The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-01-02
HANGMAN,s GuLcH.
How a Noted Locality Got Its Name.
Incident of Early Colorado Life.

HANGMAN,S GULCA
How a Noted Locality Got Its Name. An
Incident of Early Colorado Life.
The fame OF Green Russell's exploits
as q prospector spread all over the
country, and at one time Pixies Peak or
bust became the cry of a large number
of restless spirits in the Ehst.. The
beautiful country known as the Divide,
near the head waters of Cherry and
other creeks, was all this time the Mec-
ca of gold seekers from all parts, until,
from an uninhabited frontier it became
the center of a large population. all en-
gagged in the one calling of wash
ing out the auriferous sands. How
much was ever rocked, PANIED or sluiced
out in those days was never absolutely
ascertained. but the amount must have
been very large. On n Of the richest
tributaries of Cherry Greek q large
population had settled, and every hum
dred yards or SO might be seen men
digging, sluicing, panning, working as
if their very lives depended upon it.
Among them were two men or partners,
named Jack Holt and Bill Flemming,
whose luck was exceptional. None in the
camp could show as many colors to the
pan or find rs many nuggets as they.
Notwithstanding the high cost of living
it was currently believed that they had
quite IL snug hoard of glittering gold
stored in their cabin near the forks by
the cottonwoods. Although partners
they we're known to have fierce quarrels
at times, and passers by on the trail in
the vicinity of their cabin frequently
heard the sound of oaths md sometimes
of blows. One day Flemming wa seen
at work alone, a thing which was never
known to have occurred before. Always
ssurly and disagreeable in his manner he
was now worse than ever, and to the
questions put to him as TO where Holt
was, gruff1y and briefly replied that he
had pulled stakes and gone to his homo
in Georgia. Nothing more was thought
ofthe matter for sometime, until one day
a letter was brought to q miner in the
camp who had lived in the same town
from which Holt had come. The letter
was from the sister of the latter, ex-
pressing great anxiety at his long ST.
lence, and also fears Of foul play. This
was shown to a number in the camp,
and a few of the most s~elf-asserting and
leading miners held q meeting in pri-
vate and resolved to take advantage of
the first opportunity and make o thor
ough search of Flemming's cabin. This
occurred on the very next day, and 8
party of ten determined men proceeded
to the forks" early tie following morn
ing, and, entering Flemming's abode,
made a thorough search OF it's one little
room without discovering anything diff
ferent from what is usually seen il such
%imprompu dwellings. Just rs they
were passing over the threshold, how
ever, II of them tripped slightly oven
some uneveuess 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 wa made and it wa ascertained
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 at ouce put
in reqlisition, and in a few moments the
partially decomposed corpse of Jack
Holt was revealed. Flemming's 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 each
was provided, he was made prisoner and
taken To n rrnvo Gpprp n +, A.. d.
Pines.
The trial, as was characteristics of such
affairs, was very short, but under all
the circumstances undoubtedly fair,
and, at its conclusion, Tom NORMAN,
who was made judge, both by reason OF
his being the most powerful man, phys.
ically, in the camp and that he had
been apprenticed to an attorney when
q youth, but had run away after two
weeks OF Blackstone and come West,
addressed the prisoner in these terms:
Bill Flemming, you've been tried by a
court of your equals and pards. The
law and the evidence prove you to be
guilty of having killed your pard and
thrown your pay of life into the tailings,
II you have anything to say, now is the
H'S oPoh youi s1ulce BdteS. REM
ming, however, maintained a stubborn 81.
lence. But a few minutes elasped when
he was sentenced to be hanged by the
neck until dead, and the sentence was
OF once executed. He was taken a short
distance down the small gulch, where
q tall pine reached its lower limb like
arms across the stream, when willing
hands quickly fastened a rope around
his neck, the other end of which was
thrown around one of the branches,
and Bill Flemnlings was launched into
eternity. The gluch has ever since,
been known a. "Hangman's Gulch."
Strange to say, the upper branches OF
this tree, in accordance with the popu-
lar legend of those on which a man
has been hanged, are completely
withered and decayed on the side Of
the fatal limb.-Denver (Col.) Tribune.
The recent spell of hot weather ia
regarded as a phenomenal occurrence