The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1876-05-19
MISCELLANY.
BLACK HILLS SKETCH.
The Hanging of an Ohio Boy.
From the Kansas city Times.l

From the Kansas City Tines
There were four of Us seated together
around a cheerful pitch pine fire upon
the side of grassy knoll among the
foothills, about forty mikes from Custer.
One of the party was a mOnntaineer, the
rest were members of a large, well-arm-
ed train of Black Killers, then toiling
and working its way through wilder
ness of sage brush. enheavoring to reach
the trail our party had discovered
few hours before. We had selected
spot for a rest where the wind or the
sun, or perhaps both, had cleared away
the snow from about - huge pine knot
almost petritied by age. The grass, too,
was quite luxuriant, and offered an in
ducement for US TO halt and rest until
the train came up. The fire Lighted,
and the knot in blaze, We brought
forth our pipes to smoke, and watch the
misty curtain rise. Twas a glorious
scene on that crisp morning, and the
man that died there that day should
have felt proud OF his magnificent death
cham Der. Nature seems to have lavish
ed unlimited wealth of beauty upon the
Black Hills, and fate seems to have led
| Dick Burnett to the most beautiful spot
in the Hills in which to die. While we
were calmly smoking around the fire.
watching the misty canopy rise like a
featherv veil from the valley beneath US;
while we silently admired the magnifi
cent back ground of glistening snow
and bright green pines, which in the
morning sun appeared more beautiful
than ever before; while we were thus
q lietly admiring the beautiful blood
red, iron-tinctnred valley below us, now
plainly visible beneath the slowly rising
curtain of mist. admiriDg the winding
creek in its center, which, with its
broad fringe of orange -colored kinni,.k-
innic willow, appeared like a huge yell
low snake in basin of blood, a man
rode suddenly upon us.
Each sprang to his feet, rifle in hand.
Fhe stranger turned his horse away in
alarm, and rode quickly away. He was
white man, and we could not and had
no reason to halt him. He rode ont 10
the side of the road and dismOunted.-
Then he proceeded TO arrange and to
write upon ONE paper, which he placed
in his bosom, and, after some hesitation,
led his horse toward our surprised party,
and halted about thirty PAGES distant,
rifle and pistol in hand.
"Hallo therew
"Hallo yourselfr'
as this the Caster road?"
Don't know. I've been lost all night.
Who are your"
"Pilgrims from Cheyenne. Been lost
nn Jenney's trail two days"
Then the lonely stranger rode up and
stood restlesrly awaiting interrogation.
He said he had left Custer two days be-
fore; that he was drunk when he left,
and did not know what he had done or
how he had got lost. He received a lot
ofletters from our party, and soon after
! ward babe ns adieu. He said he was 90
ing to the States, and we bade him look
out for his scalp, and said good bye
: Poor fellow! unfortunate drunk! 1t cost
him his life. 1t was late in the afternoon
! when we met him again. We were ir a
dry camp. a camp in which snow must
be melted for water for man and beast
The hoys were busy at work shoveling
. | inf bot .
for the horses. Supper was over and the
guards were ont. A shot awoke the re-
verberating echoes of the hills. and a
minute afterwards every man of the if
ty-five pilgrims" were prepared for dn-
ty. A party of vigilantes rode into
amp; they had come upon the tuard-
suddenly and had been fired upon. I hey
we're rongh looking men, hnt all quite
civil. They inquired for lawyer. We
/ had one and he came forward. They
asked for a Judge; we had none, so they
elected one. They asked for preacher,
hut found none. A clerk was found in
| The reporter They had brought back
he strange man of the morning. He
was prisoner and seemed to realize his
position. He called the reporter and
handed him back his mine matter, and
requested him TO write few short let
ters for him. This was done, and he
signed them while Court was being held
the Judge seated on a pile of harness
: the jury on a wagon tongue.
/ ID
, strange. cruel men. Dick turned to the
;, reporter, and handing him his papers
l and two or three pictures, said in a
r trembling, choking voice: "It's all ovel
with me, | reckon. They all know me
n and it's no Use squerling."
He walked over to the wagon, Will.
two of the party started to a barkles
old cottonwood tree, where lariat wal
! thrown over a projecting limb.
"Dick Burnett" /" said old Colonel Lyon
e you've been caught in the act of steal
e ing horses from the people of these hills
g You have also been found guilty o
e shooting and wounding. with intent Il
II kill, Peter s. Lambert, and with stealing
/. his horse. This ere party of good an,
true men have settled this fact, and ga,
e Won must hang. What have you to sa,
/, against it ?"
J. Dick. while old man Lyon was speak
/ ing, manifested little or no feeling. II
In looked in the faces of all, and seemed 4
p expect some interference from the mem
\ bers of our train. He paused for mo
ment, then he said:
m 81 know shot Pete Lambert, but b
i, wanted to get the drop on me. too
10 his horse, and ] may have taken a fe,
others, but what l done I done when
so was drunk. If I've got TO swing, I'll d
10 it like man, only give me time to Fl
up matters afore / GO"
Then the poor fellow sat down, an
ct with tears in his eyes wrote a letter /