Sun River sun. [volume] (Sun River, Mont.) 1884-1885, 1885-02-12
3.7.77.'

:" >sssy = AS AASV " OWl-
nary never comes round, nor, I never
hear the name o New Years day
mentioned, without thinkin' O. Sid
johnson.
II you've ever been over tho North
ern Pacific, you may "a noticed
tho faint liable a. you would) at a
certain point out in Western Mont.
ana, couple Of old trees. standin' one
on each side Of small creek, list n
little ways from the truck. They's
both on 'em dead, as dead us skinned
beavers, without leaf or thread of
bark to 'em. But thcro amt another
tree OF any kind in sight, dead or
alive, nawthin' but jist the level prai
RE, with the creek windin' through it.
and the foothills risin' couple of
miles or so back from the road. An
there's n terrible history attached to
those trees, for man was hanged on
each one of 'em. They say ther' amt
tree in all Montana, on which Il
mans been hanged IAN there's plenty
such) as isn't dead. They jist willis
and died away afore the next spring
comes around after the things been
done. That's what they say: an
however that may be, you couldn't
wish any trees deaden'n them two.
You hain't never helped hang u
man, p'raps? an If you're level, You
won't; not unlcst it should happen to
be your own hangin', when tho other
boys won't scarcely get along without
you. But it's jist the moancst show
l over attended. However much the
boys may whoop and hulraw over it;
however much tho man may "a dc.
served it, Il hangins Il hangin', mind
You.
Their used, long before the railroad
came through, to be Il camp back ther'
among the hills. Gulch City, it was
called, but the wcrn't never nawthin'
to it. The ground was poor, nor
ther' weren't enough of il. But Lord!
Alder Gu!ch and Last Chance ID list
filled the country clean full of crazy
men; an chap hadn't got bu. to sink
a prospect hole and say he took IN
ounce OF gold dust out Of it, for In TO
come tulnblin' in like stones out OF n
tail race. I was at Helena when the
Gulch City excitement broke out, nn'
1 got in with the first gang. Within
three weeks artcr that ther' wer' n,xr
Two thousand men in camp, an some
pretty hard ones amongs, 'em. But
| don't know as on 'cm wer' worse'n
Sockdodger Jim. He wcr' son Of
n-gun! He came from California
with q bad nalno TO Virginia City.
Their he shot pard COS lao yot
new pale O. pants. The day arter he
arrived in Gulch City he shot man
over gamblin' scrape--but not to
kill; an three weeks later he killed
woman on the street in broad day
light. But we had got a Vigilance
by then, aud the whole
camp agreed as Sockdologcr Jim
ought to go. Before sunrise the next
morning he had gone. But l don't
Know as that right hand tree (the
one nearest tho track had much call
% nope and die COS such man a,
Jim d been hanged on it.
With the left hand tree it wer' diff
'erent. That is, il possible the dcader
# the two; jest shattered trunk
some twelve feet to fifteen feet high,
md one broken limb stickin' out at
light angles, some eight or nine feet
rom the ground. That is THE limb,
IN l tell You that to me as knowed al
Ill the circumstances. thcrs suthin'
uncommon skoery and reproachful
bout that limb, standin' there an re-
usin' to act with the rest o tho tree,
'ut pointing acl oss the prairie like Il
lead mans arm. It's bin standin'
ust so these dozen years to my knowl.
dge, an never set eyes on it without
huderin' and wishin' to God that
ONO man would go and cut it down.
His nume was Johnson-.Sid John
on---an' he was the most liked nun in
amp. He had a heart to him rs big
$ tenstamp mill, an ther' werut
awthin' as Sid wouldn't do to help II
ian as was broke. / was batchin' at
he time with queer kind O Scotch
IAN, in one Of a small clump Of cab
Is, up ON tho hill side. Sid lived
lone in tho next one to us. Next to
i'm came an empty shack; an beyond
lat u woman O the name O Harring
IN, who did washin'. Next beyond
cr, and the last cabin of the group,
as man Wiley, who owned some I
round up the creek, but never done ,
Iore'n Just enough work to hold it =
om being Jumped. Thor was kind ,