Daily Republican., 1889-06-26
HANGING IS A PAINLESS DEATH.


Joseph Kirkland in America.
While in Idaho, in the autumn of 1888
northeast slope of Carriboo Mountain,
Bingham County,, i learned that neigh
boring gold-plaeer miner had once been
hanged by robbers TO extOrt disclosure
Of the hiding place of his ''elean-up" Of
gold dust-some $4,000 or more. Here
seemed to be q chance to get information
from first hands; testimony more full and
Trustworthy than any have ever seen
produced Tor publication.
The man Is an IrishmRn, with but a
slight, though visible residue of bioaue
to distinguish bin from other frontiers
men. His reputation Is that OF very
close, very shrewd, very determined old
bachelor; hard working in the extreme,
expert and successful as business man,
especially 10 extracting gold from gravel
by the help of water-whether by pipe,
rocker or pan-and probably worth S60,-
900 TO $4,000.
found him in his low-browed, sod
rooied cabin; no companion but his cat,
no furniture but a dinRy bunk, q few
rough chairs and q stove, pair OF gold
scales sitting on the window ledge, some
clippings from illustrated papers pasted
gu the walls, and Suggestive of the ter
rible mountain winters) a pair of the
snow shoes universally used thereabouts,
10 or i2 feet long, by to 6 inches wide,
thin and elastic.
The old man, despite his reputation for
crustiness, always seemed to take to me,
ard we strollcd out to the placer which
had been his working pa ace for over l6
years. 1t was a desolatIon OF boulder
strcwn bedrock, few acres in extent,
boriered by Mccoy Creek on one side,
and on the other by the face of the gravel
ban k containing unknown millions Of
cubic yards of 'pay dirt" Seating our
selves on convenient boulders we fell into
talk. Said |;
"They say that some robbers strung
you up to make you tell where you kept
your dust"
"They did, SIR"
"Well, now, there's been a great dis
cussion going OH among humane people
as to whether hanging is or is not pain
iul DEATH whether mnrderers can't be
put an end to in some more merciful
way. Have you heard about IN"
~ don't believe l have"
swell, it's So anyway. And ] guess
you know more about the subject in
minute than the philanthropists can find
out In O year"
He laughed. ~ shouldn't wonder"
81 wish you'd tell nc ali about It The
world ought to know what you know,
and may publish what you say, Is you
have no objection; but / don't need to
give your name. Don't talk about 1t If
you don't want to; but l hope you won't
mind giving me the factF
mot the least in the world"
well, does q man suffer when he's
haugeds"
omit my own interlocutions and
throw his answer into single paragraph,
in order that 1t may be copied by papers
which cannot find room Tor the whole
narrative.
"When the rope first squeezes q mans
neck it hurts his skin somewhat. My
throat and neck were sore and swelled
for week after 1 was robbed. But Just
as soon as the pressure is on he knows no
more about 1t. / just went to sleep, and
that was the end OF 1t until began to
come to. They strung me up three times
before l would tell, and between times
they were thrusting their guns in my
iace as | sat In chair, with nv arms
tied, they threatening TO blow my brains
out; but l just said had no dust. The
laet time, l Judge, | was a long time
coming to; guess they thought ! was
dead. When | woke up, kind o. dazed
Ike, l was sitting IN the chair, and they
were hunting around tie place. Then
they threw the rope over the beam again,
and l pointed to stone in the hearth;
they dug there and got Il tomato can full
of dusC-ab. Mt $4,000. They wanted
more, and were going to hang me again,
but said that was all l had, and they
could kill me If they liked. 1t was get
ting daylight then, and they went oG. |
sat quiet and stupid till the neighbors
came and pat ne In bed"
The supplemented, unexci.ed, bust
ness like earneetneas Of the old man left
not doubt IN my mind OF the entire
truth OF every word he uttered. We
walked back to his cabin and sat down.
The one room was ceitd with cotton
cloth, nailed to the raiters and white
washed. Under this two poles ran across
from wall - wall.
"They stopped at a neighbours house
and took what they could get-thst was
alter midnight. Then they came on hero
and Knocked at my door. ] got up and
lighted my lamp and went and opened
the door. L could Just see lot OF men
with white cloth over their faces, with
holes for the eyes, and every one had a
gun pointed at me. thought some of
the boys were playing a joke on me, ana
they pushed me back and came in. They
bad long halter rope with EN- they had
stolen from the other house, but they
took down my clothes line and tied my
arms.
"Didn't they say word?p
ooh, yes; uey were shoutn' and hol-
leIiu' all the time-cussin and sweGrin'
an askin' me where hid my claue-up"
"What did you say?"
81 guess ! told 'em to 20 to h-,that |
had sent oil my clSne-up-or something. |
disremembcr what"
"Then what dill they sayl"
"Oh, they holerd Kill himl Hang |
him up! and more oil the like. Then they |
put the halter rope round me neck and |
threw the other end over the bamc there. !
(Pointing to tn cross stick nearest the |
door, They stood me up under it |
and asked me would ] tell. And when | |
shook my head they pulled me up"
"Aiter they let you down the last time |
where were youl
"Sittin' in that rockin' chair there.
An there i sat till aither daylight, when
the neighbors came flom the house they
wint TO before they came to mine"
What did you say and do"
81 couldn't say much. They gave me
drink of water, ami tied rag round
my neck, and laid me down on the bed
there. And | could ste that the dlvvss
had missed canfull OF dust that stood
right open on tie shelf behind the stove.
1t was SO open aud careless-loOkin' thy
never touched it. 1t had between four
and Ave thousand In II"
The keen gray eyes twinkled amid their
wrinkles at the recollection OF this sweet
nan In1 nj |