The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-05-08
MlEHl's FIRST HkAGIRG.

Sew York suu.

made the moose with which the 6rss
ofsiciaE--or what she Law OF Judge
Lynch called official hanging was
done IN Helena, Montana, ? said q for
mer resident Of this city. who was .
member OF the pioneer corps that
made the preliminary survey for the
proposed route of the Northern Pacific
railway through the Rocky Mountains
and foot hills. 1T was in 1869. and
Immediately preceding our advent in
Helena. the rustlers and bad men.
gamblers, miners. frappers and gen
orally disreputahi,a cusses 10 be found
in all Western towns, held fun sway
there, with only .nntterea thunder
OF possible resentment from those
who saw the necessity of insisting
upon law and order. Fights and dis
order of all kinds were OF constant
occurrence, the gambling hells, huriv-
gnrdies and other similar establish
menrs through the town, until at last
the Regulators had issued orders
to these disturbing elements of So
ciety to leave at once, or be sum-
marty cleaned ont. The climax
of the iaw-abiding citizens patience
was reached about that time through
the holding up of the Fort Benton
stage coach by e hand of road agents.
The band was pursued by the Helena
regulators and engaged in u bloody
fight, which continued over distance
OF eight or ten miles. ona of the reg
ulators was killed during the fight,
and several prominent citizens of
Helena and Gallatin we're seriously
wounded. Exactly how disastrous
the engagement had been to the road
agents was never known, but one of
them, and notorious one. was cap
tured- This was big Jim Daily, one
OF the NEST desperate characters in
the region, a former en1ploye on the
famous Russell's ranch, known as q
terror from South Havitos to Bose
man, and responsible for much of the
lawlessness that prevailed in the CON-
munisy. He was shot through both
thighs, and, being unable TO sit his
horse, fell into the hands of the regu-
lators, although, wounded as he was,
he fought like q fiend to the last. re-
quiring the united strength of several
men to bind him with sariat
The captured desperate was
brought back To the town, where he
was cinehed with his back to a flag
pole in front of the International
hotel, the leading hotel OF Helena at
that time. Many of his sympafhizers
and friends stood around with ugly
and threatening looks and fingers Itch
ing to pull their guns, but the fear in
spired by the Regulators, and uncer-
tainty as to how many they might
really number in their ranks, kept
them from taking any overt steps to-
ward release. The Regulators were
led by well-known judge, a man who
had stood high III the East, college
graduate, and very wealthy even for
that country and time. He was a man
OF staiwart presence. and of grim, de-
termined disposition that was not to
be trifled with.
Before Daily was tied to the flag
pole his wounds had been bandaged
and the flow of blood checked.
Against this he had made a vigorous
verbal and physical protest, and he
had not been many minutes bound to
the flagpole before he managed to re-
lease hand, with which he reached
down and tore at the bandages on his
wounds. and tried to start the blood
flowing afresh, his object being to
bleed 10 death and cheat the hang
man. But the judge was on the piazza
OF the hotel, and saw the outlaws at
tempt. He strobe over to where the
poor devil lay, placed him in sitting
position against the pole. and tied him
so firmly that he could not move. raw
ing nottle slightest attention to the
mu1hurs of the angry crowd sur
rodnding.
1t was at this moment that our
party of engineers rode mp. We were
soon made acquainted with the situa-
ton. All of the party exec t myself
were satisfied without detailed explain
alton, and, after taking a look at the
notorious captive, attended to their
horseSand went into the hotel about
righteousness. | was the Youngest of
thsfparty, being but little more than a
by, and was full of Youthful curiosity.
- had habit when talking to any one
of knotting my lariat into various
complicated knots, the trick of tying
which ! had learned from sailors OF
the navy in whose company [ was
much thrown during the war. While
| piled the judge with questions about
Jim Daily and his doings. | kent
manipulating my lariat in this wav.
and, as the judge seemed to be much
interested in the knot-fying, probably
tied then with more than my usual
skill and facility. At last fastened a
knot that particularly interested the
judge.
What do you call that?' said he.
iinterrupting a question / was asking
him.
piled. 1880
The judge seemed more interested
than ever, and nothing would do but
that ! should teach him how To make
the knot, right thTe and then.
never for a moment thought that the
Judge had any particular reason for
wanting to become proficient in tying
the nangman's moose, and set To work
TO teach him. After several lessons
and trials he was able TO tie the knot
70 perfection. and seemed much elated
over his success. The next morning
found out whv the iudge had been
so anxious to learn the tying of the
hangman's moose, for when the
doomed desperate. still strong and
defiant, was taken from the iag-pole
at O'Clock and laid IN the bottom az
wagon to he carried 10 the place az
execution-for his condition world
not admit Of his riding branco. as
was the cusfoul-~anIong fbe articles
that accompanied the crowd OF regr-
iators and Daily's lowering friends
was the lariat on which was that noose
that ! had coached the iudfe i'm
making.
Nobody had been hanged vet in
Helena, and the Judge had seen nj
once the superiority OF the scientific
moose over the rongh knot thai was
usually tied In the end OF a roT. on
occasions OF this kind nv regulators
and he had concluded that ne would
give iieieifa's first victim I'm primitive
Montana law the benefit OF a p+oner
sending OFT Bnt. after all. Big inns
death did not come from the moose.
That execution was unexpectedly and
intensely dramatic In lis denouenent.
lts end was an act of tragic heroisn
that would have been possible no
where except among those lawless
denlzeras OF the Rocky mountains.
he crowd that followed the guard
OF regulators that executed the con-
demned nntiaw to his death was a |
molly gathering friends and svnppa-
thszers OF f9afgy'~ -af.iffsv,g sfy;yar,.