Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1884-09-26


reigned that evening when Nutter
opened the door where the seven
armed men sat around the supper
table, and charged them with ithe
theft. In an instant hands moved to
the revoiyers by TIE sides, shrill
whistle by the Sheriff checked them,
and when twenty brave men armed
like themselves came through that
door and stood around them they sur
rendered. The excitement was in
tense.
Ex-Judge Russell, of Oregon, was
there at the time, and as declined to
take the responsibility in the presence
of one skilled in law, he took the
bench. A court was organized, jury
lmpaneled, prosecuting attorney and
prisoners counsel appointed, IN order
that everything should be done fair
ly. The result of that first trial was
that nothing beyond the act of robbery
was proven, and the three on Sunday
morning received a service of thirty
nine lashes on the bare back, although
none doubted that they deserved
hanging. They had escaped the gal
lows.
One of these men-they called him
French Charley-a short, stout, rest
less fellow, with face that might in
dex the soul of tiend-vociferated in
his native tongue against all the par
tlclpators in that act Soon 1t came
out that there were thirty-three mem
bers of the band operated otherwheres.
This awful Charley was the lieuten-
AIT. He vowed death 10 judge, jury
and all concerned. TINS being inter
pre'ed fired the populace. Prudence
forsade the further execution of the
sentence, i. e. Punishment from the
diggings 1t would have been like
letting lot of blood hounds loose to
prey upon the villagers. The excite
ment was attended by the most tor
menting anxiety, as the court sat with
open doors day after dav, determined
to do nothing rashly Men were cut
IN all directions, travelling slowly on
foot. yet getting over ground, notify
ing all to come and look at the pris-
oners, who did not seem to be uneasy,
being cont ident they would not hang
without clear and conclusive evidence
This, they believed, could not then be
produced
Little did they believe that their
days were even then numbered, and
that they would &c buried, three in
one grave, with their boots on and
the bempen collar about their necks.
and that from this awful fate should
grow the name of Hang Town.
The desired witness was moving
leisurely along, little thinking that
his voice would seal his death war
rant. Once he had been assailed
Once the knife cleaned aboue HIM
and he fell When be revived he
was alone, his money gone, but the
face of the would be murderer had
been indelibly engraved upon his
mind. As he entered the court room
III conversation with a friend he
caught sight of this Charley at once;
his cheeks paled, and he stood for the
moment transfxeG Bystanders no
tIced all this, aud managed 10 draw
Charley'S attention..
The robber looked, and IN his turn
was surprised, but 1t was not mute
aStoniShment-he did not look long
There are scenes in some lives that fix
themselves with unyielding tenacity
TO memory. This hardened sinner
said that his innocent life had been as
d man-o' wars-man. He had been
SLAYER, robbsr and pirate, and when
asked to confess said that he had never
ceased to see blood from the time or
the first murder. lie had not lost
sight of that face which he left for
dead. All eyes were riyeled on him
as he sprang toward the new conner,
eXclalming: You alive! you hercT
And tearing open the shirt bosom his
eye caught sight of the scar his knife
had madc, as he exclaimed: I'm a
dead man! This settles my casew
And it did. Three times tried for his
life, and cleared through flaw in the
Indictment, he had found conviction
where he least expected it. Two long
lines of armed men, standing shoulder
TO shoulder, formrC the guard. through
which those three men marched to the
gates of deata that second solemn
Sunday morning Ny neIghbor had
placed her two boys in my Charge,
that what saw they might see. But
it is a sad, sad sight that OF three men
writhing in the ago:.lts of death, and
We did not stay. The rest of the band
were warned. They kept off.
The effect was magical. No steal
ing, no running of horses, no MUIR
derS; ones purse might lie upon the
doorstep all day, none would touch it
after that, the story was told far and
wide. As spring restored good roads
and many left, each with mis- own ac-
count. some for Oregon, some for San
Francisco (Yerba Buono). the incident
of the writer was related to crowds Of
attentive listeners.
And that is how the Dry Dig
ging's" south of the American fork Of
the Sacramento River came to be called
Hang Town"