The Arkansaw traveler. (Little Rock, Ark.) 1882-1???, 1883-07-07
uNcoNsCloUsLY HUNG
4 Remarkable Western Execution a
Sheriff Wonderful Story

Sheriff s Won1erfaI Story.
the dismal ra.n beat against the 1n-
taws Of the courthouse. says tie New
York Star. and swep, IN sheets across the
all yard. Court MAS adjourned Tor tie
day. the clerks had gone home, aud
band OF officials gathered IN The grand
Jury room tor hall hour II cha. Hu;
the flow of conversation was less Tree and
lovial than common. Apparently the
depressing aspec: of things without had
affected the spirits OF the county mag
mates. The usually smiling face OF the
sheriff wore a sad expression. and the
lolly surrogate ga1ed moarntuiiy ont
upon the cherries, muddy street. Upon
the benign visage OF the county judge
was melancholy look. as II in his Off
cial capacity he had sentenced himself
as private individual TO suffer the
extreme penalty of the law Tiled back
in big armchair. the foreman et the
grand Jury thoughtfully cleaned his
finger nails. y long silence WAS broken
by the sheriff, who observed. as 4 sudden
gust OF wind dashed The rain noisily
against the glass:
What a day for hanging
"Wretched = returned the surrogate.
careiessly turning the leaves of The Penal
Code. Il wouldn', be hanged en- / day
ike this for aly consideration.
a fellow would catch his death OF
eold." pu, in the foreman OF tie grand
,ary. What put the subject OF hang
M in your head. sheriff
oh. vas lIsi thinking 81 a poor fel-
low who eAplaied murder N lo~a ten
years ago on iust saeh u day - this.
Another of your western yarns. eh.
sheriff. sad the surrogate. With yawn.
Why will man always dfaw long
bow when he els whai happened 70 hIm
out ives,
This is gospel ruth re,osted the
sheriff, quickly. and its nothing that
happened to me, or should not be here
to tell it. Moreover, Nh Surrogate.
never eNasgerate
On. no was the >afcas.ie releinGer
Never mind HIM. said Tie foreman
Of the grand Jury, '.so on ~.'h yon
story
The sheriff seated hln,sei on !, green
covered table and began
Well. as sad. this happened ten
years ago. way out in Iowa. y fellow
killed his broiher-in-law and WAS SELL
fenced 10 death. The hanging was
public. the galiows being erected on the
open prairie Little distance behind the
all. was sworn in As a special deputy
Holy Moses. how i, did rain on that day
The water came down in chunks with
sufficient force 20 tear an umbrella 10
,atters in fifteen minutes.
sheriff. sheuii muImuTed the county
Judge in tone OF gentle repFoarh.
"Oh, it's fact The condemned man
was carried tn the place ii execution IN
an open cart. Another Gepc.y and /
rode with hun. \ hanging was too rare
a treatto be missed by people out there
no matter what the weather WAS. 9higcf-
ing and wet, large crowd stood n The
coarse, saturated grass about the sCa.elq
Ne placed our man under the cross-pe e
and fastened the rope about has net.,
Everything was ready except he las;
prayer and letting the trap fall. The
sheriff asked the prisoner il he had any
thing TO say. Yes. said the man. He
made long speech, declaring his inno-
cence, abusing the Judge and thai son
Of thing. Suddenly he stopped IN the
middle OF a sentence. All this time. you
must remember. the rain Was falling in
eataraets. Seeing tho doomed man
silent, the sheriff tipped a wink % the
clergyman. who. being baptist, did no;
mind the rain. The reverend gentleman
began to pray. We all bent our heads
although no one was pious enough 70
take his hat Oft lust as brother hard
hell was winding up his petition. we
heard cry OF astonishmen; from the
crowd. looked up. and VIA, dc you
think saw,
The prisoner escaping asked the
surrogate.
No. sir. he was hanging tao feet
.iom the platform.
What cried the sheriff auditors.
together
1t is fact. Gentlemen. The ram had
shrunk the rope enough 70 hang our
man for US.
For moment the silence Of the room
was broken only by the ticking al the
clock and the rattle n the ralndrops
agains, the panes. The foreman OF The
lay drew long breath ana sad
Sheriff, 4 man Of your amEagal allea
should write unsolicited Testimonials fot
pa;en; medicine.
.'Tha. IS certainly a remarkable story
said the county Judge. " but ! know one
at least equally strange
That's right Judge replied The sur
rogate. Never let il Ne SAID that AIRY
man IN the county can ogtlie you. Let's
hear your tale
The scene Of my story IS also located
IN the great west.
..0f course" said the surrogate.
You may never have heard Of san
taeinto canon. in Colorado. It's rocky
walls are almost perpendicular and are