The Tiffin tribune. (Tiffin, Ohio) 1868-1887, 1876-05-25
BLACK HILLS SKETCH.
The Hanging or an 0hIO boy.

lME VI UulO DUt.
/ There were four of rs seated to-
getheF around a cheerful pitch pine
I fire upon the side of grassy knoll
among tine foothills, about 80 miles
/ from Custer. One OF the party was a
mOuntaineer, the rest were members
OF large, well-aTmed train OF Black |
/ Killers, then tOiling and working its
way through q wilderness of sage
/ brush, endaavoFing to reach the trail |
Onr psTty had discovered few hours |
! before. We bad selected q spot for a
rest where the wind o. the sun, or
perhaps both, hal cleared away the
snow from about huge pine knot
almost petrified by age. The grass, |
too, was quite .uxuriant. and offered
an indueemeht for US to malt and rest
until the train came up. The fire
| lighted and the knot IN 8 blaze, we
brought forth our pipes to smoke, and
watch the misty curtain rise. Twas
a glorious scene or that crisp morn
ing, and the man that died there that
day shOuld have felt proud of his mag
nifieent death chamber. Nature
seems to have lavished unlimited
wealth of beauty upon the Black
Hills, and fate seems 10 have led Dick
Burnett to the most beautiful spot in
the Hills in which 10 die. While We
were calmly smoking around the fire,
watching the misty canopy rise like q
feathery veil from the valley beneath
Us /; while we. silently admired the
magnificent background of gIistening
snow and bright green pines, which
in the morning sun appeared more
beautiful than ever before while we
were thus quietly admiring the beau
| tiful blOOd-red, irOn-tinctured valley
below US, now plainly visible beneath
] the slOwly-rising curtain of mist, adj
miring the winding creek in its
center, which, with its broad fringe of
Orange-eOlOred kinnickinnic willow,
appeared like huge yellow snake in
basin Of blood, a man rode suddenly
upon us.
Each sprang to his feet, rifle in
hand. The stranger turned his horse
away in alarm, and rode quickly
away. He was a white man, and we
could not and had no reason to halt
/ him. He rode ont tO the side of the
road and dismOunted. Then lie pro-
/ ceeded TO arrange and to write upon
some paper, which he placed in his
bosom, and, after some hesitation, led
his horse to our surprised party, and
l1alted about 80 naees distant, rifle and
pistol in hand.
"HaIiO there ~
"HallO yourself ~
'Is this the Custer road ."
! "DOn't know. I've been lost all
night. Who are you ?'
"Pilgrims from Cheyenne. Been
lost on Jenney's trail two days"
Then the lonely stranger rode up
and stood Testlessly awaiting inter- ]
rOgatiOn. He said he had left Custer
| twO-dsys before that he was drunk
| when he left, and did not know what
| he had done or how lac had got lost.
/ He received lot of letters from our
party, and soon afterward bade us
adieu. He said lie was going to the
States, and we bade him look out for
his scalp, and said goodbye. Poor
! fellow ! unfortunate drunk It cost
him his life. 1t was late in the after
noon when we met him again. We
We're in dry camp, 4 camp in which
snow must be melted for water for
mar aud beast The boys were busy
at work shOveling snow into camp
kettles and melting il for the horses
| Supper was over and the guards were
cut. A shot awOke the reverberating
echoes of the hills, and u minute af-
forwards every man of the 81 'pil-
grims" were prepared for duty. A
party of visiIants rode into camp ;
/ they had come upon the guards sud
denly, and had been fired upon. They
were rough looking men, bat all quite |
civil. They inquired for a lawyer.
| We had one and he came forward
/ They asked for a Judge; we had none,
so they elected one. Tney asked for
a preacher, but found none A clerk
was found in the reporter Tney had
| brought back the strange man Of tie
morning. He wss a prisoner and
seemed to realize his position. He
called the reporter and handed him
pack his mine matter, and requested
| him to write a few short letters for
him. This was done, and he signed
them while Court was being held
Judge seated on pile of harness, the |
jury on a wagon tongue. I
"Diek Burnett !" shouted one Of
these strange, cruel men. Dick |
turned TO the reporter, and handing |
him his papers and two or three pie |
lures, said in a trembling, choking |
voice: "It's all over with me, reek- |
on. They all know me, and it's no
use squeaIing,"
He walked over to the wagon, while
two of the party started tO bGrkless |
old cottonwood tree, where a lariat |
was thrown over projecting limb.
| "Diek Burnett" said old Colonel |
/ Lyon, "yOu've been caught i'm the act !
of stealing horses from the people OF |
these hills. You have also been |
found guilty of shooting and wound |
/ ing, with intent to Kill, Peter s. Lam |
| bert, and with stealing his horse. |
This 'ere party OF good and true men
have settled this fact, and say you |
must hang. What have you 10 say |
against it ?"
Dick, while old man Lyon was
speaking, manifested little or no feel
/ ing. He looked in the faces OF all, /
and seemed to expect some interfer-
ence from the members of our train. |
He paused for a moment then he
said:
"I know shot Pete Lambert, but |
he wanted to get the drop on me. ] |
took his horse, and mag have taken |
a few Others, but what done / done
when was drunk II Pve got to /
swing, Ill do it like a man, only give
me time TO fix up matters afore CO."
Then the poor fellow sat down, and |
with tears i'm his eyes wrote q letter
| to his father in Steubenville, o., and /
one to his brother in st. Louis and /
still another to lady 10 COshocton,
o. Then he arose, and dashing the
tears from his bloOdshot eyes, said he
was ready. He gave his rifle and q
horse to Col. Lyon, to be sent
back 10 the owner. Pete Lambert, !
and folding his arms, walked to the /
! tree. For q moment he hesitated. |
Life was sweet to him (he was not 3O). /
But he was seized and pushed forward |
to the tree, mounted the horse with /
out hesitation. Then the tears came |
gushing from his eyes, while his arms |
were belted down To his side. The |
rope was passed over his neck and !
drawn tauL Another minute and |
the horse received a blow which cent |
him gsllOping down the valley, and |
Dick Burnett was struggling between /
heaven and earth. It was jOn over, /
the rope united, and he fell to the |
earth, and was left to the pilgrims |
to bury. We rolled him up in the /
saddle blanket and inferred him it,
the bIOod-red soil Of "Red Canon"
with pine bosrd at his head in- /
seribed "Riehard Burnett, OF Steuben-
vile, Ohio, Died February 26, 1876 -
Kansas CITY Times.
one OrIhe worlds wonders.