The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1881-06-16
An Episode Of Border Life.

"WAKE up, Ramseyr' called out a
companion of mine one morning at an
early hour; ''wake up or you will miss |
the lynching." l had gone to bed at
an early hour, tired and sleepy, and had |
heard nothing of the murder which had
been committed during the night.
"Hullol Jim, is that you?" said l.
"When does the thing take place?''
Pretty quick now," answered my
friend.
So hurriedly donning my clothes |
zauntered out and found my "bunkv''
waiting at the door of the shantv. We
walked up street a short distance, and
finding a crowd of rough-looking miners
around the door of gambling hell, we
pushed through and entered the saloon,
where we found a Coroner's jury i'm
paneled and about to begin their in
vestigation. Two tables, used for deal
ing faro had been pushed together, and
on them was stretched the dead body of
a police officer. had known him well.
He was a splendid specimen of man.
hood, fully six feet six inches in height,
and built in proportion. a quiet, inof-
fensive citizen, but thoroughly good
officer On the top of the body lay a
coil of half-inch rope, neatly rolled up,
| with hangman's moose at one end. AS
we entered the Coroner called the first
| witness, who, having been sworn, stated
| that ION the evening previous he had
| been in the gambling saloon of Jim
| Beggs, where two fellows were playing
cards. During the game they quar-
relied about something, and both got up
| from the table and entered the bar
room, where they both drank, and
| again began to wrangle about the bets.
| They made considerable noise. and in
! the midst of it the officer came in and
| quietly said: Boys, less noise; this must
be stopped He had no sooner said
this than one of the gamblers jerked out
his gun and shot the officer through
the heart" The witness had proceed
ed thus far, when strapping big fell
low, clad in red flannel shirt and with
pantaloons stuck into his bootlegs, a
broad -brimmed hat half hiding his dark
eyes, quietly walked up to the dead
body, and taking hold of the coil of
rope, said: boys. that's enough: come
on" pushing his way out through the
crowd, followed by fifteen or twenty of
his companions. Without word they
walked down to the COOLER" where
the prisoner had been incarcerated, and
coming up to the six men on guard,
demanded the keys. They told them
that the keys were not in their posses
sion.
"Hold up your hands, them cried
the leader; "let's examine you.'
The guards held up their hands and
quietly submitted to the examination.
The lynchers, finding that the keys
were not in their possession, went to q
woodpile, and, picking up an AK speed
lily demolished the door. The leader
then entered the room, and in a few
minutes came out with one end of the
rope over his shoulder, and at the other
end was the murderer, the moose tightly
) around his neck l had taken my stand
: on the opposite side of the street, and
could plainly see the poor devil as he
came out. He was richly clad, large
diamond stud glistened on his shirt
front, on the little finger of his
left hand was large solitaire,
and a heavy gold watch chain
dangled from his vest pocket. His
, countenance did not betoken fear; in
fact, to look at the man one would
have thought the whole performance
was but joke. After reaching the
street the crowd seized hold of the rope
and led the victim down to an old
q building, where beam jutted over the
sidewalk. When they reached this
point one of the number climbed out
= over the beam, and the end of the rope
was thrown to him. After pulling the
E slack up he slowly let it down
on the other side, and then
leaned his elbows down on the
! beam, and took deliberate look at the
r crowd below. The leader of the COM
mittee then approached the gambler
and said: ''Well, Jim, yer times short;
want to say anything?"
Jim replied, and said: "Now, look
3 here, can't you jist as well put few
bullets through me; what's the differ
ence? I've got 81 900 in my pockets,
and you can divide the whole thing
among you if you don't hang. Will
you do it?''
: "Not by a blamed sight" said the
leader. 'tYou murdereda good man,
d and you've got to swing for it.''
"Well," said Jim, s.go on; suppose
1 must swing; this is the third man pve
put away, SO 1 suppose my times up
r He had no sooner said the words thar
y the rope was quickly pulled up, and
= Jim was dangling in ahorrible manner
h His hands not being tied. he reached
= = up over his head and grasped the rope
: and thus released the strangulation.
''That won't do, JIM" cried the
r leader, and they let the dangling vic
= tim down again and speedily tied hi:
hands behind him, and again elevated
{ him, where he hung for nearly an hour
IS After it was ascertained that their vic
o tim was dead, the "committee'' sen
for photographer, and had a photo
4 graph taken of the entire ''gang." Ii
the foreground the committee could b.
II seen-every face easily recognized
= while just behind them was the dang
ling dead man, his diamonds and jewel
Il ry shining in the early morning sun
and above him sat the assistant hang
man, evidently proud of his station
The entire proceedings were as quiet a
l. could possibly be; not word or shou
e could be heard The companion of tn
% murderer was given six hours time t.
get out of town, and was met some tw,
N miles away by some of his friends, VIII,
re asked him where he was going.
le "Oh, the boys gave me six hours t.
get out of town." said he, land | al
now five hours ahead of time"
This was my first initiation into West
ern life. Pittsburgh Post
ID Odd Sayings OF Children.
- NOTIFIED (taoohiOO n oirI Of foI1r II a