Urbana union. [volume] (Urbana, Ohio) 1862-1872, 1866-04-04

one foot in the grave should be capable
ofau act of ingratitude and downright
robbery
The sheriff now read document to
Tolley, informing him that he was to be
hung by the neck, &C., &C., winding up
with the addition:
'And now, Tolley, you're a burned
pretty looking skunk, amt you? I'll
teach you, durn you, to set gehtleman's 5
house afre, and be guilty of arson !
Come along here p and he took the rope
| from the deputy's hand and led Tolley,
who followed him like a lamb to the
slaughter, into the enclosure. Old Bob
whispered to me" Frank, give the poor
devil drink but the fate of my honey
dew steeled my heart against the appeal
Arrived at the fatal pole, the sheriff
ordered the doomed man to set down
thar which he did. The end of the
rope was then tied around the peeled
sapling on the ground.
Nov, ToIley, get up and Tolley,
with apparently stolid indifference, slow
ly rose to his feet. The sheriff then put
one end of the 8apling into the fork of
the upright, and pulling out his watch,
handed it to Bill Simmons, saying
Now, dep'ty, you time i'm, while I
hold i'm up
Judge of my horror, George, when 1
saw this old devil thus eoolly preparing
to choke the wretch to death, with no
more cOmpunction than if drowning a
blind puppy. I begged Uncle Bob to
interfure, but he declined doing so.
'All ready Now, Bill Simmons, you
time 'edzackly mind you, nary mint
more nor less I
With this he mounted low stump,
and with a herculean effort raised the
small end of the sapling at arms length
over his head. The tension of the rope
just raised Tolley to his stiptoes, and didn't
seem to inconvenience him much but
the sherif-you should have seen him.
At the end of about the second minute
he was livid, absolutely purple in the
iace.
'BiI Simmons he gasped, how longs
e bin hangin'-aint time up 4?
Two minits.'
Durn It'll painted the sheriff.
Here I ventured to remark Mr..
Sheriff, the law says that the criminal
must be hanged by the neck until he is
dead, no matter how long it takes"
This barbarous suggestion met with a
proper rebuke.
'Cuss you, Frank -! Who the
- asked for gear burned lip? I
know what the law says It says arter a
gentleman's been hanging a certain time
and I think five minits is the time
he's got right to life if he kin stan it,
and I think he orter.
Tolley was still dancing on his toes,
and his face was fast becoming as purple
as that of the sheriff.
'Time's up! shouted the deputy, and
the sheriff flung the pole from him with
vim that jerked the pendant TOlley
sprawling upon the ground. He picked
himself up, and the sheriff united the
clothes line from his neck then cram
ming Tolley's hat over his eyes, be thus
addressed him:
Now, Eph Tolley, you've 'scaped
hanging by a kibble of the law but if
you know what's good for you, you'll
leave this county might suddint; saying
which he applied to Tolley, posteriori,
tremendous thwack of his No. II
pegged boot, calculating with each kick,
Durn you, scoOt, sooOtl I'll teach you
to commit arson and set a mans house
afrel and eff 1 ketch you in these dig
gins again, I'll shoot you, you cussed
scollawagl' With one final kick and
sscoot! he turned Tolley lose, and invi-
ted the whole party to Ticker
We did so, and instantly recognized
the bottle. Old Bob, regardless of the
ties of consanguinity, had stolen it from
my saddle-b bags and presented it to the
sheriff as a reward for his humanity and
faithful discharge of duty.