The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1889-05-08

short explanatory speech % the
crowd and. with due REGARD for
ultra IN eSfern Law, asked Jim what he
had 10 SAY before the Euai proceed
fngs. Desperately wounded. bound
and hefplesS IS he was. and With
death staring him in the face, there
was No sign Of weakening or 4 trace
Of fear on naily's face as he forced
himself to a sitting posture in thu
wagon. and in q gruff. strident voice
hurlei the most terrible irnprecations
upon the Judge and the regulators.
He ended his trade by enchanting:
leave you feiierS 10 BE- locked
after hv NV friends. and don't you far-
git thai they'll do il Nell and quick.
and give you all an invite to meet
me in HILL Go on with your show r
The judge stepped quickly to the
side Of the wagon. slipped the moose
over paiiyss head. and gave the other
end OF the line a twist around the
limb. The helpless victim was lifted
TO his feet and held up on each side BY
d stalwart regulator
sGset upr said the Judge.
The horses started forward and
dragged the wagon from beneath
paiiy's feet. The moose frightened
about his neck. and dangling at the
end of it the desperate spun andqu
cred Not a word or sound had
issued from the crowd, notwithstand-
ing the fact that ever hundred of the
men there present were friends OF
Daily'S. but the rope had hardly
frightened on the outlaws neck aud
swung him from the limb when the
picturesque old mountaineer. astride
his detected bronco. and who
had stolidly watched the proceedings
from beneath the wide hrinl OF his hat,
threw his long ride to his shoulder as
quick as thought, and as Daily's body
spun around face toward him the loud
report of the weapon rang out among
the hills. The convulsive movements
of the strangling desperate ceased in
stantly. The body Slaughtered ont
and hung stiff and pulseless at the end
of the rope. The old marksman was
fully fifty yards from the tree when he
fired, bat his bvsiet had been sent
straight between Daiiy's eyes, and
ended his misery rs one might snuff
out candle. But the old mans shot
had defeated the ends of Montana jus.
tice. With the very moose about his
neck, Daily had actually cheated the
gibbet. After the regulators re-
covered from their surprise thes
of one accord demanded of the
judge instructions as TO how they
should deal with the man who had so
flagrantiv violated the rules of lynch
law. Ii looked as il the old man had
saved Daily from death by ssrangIing
only to meet that fate himself. The
judge turned to the veteran noun
taineer, who had Strengthened up in
his saddle, his eyes flashing. his rifle
acros$his arm, and his hands on his
pistols.
"s0ld man. said the Judge. with
ominous kindness. by what author
ity did you commit that deed?
BY none ez | knows onl repli-d
the old man, unflinchingiy. But. by
CT couldn't set h'yar an see 4
brave man like him Gle like dogl Ii
yer committee objects ter what I've
done, why. I'm h'yar, an they kin
come an take mel
The old mans style and words
were impressive. There was silence
among the regulators for a moment.
Then a prominent citizen, one of their
number, said:
1.-The old mans right. Judge Let's
go home
And they did go home, and quietly.
1t may be that the regulators let MP
on the heroic old man because they
thought he was right, but the general
impression was that they didn't like
the way he showed them how he could
handle his shooting irons. Jim
Daily's friends cut his body down and
buried it at what is now Butte City.
His prophecy that they would quickly
avenge his death never came true.
And that was the end of the first
official hanging in Helena"