The Democratic press. [volume] (Ravenna, O. [Ohio]) 1868-1901, 1878-01-17
How Joe Weakened.

rs ~ i-lt "a slr .t.
HIS Last GLANCE AT THE GRAS.
sisYa PRA1RIE, THE SUN. THE
BIWDs. AND ANTELOPES.
Detroit Free Press ffe H.a .1s-g
,D In that great horseshoe bend of the
Little Bear-Paw Mountain which
catches great flood Of sunshine al
MONDAY. sixty strong and sturdy men
were digging into the base of the
black top mountain in search Of Sill
yer.
We were not in luck, and, though
each man was gloomy and discour-
aged, 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. ii
One night, when the days toll OF
fitty-seven men yielded an estimate of
only Sc, 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 the determination
to strike for some other locality if the
next days work should exhibit like
barren results.
At midnight there was great out
! cry. 1t was not an Indian attack, As
each miner anticipated when he rush
ed out, but horrible murder had been
committed, and the murderer captured
by one of the ssentinels. A miner
named Joseph Swain, but hardly
known in camp by any other name
than Joe,' occupied tent in compa.
ny with an old man named Arnold.
The two were on good terms, but
while Arnold had about $500 in gold
coin, acquired In other speculations,
Swain hadn't dollar outside Of the
general fund. The gold was buried
in the earth under the bed on which
the two slept, and Swain could not get
At it by night without arousing his
companion. Had he secured it by day
and made of he would have been over.
hauled very quickly, and his punish
ment nothing less than hanging. 1t
could be no more if he added murder
to the robbery, and that night, when
we all felt SO bitter against luck, and
when partners felt 80 much like strik
ing each other, Joe S vain murdered
the man who had done the most for
him. He was getting away with the
gold when halted, and though he made
sharp fight for liberty, he was tied
hand aud feet within five minutes after
the fret 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 impulse or heat of passion. In
deed, he was not the one to seek to
avoid consequences. He made state
mentito the effect that he had deliber-
ately murdered and robbed the good
old man, and added:
sNow, boys, there's no use in great
fuss over this matter. Put a guard
over me, and the rest of you go back
to your sleep. You'll hang me, OF
con, sc, aud when morning COM 8 l
shall have q request to make. Ishant
try to get away, and I'm not going to
play baby when the last hour comes
Joe Swain was known am ong US as
q game man. He fought MeXicans,
trailed Indians, and killed three or
four white ruffians who had made
tn emselves terror to certain localities
Armed with his bowie-knite, he ~ vould
have been a match for any fOurpf U.S.,
aud it was owing to his presence more
than any one else, that our village was
not troubled with the roughs aud gam
blers who attached themselves to 9TH
er camps like leeches.
Murder was q crime that could not
be paliated in mining camp. Had it
been anything else q majority of the
men would have been in favor of let
ting Joe jump the diggings and 90 un-
punished. But when they looked in
on the white.faced and blood stained
c ,rpse of the good old man who had
been like a father to all of them, each
heart hardened against the murderer,
and each man said to the other:
Joe Swain must hang for this!'
There was no need OF q trial. When
he was brought out after breakfast, he
said: a ie-n I-
2 Boys. don't want any fuss over
this thing. killed the old man, and
it is your duty to swing me up to q
limb. l knew what l was up to, and
knew I'D have to stretch a rope if l
couldn't get away. don't deserve a
kind word, and shan't look for any
sympathy. The request l want to
make is that you won't hang me till
saaset. 1 know it's bad to. have one
Of these affairs hanging around camp
alf day, but yet it won't make no great
difference to you as long as you are
working for almost nothing. Now,
then. all in favor Of waiting till sun
set to hang me. say ayep VIZ
'Ayer shouted every man around
him. sif1 i
Those opposed will say nor saa
Not q voice was heard. e.s1
'The ayes have it, and am to be
hung at sundown,' continued Joe. l
want to write half dozen letters, sleep
for two or three hours, and hope
you won't crowd in on me. Select
your tree, get your rope ready, and
when the time comes I'll be on hand.
If Joe had been a captive in the
ha nds of the Indians, and was to be
!, of ho To cnnIovu,, ouorv