Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1886-05-21


volvers and shot guns. turned aside to let
them pass But they closed in around me
and one and all pointed their deadly weapons
at my head. Halt Git down of that
hoss !" "Whoopls, we've caught him !"
"Hurrah hurrah, hurrah" These were
some of the cries that greeted my astonished
ears
"Gentlemen," said "what is the mean
| ing of this strange demonstration p
Demonstration demonstration, they yell
ed, you'll think it's a demonstration before
we're done with you. Git down, git down,
git down"
In a twinkling was pulled to the ground,
and my hands we're tied behind my back.
rope was put around my neck and was
yanked along in the midst of the excited
crowd, who yelled and shouted like tribe of
Oomanches In vain tried to be heard. My
voice was like the twitter of bird in the roar
Of the ocean, and, ignominously as any fel.
on was ever led to the scaffold, was dragged
| on for a mile OF two till we came to strag-
| Cling and dirty village.
My captors seemed determined to matreat
me TO the limit of human endurance. They
dragged their horses along the dusty road
and dragging me painting in their midst.
Yet, choked and breathless as l was, did
not wholly lose my presence of mind, and
saw that l was the object of some horrible
suspicion which seemed to these rough men
TO justify them in handling me in a cruel and
| barbarous fashion. A wretohed, sinking
| sensation came over me as | recalled the cir
cumstances of my recent trade in horses.
The party pulled up before a miserable lop-
sided tavern in the centre of the town. They
placed me, with the rope still about my neck,
on horse block, where all the population
came pouring out to see me- 1t was
rough and ungainly crowd that looked upon
as l sieadied myself TO face them. There
| were lumbermen, miners farmers and ranch
men, and the usual drift and rough scuf of
| new town. Here and there was a woman,
and two or three had babies in their arms.
Not one look of sympathy could l read in
their faces, and before the tremendous accu-
sstion of their up-turned glances my heart
/ sank like lead. Innocent Of any crime
though knew myself to be, Ifelt my strength
ooze away as l drew upon my vital forces for
the power to die game
On the edge of the crowd a man sat in a
| light buggy behind a powerful gray horse.
He alone seemed to disagree with the general
sentiment, and l saw him arguing earnestly
with some who we're near him. Then he
whipped up his horse and disappeared like a
fash, and felt for some reason AZ if ray
of hope had gone with him.
Now, then, Mister said burly individ-
ual who seemed to be spokesman; "now
then, il you've got any reason to sllege, as
the lawyers say, why you shouldn't be hung,
| you'd better out with it,
Gentlemen" l said speaking as loudly
and plainly as l could, II have done no
wrong, and demand the reason of this out
rage"
Nov see here, Mister" said the spokes.
man, "'iaint no use fer you to play know
nothin', but jest to save time, an git quit Of
| yer, I'll tell yer what yer has done. You
| stole Truman's trotter, and you're one Of the
gang that's been a running of our horses for
the last ten months, an yer ought ter swing
fer it,"
The crowd shouted approval.
II deny the charge" said, 'and defy
| you to prove it"
Prove it, prove it; warnt yer found by us
sridin' the horse and brung in Hev ye for
got that Already, Mister?'
You found me riding my horse that I
traded for this morning. But l was on my
way to Mr.. Trumsn's then"
Likely story. Why yer wsrn't within
twenty miles OF Truman's and headed the
wrong way
Isn't this Marckville ?"
mo, Stree. This is Plimpton"
Then was misdirected."
"Praps so. If yer was, it was very un-
| fortunate fer yer"
but this isn't Truman's horse. He may
be just like his. The man said they were
match. l thought"
"Wst a mint" said the man. Lets
have that ere horse around in front Now,
Mister" as the horse was led around, this
boss has been known in these parts fer years
black boss with two white stockin's and
there haint no other like him. Tain't posi-
BILE fer yer ter mistook. But jist to convince
| yer, I'll put it ter the crowd. We amt thirs-
| ty fer yer blood. We wants ter give yer
fair show. Now, then, all present who know
this yer boss is Truman's boss make the usu-
| al sign"
A mighty howl arose from the assembled
crowd.
See" said the man, "a hundred witnesses
| agin one"
docs Truman's horse know any tricks ?"
said. HAS he ever been with circus?"
Mr.. Truman, when appealed to, said that
his horse knew no tricks. You pinch him
here, and he'll make bow"
pinched the horse, again and again, as l
had seen him pinched that morning. Bot he
| paid no attention except to step out Of my
reach. SHARP, now, Roderick, said, "go
limpy." He simply bent his handsome neck
and began to crop bunch of grass.
"Ha, ha," yelled the crowd derisvely, at
this wretched fasco. "Hang the whining
fraud"
eyes, hang him." said voice that had
heard before, and l saw my acquaintance of
the morning. the man with the SCARED fore
head sitting in my wagon on the outskirts of
the crowd, aud urging them on. Oh, il l
could have reached him, l would have throt-
| tied him in an instant "Hang him." he
| shouted "Re tried to trade that horse for
mine. Oh, the wretch"
This new proof of my duplicity aroused to
its highest pitch the fury of my prosecutors.
| had noticed several black bottles passing
| from hand to hand, their contents evidently
| furnishing fit inspiration. There were men in
| that crowd, who, from innate, british cruelty,
would delight in torturing me- as boys tor
| ture dumb animals to death. Others had
doubtless met with losses of stock, and their
| rage carried them quite beyond their better
nature, and others still may have believed
that they were doing an act of rude but ef-
| fectiVe Justice Whatever the motive ii was
| all one to me. Some who had gone away for
| few minutes returned masked, and with
sheets and blankets draped around them to
hide their figures. l noticed that the women
disappeared, and the people in house across
the way closed their windows as if to shut
| out an awful sight. An ominous silence had
| taken the place of the shouting, the coarse
| Jokes and the gbes that had hitherto filled
| my ears If there were law-abiding people
| in that town they were not to be seen. The
| masked figures consulted together, and then
arranged themselves in front of me, while a
! voice that had not heard before addressed
me. stranger" it said, "were sorry for yer
We pity yer, but we've heard the evidence
an we've made up our minds that you're one
of the gang that has pestered us nigh onto
year. And we think yer ought to be made
an example of. We thinks the man as is aw-
dashus enough ter steal Bill Truman's boss,
what is 80 we'll known hereabouts, is tew aw-
dashus TO live. 1t amt no nice thing ter
dew, but the courts is tew onsartin. Besides
you're bad 'un stranger. When we catch
ed yer yer lied TO us, an yer tried ter git off
by making that ere boss play some trick, as
| If we was passel of fools, an then yer turned
yer last dirty card an tried ter palm of on
an innocent party. An now yer little game
is up. But we're willin' to hear yer last
words and yer can pray il yer wants ter"
Life is sweet no matter what ones condi-
ton therein, and thought it worth while to
make another effort for it. But 1t was hard
to appeal to that row of masked figures
standing like black -souled inquisitors, silent
and motionless before me. 1t was hard to
plead for so pitiful, yet so precious thing
as a human life, before men who had doubt
less seen 1t wasted many time. II my
words could have melted gates of bronze, l
might perhaps have moved their hearts.