, 1889-08-22

LET me of and I'll never come back
| to this state lie pleaded. Don't hang.
Please, boys-for Christs sake don't
| hang me-.
"They had been beating at the tank
door nearly. an hour. The crowbars
bent, but II did not open.
,"'Shoot him through the wicket,
! shouted one, pushing his revolver
! through the wicket and toward the cow
ering murderer.
."Noakes, gave. one shrek, and then
| tried to hide behind n box, covering his
| head with his arms, while from behind
them the miserable figure continued his
half.smothcred pleading.
"The door began To yield Mt last. The
hinges cracked and finally the lock was
broken Off.
"Tou never saw such an abiect, cring-
| ing coward as was Noukes when the
door fell in. He was II great big man,
! and he groVeled there in the corner cry
ing like baby and begging and scream
ing., IL, ,
the door, but this seemed to rouse
Noakes. He sprang up and we saw he
had big carving knife III his hand. lie
had wanted to kill himself but lacked
the nerve. Now, however, he stood al
most erect.
"'Ill kill the first that comes inp he
screamed unsteadily. Then he began to
CRY again:
Don't kill me boys. I'll do any
thing--only don't hang me. Give fell
low chance
"The blacksmith, who had knocked
the deputy sherid7s pistol from his
hand, crawled through the door. He
was as big as Noakcs, and had fairly to
double himself up to get in.
"Noakes looked at him, the tears still
running from his eyes. But he still
held the knife threHteuingly.
"The blacksmith laid his hand on
Noakes' shoulder, and the big coward
dropped his knife and sank TO the lloor
He grabbed the knees OF the blacksmith,
aud prayed 20 him to save him. But
there was no room for mercy in the
crowd. Noalles' crime had been too
cruel, and his pitiful cowardiCo only in.
spired disgust Instead fpity.
"They dragged him through the low,
narrow door the cowd young giant
despite his great strength, not having
the courage 10 make the least resistance.
outside the Jail a crowd had gathered.
When they saw the committee come out
with the trembling prisoner they cheered
loudly.
".Noakes was hustled out of the jail
and thrown into u wagon The iailer
was liberated and the lynching party
drove off.
AS soon as he could the iailer rang
the fire alarm and did whatever else he
could to arouse the citizens of Oruyille,
his idea being to form IA posse and re-
take the prisoner But he could not
gather enough citizens to make Il whist
party. They had all been reused by the
taking of the Jail and had all followed
the lynchers 10 SEQ the execution.
'The men who had Noakes drove rap
idly back the road they had come, across |
the river over the temporary bridge and
up to Crum's ranch, twelve miles from
the Oroville Jail.
"All the way Noakes begged and cried
and pleaded. | saw him in the wagon,
the most abject, miserable object | ever
laid my eyes upon. He recognized sew
ernl of his captors and addressed each,
praying them to save him. At last his
pleading became absolutely incoherent.
1t was perpetual whine. please don't
hang me don't hang me! O, Mr.. Hill,
dom let them kill mel I'll do any.
thing! | didn't kill Crum | didn't
mean to kill him! 1 was too drunk to
know what l was doing! Don't hang 1
me-don't!
"Noakes was one of the handsomest
men | ever met when ! used to see him
in Chico, tall and straight as an arrow
and with that clean-limbed confident
air that gives you the idea of strength
and courage. Now he sat huddled up on
the floor OF the wagon beating his hand
cuiled hands upon his knees, crying and
whining like dog,
~ said he WAS handsome fellow, but
you should have seen his face then. The
moon shone full on his face, and il was
trightEully pale and ghastly. His hair
was tumblcd and his face was scanned
and tear-stained. He looked twenty
years older than when he was arrested. !
His big black eyes were bloodshot and |
seemed to be almost starting from his |
head with terror His chin was dropped |
to his breast and his mustaChe hung |
over his open mouth. lie shivered all |
oyeI though he had the ague. There |
was no yestigo of the manly beauty for /
which lie was so remarkable. He even |
seemed to shrink in height and become |
insignificant.
occasionally one of his captors would |
get tired Of his constant whining, and |
would kick him and urge him to at least |
try 10 die like man, but Noakes would |
only grOan ana moan the more
''At last they got him to Crums ranch |
and drove under Il cottonwood that the |
murderer had planted years before. One
of the regulators climbed the tree and |
fastened one end of rope to strong |
limb. Then he dropped the slack. II |
lall on Noakes and he let out shrek
like q wounded panther.
'Thcy made him stand up, and while |
two men held him erect, others fastened |
the Moose about his neck. One man was
stationed near each horse. They stood |
there with their blacksnakes up, ready
to strike the horses.
The man let 20 Noakes, and he was
told that If hc had any prayers to say,
this was the time.
"tte looked around despair ngly and
began to beg AS before that they would .
not hang him. lie would not hear their
order to pray, and at last stood shiver-
ing, his lips moving, but no sound com.
ing from them. His eyes grew dull, for
his terror seemed to render him almost
unconscious, and his legs were doubling |
under him when the word was given.
"fhe appraised Whips fell together
with q loud crack on the horses tianks,
and the startled beasts sprang forward,
dragging the wagon from beneath the |
murdercrs feet, and leaving him swing
ing and struggling in the air.
The regulators waited until he was
quite dead and then left him alone, still |
hanging in the early morning.
Half u mile from Crum's ranch, to-
ward Chico, they met Sheriff Sprague.
" Hello, boys; what have you been
doing?'
"'Drive on down the road and you |
will sce,' was the answer,
"Tllere was, of course, great deal of |
excitement over the affair. The coro-
ncr's jury solemnly considered IL, and |
finally, on suggestion of one of their |
number, who looked very much like the |
man who tied Noakes' halter to abe cot
tonwood limb they decided that he had |
come to his death at the hands of per.
sons unknown.
".rhe grand Jury still more solemnlv |