, 1889-08-22
LIKE A COWARD.
Recollection of the Lynohing of q
Cringing Murderer in
California,
Begging and Pleading for Life. He
is Hanged to a Cotton
wood Tree.
from the San Francisco Examiner. J

tFrom the San Francisco Examinor.l
They were talking about hangings
One old pioneer had rccountcd circum-
stantiallY and at great length the deaths
of Casey and Cora. The big-hatted,
fierce mustached member of the party
had told of the hanging of Chrokee Bob
and Kid Carson just for mple "hoss-
stcalm'." Some of the old Los Angeles
and Santa Barbara lynchings were told
and retold, and hesitating youth,
rather ashamed of the poverty and re-
centness of his tale, told how the mob
had taken little Hong Di from his cell
in Coousa county and iorkod him into
the dim unknown. AZ last it came the
tnrn OF u ranoher from Butte county.
81 guess it must have been eight years
ago. he remarked, with quiet, preoc-
cupied air Eyes, all of that. lived in
Chico then, and the ordinarily very
quiet town was getting itself very bad
name. There were five or six hard char
acters in town, and they just about
thought they owned IL. Men on their
way home were held up almost every
night, and as some of these fellows were
always drunk and running amuck there
were quite u number of killings and
woundings.
"rhe worst of the lot was Bill Noakes,
Bill was big enough to thrash Sullivan.
lie had an ugly temper, aud when he
got drunk, which was pretty nearly
every day, he let it have fun rein.
Noakos had been run out of some camps
in Idaho, believe, for doing some MUIR
derng, and had got himself IN trouble
in our vicinity by means of some women
scrapes.
"Bill was handsome fellow, six feet
high, and broad and strong as an OK.
lie was a gambler but he had face
that would turn any girl to him. His
hair was black as Il coal and his skin
was clear and ruddy as n Child's. He
had great big eyes, blaCllcr than night
Then he always wore good clothes, rode
fiery horses, and had altogether such
dashiug romantic makeup that il was
no wonder that people were inclined to
rather admire the young reprobate. He
was only about 25 years old. His repu-
tauon rs Il fearless gun-iightcr was
handy for him, and his courage was
never tested.
cone day he was q little drunker than
usual, and he started through town in
suiting people and daring thcm to fight.
He saw old Dr. Crum, u poor, weak
chap, nearly 20 years old, in his own
dooryard. Crum had been a dentist but
had taken up several ranches in that re-
giOn. No one knows exactly what they
quarrcled about, but soon Crum walked
out of the place. Noakcs watched him
go ont with a scowl. Then he muttered
something and rushed after him. The
poor old fellow saw him coming, and
tried to get away, but Noakes caught
him and knocked him down. When
Crum tried to get up, Noakes kicked
him in the face and then jumped ON
him. lie literally kicked and tramped
the old man to death before he left him.
Noakcs was promptly arrested, and, as
the citizens We're already gathering
threateningly, he made no resistance,
and was promptly taken to Colville and
put in the county Jail.
Butte county people are naturally
law-abiding, and the citizens were will
ing TO see Noakes hanged according to
law rather than DO the job themselves.
"Noakes had his preliminary eNami-
nation, and was promptly held over to
await the action of the grand jury. Then
his attorney was heard to say that lie
could not be convicted of anything more
serious than mauslaughtCr, so he could
not he sont ny for more than ten years at
the outside.
THAT started the lynching party. Be
fore they went for Noakcs, however.
some of tho citizens interviewed the dis
triCt attorney and asked If this We're
true. lie admitted that IL was his opin-
ion that that was the limit of Nolltes'
crime. That settled it. They Were will
ing that the law should punish Noakes
for murder, but they wouldn't compro-
mise or Il granddaughter verdict. So one
night old Crum's friends organized and
without much speechmaking they start
cd for OroVillc.
"Shcrih f. \. Sprague had heard of
the PROPOSED raid on lis Jail, and started
from Oroyille To head it oil, he said. Ev-
crbody knew what was intended, and
the sheriff had no trouble in getting to
Chico at $50 in the morning, just one
hour and II half after the citizon's COM
mittce had left for Oroville, and he
hadn't met them on the road either.
".Sherih Spraguc didn't start in pur-
suit OF the party. With fresh horses he
might have oyegtaken them but tried
instead to telegraph to oroville that they
werc coming. The operator was, of
course, in bed, and his message was not
received.
''rhe crowd surrounded the Jail, some
masked and Others not. \ deputy sher-
i'll was in charge, and OF him they de-
manded the keys to the jail
"'You can't have them,"' he an
swerod, drawing his pistol.
"Thcy tried to get close to him, but he
wouldn't have it, and threatened to
shoot the first man who approached
him.
"rhen the crowd went at the big door
with their sledge hammers and crow
bars,
at was beginning to give in when tho
deputy stepped TO one of the leaders, u
brawny young blacksmith.
Z A. III.