Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1880-02-12
A BANG.UP TRAMP.
Cut DOyu While Hanging Himself. and
Then RObbing a Farmer.
New York Herald


"Ithink [ know that chap" said ;
| tall, rustic sort of native, as he leaned
against telegraph post at the High
| bridge Station on the Central railroad
of New Jersey yesterday evening, re
feTrlng to a man who was found hang
ing to a tree last Monday near the
village, and was cut down by a passer
by in time for him to recover and prove
the liveliest kind of would-be suicide
Il think sure it was Sam Cottrill the
peddler, the darndest, queerest cuss
that ever lived. He was a peddler or q
tramp according as the Fit took him, an
he could get outside more jersey
llghtnln' than any ten men. Winter is
g bad time for tramps and peddlers, an
L suppose he was down in the mouth
an thought soorcide the best thing be
could do. He was up our way last fall
an was found in Uncle Rob Williams
barn one mornin' under a load O corn
shucks, an two empty bottles of bay
rum beside him. He stole the rum
out of BARRIERS shop in the village, an
he come near Almost KILN himself.
Uncle Rob braced him up, but the
darned rascal cleaned all the women's
fxins off the clothes-line back O. the
house and akedaddled. You bet Uncle
Rob was jist crazy enough to bite
through buckwheat griddle. He sold
me once some stuff to brighten up a
piece o fancy harness, an it turned it
as black as coal, an I swore I'd lay
for him after that, an now list feel
bilin' mad to think Bill Sutphen went
an cut the teller down when he was
all as good as hanged and done for.'
A TRAMP WITH NO GRATITUDE IN HIS SOUL.
"Where did he hang himself?"
Fright yonder there down by the
turn in the road where the clump O.
naples is. Bill Sutphen was comm
along, thinkin' O. nothin', when he spies
the cuss swingin' by the neck, and hol-
lers out to him, What in thunder are
you doin',, an of course receives no
answer, cos the feller was chokin', and
had no use for his tongue, SO Bill whips
out his knife an cuts him down. He
hadn't far to fall, and didn't hurt him
self. Bill axed him if he was dead or
| alive, an the fellow opens his eyes an
says, sassy as you pleased, Dog gone
it; couldn't you let man alone l.? an
maxim wipe with the back Of his
hand at Bill. jumped on his feet an
was OFT like q shot out of a gun. He
made bee line for mill-pond near
away, pose to do the soorcide biz
ness over ag'n in another style, but
there wa'n't much water there-it
want more nor knee high, an [ guess
the cuss didn't feel disappointed. He
jist crossed over an set down awhile on
"a hpr Of 10
phen stopped to look at linn. an said
he came Almost dyin' with the laughin',
for the Teller had piece of the rope
still round his neck, and he was as
blue III the face as an indigo rag"
"Was he a young or an old manW
"Well, you couldn't easy tell. He
was one of these small, weazel-faced
chaps, with as many wrinkles in his
jaw as in the leg of an old boot, an yet
he could skip around an clipper like
q young lad. He'd ha' been smart eff
he KEEP from rum, and people says as
how his father was an itinerant Metho-
dist preacher, but he had an ALFRED
kiyoodle for son.
MARVELLOUS VITALITY OF A SUICIDE.
"What became of him after he cross
ed the pond?"
"Well, it appears he jist sloped away
down by the fence of Ike Conover's
farm, an when it was gittin' putty dusk
lsh he crossed over into the barn and
stole lke's horse an wagon, hitched 'em
up an scooted at q regular $40 gait
down the road. He got away ten miles
an then he must have turned to an
yanked the horse an wagon into the
ditch. for they was found there next
morln,' hut there was no tracks O
his'n."
HAS anything been heard of him
since?'
"Nary a word. The rum is out O.
him now, an he amt agoin' to hang
himself, you bet, till he is well loaded
up again. The fellar sings well an
takes down all the tramps in owdacity.
You should ahear mis- chin music When
he gifts astarted, an you give him lots
O apple jack; then he can 90 all day
long like hand-organ. | wish I'd
been around when he was ahangin' to
that ere tree and I'd ha' seen him make |
square meal for flock ofturkey-buz-
yards afore I'd ha' cut him down."
care there many tramps or ped |
dlers like this Sam Cottrell in the neigh
borhood?'
"No. I don't believe there's the
likes O. him nowheres. He's been
eaten up by dogs, run over
by freight train, dubbed |
with s. fence rail, an he pears
still to have as many lives as tom-cat. |
He don't do nothin' heavy in the steal
in line an I oIleSs he don't stool until |
he's hard up, an he must ha' been in
fernal hard UP when he hung himself;
but he was as full O. tricks as North
Carolina raccoon, an I'll bet a ten-cent
piece agin pint O. peanuts that he
hung himself purpose, just as he seen
Bill Sutphen acomin' along the road, so
he might tell the story round 'mong
the far.lers."
SIMPLE FACTS OF THE CASE.
The natives who stood listening to
this sketch of Cottrell, the tramp, felt |
that he was the person who was
found hanging to a tree last Monday, |
near the village of Highbridge, and was
cut down in time to save his life. 1t
was at dusk, when man named Will |
liam Sutphen, walking along the road,
saw human form dangling from the
limb of maple tree and kicking vigor-
ously. He promptly pulled out a knife,
cut the rope, and the would-be suicide
tell to the ground, but in q few minutes,
recovered himself and made dash for
a mill pond near at hand, as if to repeat
his attempt at self-destruction. This
was quite shallow, and he waded
1t, and subsequently,, in ali the