Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1889-03-05

y
to Fairview-Jed Judson's deadF
''Nawr'
"Jed JudsonF'
eye don't mean i'll"
"Whatr'
"Jed-Judson-dead|
The speakers all spoke at once, the poker
players dropped their cards, some Of the men
rose hastily to their feet.
whatever aided JedT
s'What aided hima" repeated the man from
Camp Fairview; he was well an hearty as
you and be three hours ago, when an orn-
cry cuss from Poverty Gulch that Jed caught
cheatin' at cards, and told him of it, put
bullet in fm-that's what aided jed
"An'y e hung the feller that did itg" asked
81 Sharpe.
1--WE AMT yit, but we calate on dom it
fore mornin', and that's the party come up
to give you a bid to. Thought ye'd feel
sighted if none o. you got pull at the rope
that'll swing the chap that killed Jed-a
whittier man n Jed never drawed the breath
o. lifen
Eyer right thar" said 81 Sharpe, heartily;
"an it'll do me good TO git pull at that
rope when you git the Teller that shot Jed to
the other end Of it. Who is he, anyhowT'
Don't know. They don't none o. the boys
know, an he won't tell whar he come from
nor who he is; but we all know whar he's
goin' to, an that mighty burned quick, too.
He is youngish sort Of a chap, not more'n
30, with three fingers offn one hand an
scar over his left eye. We reckon his names
Hobbs-Henry Hobbs-anyhow he's got
ring on with that name on it, an that's the
name on some letters we TUX from i'm, an
also on big, old fashioned silver watch he's
got. How many of you goin' down TO the
hangin' with mel It'll come off at midnight
| Nearly every man in the cabin rose to his
feet, and while all were pulling on hats and
coats the door of old Mrs. Dill's room sud
denly opened and Mrs. Dill herself, CHASTITY
and trembling, with her thin gray hair fall
ing to her bony shoulders, walked swiftly
across the room, locked the door and stood
with her back to it, her bleared eyes dim
with tears and her shriveled lips trembling
Boys she said, in her shrill, cracked
voice, rye amt goin' down to Camp Fair
view TO hang that feller-I tell ye, We amt!
Ye shan't" She drew an old pistol from
beneath her apron as she spoke and held it
aloft with a trembling bony arm and
wrinkled fingers. ''Ill shoot the first Teller
that tries to go out this door. III do it,
PIP Her head dropped suddenly to her
breast her arm fell to her side and the pistol
to the floor She put both Of her bony hands
to her face and sobbed aloud With her
head still bent low, she said;
"Boys, lookee here. Some Of you hev
knowed me fer twenty year, an ye knowed
my man that's dead an gone. There's men
in this cabin that I've fed an keered for
when they was homeless an sick In all the
twenty-nine year that old Mis- Din has lived
in the mountings the latch string o her cabins
hung out free TO all. Nobody want ever
turned away, as some Of 70 mighty we'll
know I've gin favors wherever l could,
an amt never asked none back I've had
my trials an tribbylations-God knows ]
havel-an the wust of m all has come to
night; fer, boys, that man yer goin' out ter
hang is-is-my boy-the only baby l ever
had, an it's ten long year sence seen himl
'Dill want my fust husband. His name
was Hobbs an the boy was named after i'm
Henry Hobbs. Some o. you may mind o
ocNAI5 III hAAcNn oAA1 twenty 1tdA u5D al Jul
cabin down in Cinnamon Gulch--a purity
black eyed, curly headed boy. He got that
scar down in that gulch, an them three
fingers came of in a bear trap Dill had sci
and the boy fell into it. He allus was a wen.
turesome boy an never stopped at nothin'
Some of We mind the big excitement they was
down In Cinnamon Gulch fifteen year ago
when they was a saloon under ev'ry tree an
they want no such thing as law an order
1t want to be wondered at that a-many
boy went astray then, an my Henry wal
among 'em. He hadn't never had a chanc'
to be diTrent He didn't know how decent
folks lived, an I-I-wa'n't fit to learn him
cause didn't know how myself He took t,
gamblin' an TO drink, with plenty TO coal
the boy on, an when the excitement dix
away be ran Off an amt ever heerd Of in
but once sence; an he's the man they wan
ye to go an help hang Ye won't lott, boys
win YER
Her voice had changed to one of earnes
entreaty and her old apron was held to he
streaming eyes
"Boys," she added, Couldn't ye git 'em t
give the boy another chancel Tell 'ern he's m,
| 10y lSlt W ifb liAt " ava
with i'm. Can't We, boysl Can't ye do it 70
the sake of old timess Go an bring my bo
to me Hang me if you must have a life 70
the one my boy took. l won't say wor
, agin' that; only let me see my boy frst.n
, Every man in the cabin filed silently out q
the room and disappeared in the darkness
going hurriedly down the trail 1t was a
most daybreak when they came back, silen
and stern, white faced, slender, tremblin
Z man with them, his arms still bound and til
fear and horror Of death still in his face.
Old Mrs Dill met them at the door. The
Z led her son to her little room and left he
alone with him.
: Eyed better be ready to start by day
light was all ST Sharpe said as he closed II
door OF the little room and went back TO II
fireplace where the other men sat loolin
; silently at the glowing Goals
Z The next day had hardly dawned when I'll
: gray haired old woman and tho tall, han'
7 some young man came from tho little room
+ and, with brief good-by to the raen Of Cam
Paradise, went slowly down the trail TO me-
= the outgoing stage.
y They'll be all right, said 81 Sharpe. Obi
y there amt another person on Gods cart
' they'd give that chap up to but old Mis- Dill
. an I've an idee he'll hang yit some day spi
70 Of herr