The Elk Mountain pilot., 1880-08-05
TEE FATE OF A MULE THIEF.
lie is Caught with IN Animal that vas
No! Bil Own fer With he Stretches
E.lp il o-Bs-!s;yfal Bsia.

A bra Icn-faced tramp few days
since stopped at tent in the upper
part OF town, where a lady was en-
gagged IN cooking dinner, and seating
himself, very cody said he must have
his dinner there, No reply was made,
but when dinner was ready he helped
himself to everything in sight, eating
enough to satisfy a half -iamished
Arab. The description of the man
answers 10 the one who was hung in
the O,-Be-Joyful basin, three miles
from town, on last Saturday night.
The fellow was caught making way
with a valuable mule, when he was
opportunely discovered by the owner,
who demanded the surrender of his
property. The thief resisted, and
while refusing to give the animal up,
inflicted severe blow on the owner
and would have made his escape but
for the timely assistance Of other
miners. When interrogated as to his
purpose he said he had walked long
enough and had helped himself to a
mule to ride; would be damned if he
would walk out of the country when
he could get something to ride.
He was taken prisoner and the
miners association of that basin,
composed of fifty or more reputable
gentlemen, placed him under the
guard of Mr.. James Lewis and Others
at the camp in tina, basin Of Col. ].
D. Elliott, with orders to remove him
the next morning to this city for
trial before the civil authorities. In
the colloquy that followed he asked to
know by what authority he was held a
prisoner, when one of the men told
him that Mr.. Lewis was chairman of
the miners association of that basin,
which had been formed for mutual
protection, and that they had decided
to take him prisoner and send him to
this city for trial. He said if he was
fixed he did not know whether they
would guard him or not, and used
other offensive language. Lewis told
him if he was in Ruby he would not
talk that way, to which he replied:
II guess there is hobody's daddy
over there"
That night a party Of twelve or
fifteen men with their persuasive
Winchesters presented to the guard,
ordering them to hold up their hands,
took him from their custody, carried
him off and hung him until he was
dead, leaving four of their number re-
quiring the guard to continue hold:
ing up their hands until the others re-
turned and reported everything all
right. He persistently refused to
give his name Or place of residence to
the guard, returning impertinent re-
plies to every question prcpounded to
him. He was, apparently, twenty.
eight or twenty-nine years of age;
about four feet eleven inches high,
weighing about 1So pounds, short
hair, grayish eyes, whiskers and nous
tache; was dressed in pants of Cali
fornia goods and dark ragged coat,
SLOUGH hat, had no blankets and wore
an old empty pistol and butcher
knife:
We have no justification for mob
law, but there is class of villains in
the country who are not deferred by
anything short Of these summary pun
ishrnents from prosecuting their ne
farious crimes. 1t is gravely to be
feared that the murderer Of two men,
now in the hands of the civil authori-
ties at Gunnison, may 60 unwhipped
Of public justice from outside in
fuence brought to bear in his behalf.
Had he been in the hands of the Wig
ilants of the O, -Be-Joyful he would,
from the testimony elected, certainly
have stretched hemp before the
mockery of a trial in the courts had
transpired.
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