Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1875-06-26
[Continucd from first page
Prison Life.
BY Il Z. POWELL.

AS each mans trial came up he was
brought in and allowed to be present dur
ing the whole timc-until he received his
sentence They soon began to show the
raiders that they were in earnest. Some
were sentenced to run the gauntlet, which
was u severe operation. There were two
lines of men standing four feet apart facing
each other each man armed with good
club. The victim would have to start at
one end and run to the other between the
lines with each club playing on his head to
the best advantage. As a rule they were
laid low before they reached the farther
end. Four We're sentenced to wear ball
and chain until they were paroled, and then
Ike given over to the Federal government to
be tried. Six were sentenced to death.
The judge was a fine man named Dorsey,
from New York state. He was not afraid
to give man his sentence when there was
such point blank evidence given as was
there. One thing remarkable about those
to be executed was their size. ! think the
smallest one would have weighed two hun
bred pounds They had pretty good clothes
and were fat. OF course they were enabled
to have plenty to cat and wear by their
robbery and murders. have partly for
gotten their Names and do not think it
would be wise to give them anyhow, as,
no doubt, they have respectable friends lily
ing; at any rate have never seen them in
print The trials had ended, but they
could not be executed until Gen. Ninder,
who had charge of all the prisoners in the
Southern Confederacy, gave his approval,
which was three weeks after. frequently
visited them, as they had known me before
they were sentenced. They would ask ne
if had heard anything concerning the APP
proval of their sentence. They had their
feet in the stocks, and two or three men
guarding them
THE HORRIBLE EXECUTION.
One morning, think it was on the 18th
of July, the sentence came from Gen. Win
der's headquarters approved, with orders to
have them executed at o'clock that even
ing. Immediately load of lumber was
Before the condemned men were notified
went down to the stocks-a short distance.
They were playing cards. at least some of
them were. They asked ''wcll what is
the news concerning us this morning. |
told them the worst Said |, ''your SEN
tence has been approved, and you will be
executed at 5 o'clock this evening" One
of them seemed serious; as for the rest 1t
took but little effect. One of them began
to swear about it.
The gallows was completed; old meal
sacks were secured to tie over their heads
The vigilance committee, which consisted
of several thousand, drew lots. 1t fell up
on six men, each one of whom was in
structed to see his victim dead Those
were the parties that attended to the exc
cution. The gall0ws was surrounded by
the vigilance committee armed with clubs.
The artillery of which there were sixteen
hrass pieces that had lately came to Ander
sonvilic, were planted bearing on the pris-
on. Orders were received to charge the
gums. in case, during the execution, the
friends of the condemned should attempt
10 take them from tho vigilance committee,
they were to open on Tie prison think
th,s order must have been sham, for one
vollcv from sixteen pieces would have killed
ten thousand. just imagine thirty-tlve
Thousand on eight acres OF ground, all
crowding to one side to witness the eXecu-
zion II looked almost as if the earth was
moving. At few moments before ii'e
o'clock Capt. WirA came down TO the