as he
could reach, but not quite clearing Mr..
Tolly's toes from the ground, while the
deputy stood by, watch in hand, count
ing the minutes as they passed. The
sheriff, still with his arms aloft, becom-
ing very red in the face, called out:
II say, Bill, how long has he been
hanging?" rn.es
"Jest three minutes and half" an
swered the assistant"
"Then he's got one minute and halt
more, and he don't begin to be dead yet. "
"Aleck," observed we, eff I may be
permitted to venture an assertion,
'twould be that the supreme law Of the
land makes it obligatory upon you to
keep him in suspense until the vital
principle is no more
"Counselor, shet up; I know what
am about. You may know all about the
theory of the law, but you don't know
nothing about the practice; and it stands
to reason that you should know nothing
about the duties of sheriff, but l tell
you I've heard ever since [ was born
that arter gentleman had hung given
length Of time and warnt kilt-and ]
think five minutes is the time-he's en-
titled to life, and [ think he orter be
too. KNOWN that to be the law (fol
how could SO many be mistaken if 'taint)
I'm going to let him down.
So saying he threw the sapling as fal
from him as he was able, jerking the
culprit very hard to the ground, thereby
prejudicing his comfort more than his
pendant position did Loosing the hal
ter from his neck and smashing his hal
down over his eyes, the sheriff took him
by the collar, planting the toe Of mum
Der eleven pegged boot extremely low IL
the dorsal region, and exclaimed:
"Look here, Mister Tolly, you've
escaped death by a fiction O. law-noV
go, but hang me if ever catch you il
this parish again I'll kick you till you re
a jelly fish, dye here? then scoot.-
Come, boys, let's go and get up small
game Of draw"