New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1888-05-20

49,, 49,, our lives Peter Tarcau had done his
mission well Though our action was SO rapid ina. 'ho
DELAY was necdless but It was with his tongue ana ho
49,, ne hands A hint OF tho outrageous story and
mood was enough to mako thehcart OF the Innocent
,,ar at the brakes burn within him, and his own
hands had pulled out the couplingpn at tho FISK Oh
almost certain discharge from the railroad
~
IS have no desire to justify or even extern
ua,a the tblnys that followed. the perspective
~ wears. Which clears tho vision ana ncilo"s
,rosSmcut. leaves no cholcc but to conclude
.ua, nur action consisted neither with good
.',,.rsh,n nor good morals sn It may seem to some
nat ro erred on the side OF mercy; while Others may
land ne with the sin Of TIE barbaric and brutal Surely
nI,v that Divine force which nrst mounted guard al
Tho rate of the worlds heart with the blood That oozed
t tho smear points Of Calvary had fed from Its post
And no less surely Slipping the leash OF the restraints
that pont to Judge and jury, and the machinery OF o
courts orr action was shortsIghtcd as well as crude
and cruel The lust for personal vengeance that auto
graf NJ all the primal Instincts had got to tho fore and
shoo,, nc as the wind shakes freed Yet that there
rag Hind sense OF honor and Justice struggling through
oil this tiger riot of passion dare avow without fear
Of challenge.
Tho dignity of Office Joined with the chill prophecies
NJ soue Kings Puritan blood 10 lift his voice In protest
at the first mixing of the thing, moving shadow-Ko
behind the living masks about him. There was CON
shane There was only some low mutter of Judge
Ivncb as one would muter in dream. and the Squire
rcad common will in the ring of faces IL must have
been born in second as the Hash Is porn from tho
c,os,pc NJ the electric circuit No such thought had
previously been In minds, no object but TO rescue
tho victims of crime and to hand the criminals over
f. the sheriff to be dealt with according to legal FORM
The sense Of nocrablc outrage as If one had spat INTO
anoher,s face, suddenly reddened and gowcd TIL 1t
h,stcrcd The supreme insolence f tho offence, It's
contempt of our manhood that VIC had baried itS
AIM became It's worst sin.
"Noi NJ good friends and neehbors, not that, not
that said King earnestly. We were still standing on
the PLATFORM crowded along its narrow length prison
ers blacks, rescUers, tralnhands ana MOD Oh inc
village idcrs who had swarmed around lno
ssackes had been knocked off the wrists of the negroes
and clasped on those of the mansteaers. All their
courage had gone dowr the very lees except that
which stared defiance from the eyes Of the evil thor
o,rhbred who led them. AT tho Squires ominouS
words their faces whltened.
isn't for us to end this matter we must leave
that TO the law II there were no courts, no law, no
ius;ice I'm the State sn much do abhor this vlany
that wouldn't lift finger nor say word to hinder
any extreme. But these NON are sure To get 'her
deserts, sure to pay bitterly for this days work,
sure"
"You spik 20 truth of 10 bon Dieu, Mseu King"
interrupted Canadian Peter, "zey veel pay better
and his hands worked with unconscious gestures tat
made a picture of his words. Tho cruelty that rceked
I'm the veins Of the painted savages OF whose IONS nc
had been begotten, and had made torture part OF
their race-cult was beginning 10 make him drunk
"silence Peter, said the Squire, angrily, Il know
what Won mean and IT'S disgrace. Men, implore
you as lawabding citizens, TO put away this horrible
thought Think Of the stain It Will be upon us all
Ono outrage never yet excused another. inc Ven
geance of the law will be all that We can wish You
would make yourselves as guilty as these Villains
whom you would slay, even worse, for tell you IL
will be murder. deliberate, devish murder These
men have been seized rcdhandcd, there's no loophole
Of escape and Justice is sure. Tho thing in your
minds is not execution but Slaughter and would
take from the law that which belongs to 1t, and which
It will ask again at your hands. Think moment
before you go on, for Gods sake
"WalI, SQUIRE spoke up John Dunn, with great
delIbcration al reckon you'm a frstclass talkcr
haint no gift o. CAB myself, no petIfoggin or stump
.speakn', savln your presence. for 1 reckon you a
souar man. an wouldn't 60 for to cast any rcneck
Sims Dut p'raps You're barkIn' M the tree
for your coon, Squire hant hearn tell o no KILN
business YETI
"shon 1 say zey sail be shoot or hang before 20
sun set, snarcd Peter who strobe through the crowd
and clutched Dunn's arm cmvuslvely, willie chorus
of dozen voices showed how hot the lust OF blood
was
at ak your pardin Squire see Pete and tho boys
ha' been maxim some strong kalklashms, as liant
Deen let on TO-" continued the Kentuckian Ell thars
to DO hangn or shootln' I'm with ye and asln them.
Shut up yer deemed poatcrrap, rete he said scrnly
to the maddened hafbreed, who seemed read to run
amuck, till yeve hearn my hull say Squire, this
ant the place for our business. Over thar in that
cottonwood thicket BY the run Wen cit right down
to squar work The boys has got to be satisfied. but
swar tharl be no shOOn or hangin' So don't scOwl
at me, French Pete" Here no whispered to the other
ard tho fury that had lowered his swarthy faco
Quieted
This rude man, who had become oddly affiliated
with us by of the great puse-beats of humanity
strong TO rend all lesser ties Of at took the
van by the unwrittcn law of mastershp. Uncdu-
Gated, stumbling, homespun farmer that he was,
John Dunn a born leader OF his kind
IN time Of crisis However bent on extremes and
FESTIVE in mood, all yielded without murmur to
the beck Of the Kentuckian. None Of us knew TO
what his purpose pointed, except, perhaps, Peter
Tatreau, and his savagery had quailcd before n
whisper. We only felt that the penalty to be maid
would not be death, yet 1t might DO something only
little short OF death. mayhap, indeed something moro
startling than death. Had It not been for some
strange that this man. Southern-born and
a bitter political zealot, would not only not foil but
reShape vengeance to some ripe Issue there
would have been quick revolt. Tho Frencbman
/
panied and anxious. Dunn, nodding toward the
cottonwood grove, which waved its feathcry crest
about mile away, walked on. and the motley pro-
cession followed through tho village out on tho prairie
road All this had wasted but few mnutes-indccd
the train had not yet steamed onward-and It IS one
OF the things / remember with surprise that each
step in this dramatic episode advanced with so Ite
talk II thought passed from mind to mind in some
thing subtle than words. Our captves shackled
to each other in pairs marched with dropping heads
staring at the ground and gnawlng their pale s ex-
cept Buck Tanning, who strodo erect with eyes I'm
front. His features were as mpasslve as II Thea,
we're mask OF bronze, and his carriage was Gu proud
and composed that might have fancIed him still
the master OF his own fate.
Close in their tracks trampcd tho negroes. their
wits hardly YET Weakened from their stupor Of drin,
and terror Nearly all had flesh wounds moro or
less severe. and the encrusted blood dried on their
faces and matted In their wool made them hacgard