San Marcos free press. [volume] (San Marcos, Tex.) 1877-1892, 1882-03-09

| carry III unuer your cniH' ~ wan
behind You and rest this gun'barrel on
your shoulder, printing forward-so.
Keep Your lantern well up, SOS can
see things ahead OF you good. I'm 60
ing 10 march in on Noakes--and take
him-and jug the other chaps. II you
| hinch--well you know me.
SAY, ay, sir" -,
In this order they fled aboard softly,
arrived at Noakes' den, the quartermas'
ter pushed the door open, and the Ian
tern revealed the three desperadoes
sitting on the floor. Capt Ned said;
I'm Ned Blakely. I've got You I'M
der fire. Don't you move without or.
ders-any Of you. You two kneel
down in the corner; faces to the wall
now. Bill Noakes, put these handouts
IN; now come up close. Quartermas'
ter, fasten 'em. All right. Don't stir,
sir. Quartermaster, put the key in the
outside of the door. Now, men. I'm
going to lock you two in; and if you
try to bust through this door--well,
you've heard of me. Bill Noakes, fall
In ahead and march. All set. Quar-
termaster, lock the door,"
Noakes spent the night on board
Blakely's ship, prisoner under strict
guard. Early in the morning Capt.
Ned called in all the sea captains il the
harbor and invited them, with nautical
ceremony, to be present on board his
ship at nine o'clock to witness the
hanging of Noakes at the yard-arm.
what? The man has not been
tried!"
"Of course he hasn't. But didn't he
kill the nigger?"
Certainly he did; but you are not
thinking Of hanging him without
trial2"
"Triau What do I want to try him
for, if he killed the nigger?"
"Oh, Capt. Ned, this will never do.
Think how it will sound"
Sound be hanged Didn't he Kill
the qaigger?"
Certainly, certainly, Capt. Ned-no-
body denies that-but-"
"Then I'm going to hang him, that's
all. Everybody I've talked to talks
just the same way you do. Everybody
says he. killed the niger. everybody
knows he killed the niger, and yet
every lubber of you wants him h'1ed
for it. L don't understand such bloody
foolishness as that. Tried! Mind you,
/ don't object to trying him, if it's got
to be done to give satisfaction; and LII
be there, and chip in and help, too;
but put it off till the afternoon put it
off till afternoon, for I'll have my hands
middling full until after the burying-"
why, what do you mean: Are you
going to hang him, any hOao and try |
him afterward?"'
Didn't 1 sag ] was going to hang
him? never saw such people as you.
What's the difference? You ask favor
and then you amt satisfied when you
get it. Before or alters all one-you |
know how the trial will go. He lslled
the niger. Say must be going. Ii
your mate would like to come to the
hanging, fetch him along. L like him"
There was stir in the camp. The
captains came in a body and pleaded
with Capt. Ned not to do this rash
thing. They promised that they would
create court composed OF captains of
the best character; they would en-
panel jury; they would conduct ev-
erything in way becoming the serious
nature of the business in hand, and
give the case an impartial hearing and
the accused fair trial. And they said
it would be murder, and punishable by
the American courts if he persisted in
hanging the accused on his ship. They
pleaded hard. Capt. Ned said:
Gentlemen, I'm not stubborn and
I'm not unreasonable. I'm always
willing to do just as near right as can.
How long will it take2"
Probably only little"
"And can I take him up the shore
and hang him as soon as you are done?"
IF he is proven guilty, he will be
hanged without unnecessary delay"
"If he is proven guilty! Great Nep-
tune, amt he guilty. That beats nay
time. Why, you all knonc he's guilty"
But at last they satisfied him that
they were projecting nothing under
handed. Then he said:
"Well, all right. You go on and try
him and I'll go down and overhaul his
and prepare him to go-like
enough he needs it. and l don't want
to send him off withouta show for here
after"
This was another obstacle. They
finally convinced him that it was neces-
,ary to have the accused in court. Then
they said they would send a guard to
bring him.
NO, sir, I prefer to fetch him myself
he don't get out of my hands. Be-
sides, I've got to go to the ship to get
rope, anyway"
The court assembled with due cere-
nony, empaneled jury, and presently
Capt. Ned entered, leading the prisoner
.-;Il, n.,n hand and carving q Bible and