River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1878-01-03
HOW JOE WEAKENED.


Little Rear-Paw Mountain which catches
great fleod of sunshine at MONDAY.
sixty strong and sturdy men were dig
ging into the base of the black topped
mountain in search of silver
We were not in luck, ahd, though each
man was gloomy and discouraged there
was no excuse foi murder. We had band
ed together to share alike, and if fortune
smiled on one, all would receive bene-
fits.
One night, when the days toll of fifty
seven 1nen yielded an estimate of only Sc,
the misars 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
a determination to strike for some other
locality if the next days work should ex-
hibit like barren RESULTS.
At midnight there was great outcrg.
1t was not an Indian attack, as each timer
anticipated wheh he fashed out, but g hor-
rible intruder had been committed, and
the murderer captured by one of the SEN
tines. A miner named Joseph Swain,
but hardly known in camp by any other
name than ''Joe," occupied . tent II com
pany with an cid tnth named Arneld
The two we're ON good terms, but while
Arnold had about $500 in gold coin ac-
quired il other speculations, Swain hadn' t
a dollar outside the common fund. The
gold was buried in the earth under the
bed in which the two slept and Swain
could not get at it at night without arous
ing his companion Had he sectred it
during the day and made off he would
have beeh overhauled very quickly, and
his punishment nothing less than hanging
It could be no more if he added murder
to the robbery, and that night, when we
all felt so bitterly towards 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 get
ting away with the gold when halted, and
though he made sharp fight for liberty
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
impulse or heat of passion. Indeed he
was not the one to seek to avoid conse-
quences. He made statement to the
effect that he had deliberately mur-
dered and robbed the good old man, and
added:
Nov, boys, there's no use in great
fuss over this matter. Put guard over
me, and the rest of you go back to your
sleep. You'll hang me, or nour8e, and
when mornihs euines Shall have a re-
duest 70 make. | shan't try to get away,
and I'm not going to play the baby when
the last hour comes.
Joe Swain was known among us as a
game man. He had fought Mexicans,
traiIed Indians and killed thfee or four
white ruffian- who had made themselves
terror to certain localities. Armed
with his bowie knife, he would have
been a match for any four Of us, and it
was owing to his presence more than that
of any one else that our village was not
troubled with the fotghs and gamblers
who attached themselves to other can ps
like leeches.
Murder was crime that could not be
palliated in a mining camp. Had it
been anything else,a majority Of the men
would have been in favor of letting Joe
Jump the diggihgs anti 90 uhpdnished
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 hardened
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 over this
thing l killed the old man, and it is
your duty to swing me up to a limb. /
knew what was Up 10, and knew I'd
Have TO stretch a rope if | couldn't get
away. don't deserve kind word and
| shan't look for any sympathy The re-
quest want to make is that you won't
hang me till sunset. I know it's bad to
have one Of these affairs hanging around
camp ell dey, but yet 1t won't make
no great difference to you as long as you're
working for almost nothing Now, then,
all in favor of waiting till sunset to hang
me, say aver
"Ayc" shouted every man around
him.
sThose opposed will say nor
Not voice was heard.
"The ayes have it, and ain to be hung
at sundown,n continued Joe. II want to
write half a 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 hands
of the Indians. and was to be burned at
the stake at shutdown, every miner would
have wagered his outfit that Swain would
have died game. In this case, where he
was to meet disgraeeful death at the
hands of men who had worked and fought
beside him for months, most of the miners
thought he'd take the moose without
muscle, but there were two or three who
said:
"He's brave man, but when he takes
his last look around he will weaken"
But before the day was four hours old
there was strange wager between two of
our men. 1t was rifle against rifle that
Joe Swain would show wcman's heart
before he swung off.
The doomed man was left to himself all
day long. A strong guard was placed
around his tent, but no one entered ii to
interrupt the work of his last hours. The
corpse Of his victim was buried at the
foot of the lone tree on which Jones was
to swing, and as the six men carrying the
BODY passed near his tent The murderer
came out and stood with uncovered head
to how his respect for the dead. He
wro five letters. drew up Il brief will.
ate full meal about mid afternoon, and
half an hour before shutdown he was
ready. Before starting for the tree be
said 'sAfter / am gone you will find
my will. The letters in there are to be
forwarded as seen as convenient, This is