Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1882-12-27
A TRIAL IN LONELY GULCH.


The weird light of a campfire red
dened the sky and made still hlacker
the shadows of the rocks which threw
back the rays from their massive fronts,
and reflected the light over the forms
of a dozen miners who were gathered
round it.
The well-deserved name of Lonely
Gulch was applied TO the place, and the
proceedings which occupied the atten-
ton of the men that night seemed in
keeping with its character.
The country had been overrun with
desperadoes; camps had been robbed,
horses stolen. and occasionally man
murdered, until the law-abiding portion
of the population had determined to
execute summary vengeance upon
every marauder who should fall into
their hands.
That day, a youth, apparently not
more than eighteen years of age, had
been taken in the act of riding away on
a horse belonging to one of the compa-
n.y.. Only his youthful appearance saw
ed him from being shot down at once,
but the men who had captured him
brought him to camp to await the re-
turn of the whole party, when his fate
might be determined by the general
will.
He stood leaning against a tree to
which he had been tied, with his broad
brimmed hat slouched down, almost
concealing his features, while he lis
tened to the discussion which was of
so much Importance to him.
Some were in favor of giving him q
chance on account of his youth, but
they had suffered so much from lawless
desperadocs, that others were inclined
to execute him forthwith.
They were pretty evenly divided,
when one who had not vet spoken came
forward. His usual demeanor had
given him the cognomen of singular
Bill" He was stern and reserved,
never speaking of his own affairs, and
never joining in the amusements of his
comrades, but sitting quietly, during
the long evenings in which the others
whiled away the hours in games of
cards, as if brooding over some deep
wrong, which time had failed to efface
from his memory.
His comrades respected him in spite
of his peculiarities, for he never
wronged any man out of a dollar, and
had most strict and conscientious re-
gard for the rights of others. AS they
| expressed it, all his dealings were I" fair
and square, open and above board"
but this he claimed was only right, and
he demanded the same open-handed
dealing from every other man. 1t will
be readily understood that such man
had but little charity for evil-doers.
| His comrades knew nothing of his
former history, but the truth was that
in his early years he had married q
beautiful woman whom he had loved
with all the strength of his ardent ma
ture, and while he was as strong, true
and earnest as it is possible for q man
to be, she was weak, frivoulous and
unprincipled. Being unwilling to con-
form to his strict idea of right and
wrong, and perhaps finding an uncon.
genial companion in the man who would
not encourage her unwomanly conduct
she took advantage of his brief absence
upon business and fled from him, TAX
ing their only child, a boy of four years.
For while he had searched for her,
for his heart was bound up in the boy
but after the lapse of few weeks he
received letter purporting to come
from a physician in a distant city,
which stated that the child had died
from contagious disease, to which he
had been exposed through the mother,
carelessness.
The fathers spirit was completely
broken, and cursing not only the woman
who had brought this sorrow and trou
BILE upon him, but all others who
trampled upon the right, he left hi
native State aud tried to forget hi,
grief in the excitement of hunting gold
Taking a position where the light shont
full upon his stern, unyielding features
he said:
Comrades, claim that no mar
has any right TO do wrong. 1t is thi
evildoing, this following ones own in
clination, regardless of the sacred right,
of another, that blights mems lives anC
brings desolation to homes and firesides
"As long as wrong is allowed to q
unpublished, so long will people com
init acts which leave the hearts of thei
fellow-bengs scared and scathed will
wrongs that cannot be wiped out.
eff evil-doers were visited will
prompt and certain punishment, wrong
would not flourish and grow rich at tn,
expense of those who would scorn {,
trample upon single right Of thei
fellow-man. The world in general il
too willing to overlook crime, and offe
paltry excuses for deeds which ought :,
be visited with swift and awful ven
geance.
|
"Some Of you offer this boys you'll
in palliation of his offense. You nigh
as well urge the youth of an infan
viper. He is probably the son of SOM
villainous father, who has left the State
on account Of his crimes, and come
here to prowl around in search O
wealth which he is too lazy TO earn TO
himself. l regard il as case of in
herited dishonesty; of natural propen
stiles cropping out early; and II he
allowed to escape this time, he will
probably grow crafty with years ant
develop into desperate who may TAX
the life Of some of us rs reward O
the mistaken charity that spares him.