The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-11-07

How a Noted Locality Got IT'S rama.
Incident OF Early COLORADO rae. =

country "uo as one tlme flkes Peak Oy
bust became the cry of a large numba,
of restless spirits in the East. Tbs
beautiful country known as the Divide
neal the head waters of Cherry and
other creeks, was all this time the Ma.
ca of gold seekers from all parts, until
from an uninhabited frontier il becama
the center of a large population, all on.
gagged in the n calling Of wash.
ing out the auriferous sands. How
much was ever rocked, PANIED or sluiced
out in those days was never absolntelv
ascertained, but the amount must haye
been very large. On one of the richest
tributaries of Cherry Greek a lsrca
population had settled, and every hun.
dred yards or so might be seen men
digging, sluicing, panning, working a.
if their very lives depended upon n
Among them were two men or partners.
named Jack Holt and Bill Flemminc,
whose luck was exceptional. None in the
camp could show as many colors to the
pan or find as many nuggets as they.
Notwithstanding the high cost of living
it was currently believed that they had
quite a snug hoard of glittering gold
stored in their cabin near the forks by
the cottonwoods. Although partnerss
they were known to have fierce quarres
at times, and passers by on the trail in
the vicinity of their cabin frequently
heard the sound of oaths and sometimes
of blows. One day Flemming was seen
at work alone, a thing which was never
known to have occurred before. Always
surly and disagreeable in his manner he
was now worse than ever, and to the
questions put to him as to where Holt
was, grufly and briefly replied that he
had pulled stakes and gone to his home
in Georgia. Nothing more was thought
ofthe matter for some time, until one day
q letter was brought to q miner in the
camp who had lived in the same town
from which Holt had leone. The letter
was from the sister of the latter, ex.
pressing great anxiety at his long ST.
.ence, and also fears of foul play. This
was shown to a number In the camp,
and q few of the most self-asserting and
leading miners held a meeting in pri-
vate and resolved to take advantage af
the first opportunity and make a thor
ough search of Flemming's cabin. This
occurred on the very next day, and .
party of ten determined men proceeded
TO the "forks" early the following morn
ing, and, entering Flemming's abode,
made a thorough search OF its one little
room without discovering anything diff
ferent from what is usually seen in such
imprompu dwellings. Just as they
were passing oyer the threshold, how
ever, one of them tripped slightly over
some ~nevenes in the rough floor, and
casting his eyes down, saw what looked
like a spot of blood, Quickly calling
the attention of the rest of the party
to his discovery, q more thorough
search was made and it was ascertalned
that the floor had recently been re-
moved. A few OF the boards were
quickly torn up and the earth had the
appearance of having been recently
disturbed. Shovels were aJ once put
in reauisition. and in q few moments the
partially decomposed corpse OF 'ask
Holt was revealed. Trimmings guilt
was at once apparent. The party PRO-
ceeded to the place where he was work
ing, and covering him with their Colts,
with which indispensable weapon eacn
was provided, he was made prisoner ana
taken to a grove known a the big
Pines.
The trial, as was characteristics OF such
affairs, was very short, but under all
, the circumstances undoubtedly fair'
and, at It's conclusion Tom Woman,
, who was made Judge, both by reason O
his being the most powerful man, phys,
ically, in the camp and that he hao
, been ~apprenticed to an attorney wneu
! a youth, but had run away after tws
! weeks OF Blackstone and come West
addressed the prisoner in these terms
Bill Flemming, you've been tried Dy
court of your equals and pards. In
, law and the evidence prove you to p
guilty of having killed your pard an'
: thrown your pay of lifeinto the taliingss
: If you have anything to say, now Is Tn
/ time to open your sluice gates" flem
ming, however, maintained q stubborn .
i ience. But a few minutes elasped .
. he was sentenced to be hanged by III
neck until dead, and the sentence wa
at once executed. He was taken snof
distance down the small gulch, wner
q tall pine reached its lower limb Tx
arms across the stream, when wiiiin
q hands quickly fastened q rope aroun
bis neck, the other end of which W
thrown around one Of the branches
Q and Bill Flemmings was launched INT
eternity. The gluch has ever sine
been known as "Hangman's Gulcn
:, Strange to say, the upper branches
|, this tree, in accordance with the pop1
:. lar legend Of those on which q ma
: has been hanged, are complete'
e withered and decayed on the side
= the fatal limb. Denver (Col.) Tribun