Butte semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1886-1890, 1889-12-18
Talk on OTHER DAYS.
Relating to the Bacon
and SIapjack Period Of
the New State.

@E E.
the New State.
Ia Story Of Primitive Justice
Turnips AS Fighting
Food.
From Sundays Daily.
:. The subject OF this sketch. William j.
Mcnamara, ate bacon and fapjacks TWEEN
ty-fve years ago on the spot now occupied
by this city. He did not dwell in a fine
brick house when he first came here, bat,
like the others who shared his fate, uncon-
~sciously laid the foundation for the brick
which has since that time grown into q
mammoth structure on Copper street.
Many OF the ones who were with him then
also planted bricks, and by strict atten-
ton to business have piled them up to such
immense proportions that they o. form
prominent factors within the city limits.
For q long time Mr.. Mcnamara sluiced
ground for gold on Silver Bow creek when
that kind OF mining was paying big in many
parts OF Montana. He was WORKING claim
down near where Rocker now is when Dan
Haffy and one Collins hanged d Chinaman.
This was nearly twenty years ago, and not
withstanding the wild and woody ways of
the average Westerner at that time, the
stringing up of just one little moon-eyed
Monaghan created considerable excitement
in the camp. Haffy was at that time work.
ing a placer claim on the creek and had
about twenty Cinnamon employed shovel
ing gravel into the sluice boxes. He also
had a Chinaman cook. One day Haffy
missed a gold ring from his cabin, which
was situated near the Centennial
brewery, and he accused the
Chinaman of having taken it.
The Mongolian protested that he
was innocent Of the crime charged against
him, but his protestations were in vain.
Collins and Haffy held q consultation and
it was decided that the accused must suffer
the death penalty. There was not much
wranglinR between them as to who should
be thu lord high e~xecutioner, both men
seeming to think that it was their bounden
duty to surprises crime and elevate the
moral standard Of the community by
hanging the Chinaman. A rope was &C.
cordiDgly procured, on one end of wi ich q
moose was made and placed around the
fapiack turner's neck. Then the solemn
procession, consisting Of Collins, Haffy and
tho china ina honor &c A. A.
place OF execution, Haffy taking the lead
with one end OF the o in his baud, the
!Chinaman occupying a prominent place ON
the other end of the rope, and Collins
bringing up the rear with an eighteen-inch
carving knife in one hand and a Chinese
wash bill in the other. 1t a the original !
OF the executioners to Jake the
condemned man across the flat and hang
him to one OF the man, pine trees which at {
that time grew in abundance there, but ,
after a hasty exchange of ideas in which the ,
took no part because it was not I
his put, it was decided to hang him to the '
nearest cross-pole, which happened to be
one OF the roof poles of the cabin in which .
the two white mel lived. TIE end OF the :
rope carried by Haffy was t ROW. up over '
this pole and the order to haul away was v
with alacrity and the Chinaman was soon n
2 dangling ornament in front of the cabin. "
was hauled up and down four or five b
times just Tor the fun of seeing lin kick, "
but he o kicked the bucket and was
then allowed to remain stationary, with his d
Get about fifteen inches from the ground. b
Sone OF the other Cinnamon in the employ g.
y tho two men attempted to interfere, as "
'hey were afraid OF meeting with the same b
ate as their brother Chinaman. After the u
Haffy and Collins went about their 81
business as usual, considering that the in
ihinaman had been hanged by them for b.
ust cause and that the law of the territory
'ould indicate them for their atrocious tt
Charles 8. Warren was at that time "
nerln OF the county, with headquarters sf
It Deer Lodge, this county not having VI
cen segregated from Deer Lodge at thai Oh
lme. As soon as he heard of the crime he til
emit to the cabin and cut the body down hs
linen rounded up Collins and placed WI
i'm in jail, but Haffy went out into the
Ills, where he remained for some time, his Id
lends supplying him with food. Finally. w
reward OF $500 vas offered for his ar. tn
'st: The fugitive was notified Of this by CT
trends, but instead OF leaving the coun- !
at once he vent to Deer Lodge, at that G..
me the county seat, and under cover of me
arkness visited d priest and asked his bu
Twice about giving himself up to the au. ole
and claiming the reward which my
thought would be amply sufficient to thi
iend MIN in the courts and clear him of the
e charge OF murder. The priest immedi- is
ely called in q lawyer and asked his adj. bu'
on the subject. The lawyer informet l b
'uid De fatal, as he would be hanged ash
re. Ih1s piece OF advice from the legal 70
IN seemed to open Haffy's eyes, and he sol
TO realize Tor the first time the posi-. ing
N IN which he was placed. He then {
me back to Butte by a circuitous W
ute, but after remaining here a few bet
urs ie1t ior Jefferson county, and hiss ma
yer peer heard from since. tt
Collins, his partner in crime, was sent nm CAV
niteen years. His "term OF Office" AZ. mo-
several years ago, but no one seems r, pl
know what became of him after his lib- to g
ZION. l wi
or several months after the CEinaman will
, hanged, Mr.. Mcnamara and Ed of f
key occupied the cabin, a protrudine mys
l-poie OF which had served as a gallo ys
swinging Hong Lees soul back to the M
'ery kingdom from whence it came. Al Bio
OF mystery, however, which the occu- folio
'ts could not explain, lowered in and Law
ut that cabin. The men would retire tt
IN early hour in the evening, but after troit
2 pering a few hours their rest would he plsc c,
ken oy the labbering of d Chinese voice. some
~ seemed to be repeating the words wher
: ~ ene Gook before he was hanged,
II -sSIs mug linen 8 gurgling
10 you'd be heard, and all would he NJ,
On one or two Occasions tbs I'VE
awakened during the night and saw Ball
nlnaman standing over an old sheet cause
stove in one corner of the cabin irving dered
N and turning fapiacks as of Old 49,
too much for even the hardy .ne '
GERS and they forthwith rolled m leagu
blankets and moved to higher ground in de
o 'ney o are. sion,
,--G,, is inv
!. HuaS' the sc
III "ooy was porn in Cornwall, Eng judgn
somewhere between thirty and s;xt, ment
ago, but came tn Amor;oo 49, whene
old enough to die. Mr.. Eddy (beg
On, Judge) was attacked with the Nnu
Peak fever, then raging, about a. ent;.a,
cot 80 -, VI America quenc.