Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1878-01-16
HOW JOE WEAKENED.
AY NJ. QUAD.

In tnaC great horseshoe bend OF the
Little Bear-Paw Mountain, which
catches a great flood of sunshine at
MONDAY, we had a village. Sixty strong
and sturdy men were digging into the
base Of the black-topped mountain in
search of silver
We were not in luck, and though
each man was gloomy and discouraged,
there was no excuse for murder. We
had banded together to share and share
alike, and if fortune smiled on one, all
would receive benefits.
One night, when the days toll of fifty
seven men yielded an estimate of only
six dollars, the miners cursed and swore,
and felt like striking each other We
were short Of provisions, new tools were
needed, and the men turned in for the
night with determination to strike for
some other locality if the next days
work should exhibit like barren results.
At midnight there was great outcry.
1t was not an Indian attack, as each
miner anticipated when he rushed out.
but horrible murder had been COM
mitted, and the murderer captured by
one Of the sentinels. A miner named
camp by any other name than "Joe,"
occupied a tent in company with an old
man named Arnold. The two men
were on good terms, but while Arnold
had about three hundred dollars in gold
coin, acquired in other speculations,
Swain hadn't dollar outside of the
common fund. The gold was buried
in the earth under the bed on which the
two slept, and Swain could not get it by
night without arousing his companion.
Had he secured it during the day and
made off, he would have been overhaul
ed very quickly, and his punishment
nothing less than hanging. 1t could be
no more if he added murder to the rob-
berry; and that night, when we all felt
SO bitter against luck, and when partners
felt so much like striking each other,
Joe Swain murdered the man who had
done the most for him. He was getting
away with the gold when halted, and,
though he madea sharp fight for lib
erty, he was tied hand and foot within
five minutes after the first alarm.
Arnold was dead, stabbed in three or
four places, and the gold was found in
JOe's belt. There was no show for the
murderer. He could not even plead
the impulse of heat of passion. Indeed,
he was not the one to seek to avoid con-
sequences. He made statement to the
effect that he had deliberately murdered
dsa robbed the good old man. and
added:
"Now, boys, there's no use in great
fuss over this matter. Put u guard over
me, and the rest Of you 20 back to your
sleep. You'll hang me of course, and
when morning comes shall have re-
quest to make. shan't try to get away,
and Pm not going to play the baby when
the last hour comes"
Joe Swain was known among us as n
game man. He had fought Mexicans,
trailed Indians, and killed three or four
white ruffians who had made them
selves terror to certain localities.
Armed with his bowie-knife, he would
have been match for any four of us;
and it was owing to his presence, moro
than that Of any one else, that our vii
lage was not troubled with the roughs
and gamblers who attached themselves
to other camps like teaches.
Murder was crime that could not
be palliated in a mining camp. Had it
been any thing else, majority Of the
men would have been in favor of letting
Joe jump the diggings and 60 unpun-
ished. But when they looked in on the
white-faced and blood-stained corpse of
the good old man who had been like
father to all of them, each heart hard
ened against the murderer, and each
man said to the other:
"Joe Swain must hang for this !"
There was no need of trial. When
he was brought out after breakfast, he
said:
"Boys. | don't want any fuss o;er this
thing. killed the old man, and it is
your duty to swing me up to limb. l
knew what l was up to, and knew I'd
have to stretch rope if l couldn't get
away. l don't deserve Il kind word, and
l shan't look for any sympathy. The
request | want to make is that you
won't hang me till sunset. | know it's
bad to have one of these affairs hang
ing around camp all day, but yet it
won't make no great difference to you,
rs long rs you are working for almost
nothing. Now, then, all in favor Of
waiting till sunset to hang me say
"Aye"
Aye shouted every man around
him.
"Those opposed will say "No!"
| Not voice was heard.
"The ayes have it, and | am to be
hung at sundown," continued Joe. Il