The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1877-11-14
HANGED In THE BLACK HILLS.
The Justice that Was Dealt Out to n Dos
pe~rado.Liyely Times In q Mining Camp.

The Justice that Wa Dealt Out to n Do
perado--Lively Times In a Mining Camp.
A letter dated Camp Ohio, Blac
Hills, has this Thomas Y. Shoals, VIII
has friends at Green Bay, Wis, and VIII
has been in Nevada himself for som
years past, entered our town about te
days ago. He vas a whisky-drinkine
trouble-making rough. He brough
several gambling devices with him t
"wa1" our hard working people out G
their "dust," and he hadn't been j
camp more than two days when most Q
his bad points came out. At the end @
five days he was ordered to leave, but j
boldly refused to obey ths warning
T%hereupon, on the morning OF the sixtl
day, he was waited upon by ten revol
vers, backed by ten men, and was notifies
that fifteen minutes, city hall time
would be given him to get beyond shoot
ing distance. He got. No one care'
what became of him or whittier he went
and as he passed from sight no one e1
pected to see him again. According t.
rule, we confscated all his persona
property except a mule, and mule ant
man went away together. Somewher
outside of camp, Shoals fell in with SOM
Texans who were "on the make" ant
as ugly as himself, and the gang entered
our camp, armed to the teeth, two day
after Shoals left it.
The four lambs came in on a gallop
whooping and yelling, and as the.
halted on the public square Shoals sans
out :
"Trot out my goods, you white-liveret
dust diggers, or we'll cut every throat
in camp"
That meant us, you see. Some were
digging, some washing, and some un
derground, and while we were waking W
to the situation, one of the Texans
put in:
"Hurry up, now, for it's all We XIII
do to hold on to the triggers OF these
shooters!"
And another yelled
"Somebody hold. me, for I'm the
worst catamount this side of Mexico !"
Our old boss didn't like their style fol
one. He was fitting q new handle to 6
pick, and was at the door Of shanty No
8 when. they rode up. Reaching intt
the house for his two revolvers, h
rose up and walked out upon the gane
as the rest of us were making q rush fol
our shooters.
"There's the old chap-kin him.
yelled Shoals, and the four at once began
firing. 1t was a case of the Lord being
on the side of the upright and Innocent
They all had got q shot in before thu
old man got ready for busipess. He pu'
his first bullet between one OF the
Texans two eyes, his second int<
another's shoulder, and by that time w
we're all pegging away. How on ea4't
fifty or sixty bullets could be fired O.
close range, and only n man killed ane
another wounded is a %conundrum fo1
mathematicians. The dead man fell II
a heap, Shoals was dismounted, ane
the other two got out of camp under
cover of the smoke, one of them certainly
hit in the shoulder. We pursued them
on foot for half a mile, and the wounded
one had hard work to keep his saddle.
Not a miner had been hurt. but nearly
a dozen of them had bullet holes
through hats and clothing, and a camp
kettle was struck no less than four times,
After dinner the men gathered, and
Shoals was put on trial. 1t had beer
necessal Y to bind him hand and foot,
and when he was brought out and laio
on the grass his fury rose to the highest
pitch. He cursed everybody and every
thing, and uttered threats that made
some of the men grow pale. When
asked if he did not know the penalty
attached to such conduct as his, he crieo
out
"I'll dare you to harm one hair Of
my head! You are q set of cowards-e
pack Of coyotes-a gang of white-faced
babies !"
It was our busy day, and we couldn't
fool away any time. A noosed rope wa
thrown over limb, the free end manned,
and when the moose had been passed
over the fellows head he was asked il
he wanted to leave any message for hlf
friends.
II want to tell you this" he Kissed,
as his snakish eyes looked from face te
face, "if you hang me my friends
will dig the heart out of every one of the
crowd |"
He might have gone off decently anc
perhaps added something original to the
literature of last words, but he refused
the chance. His feet were united ant
he was lifted up. There wasn'ta minute
between him and eternity, but yet hi
kicked right and left like a twin mule
and was cursing when pulled off his.feet