Omaha daily bee., 1890-01-12

more are yet to be brought before the bar of
justice TO answer for the same crime. These
unfortunates arc Indians, negroes and white
men hardened by lives OF lawlcsness and the
evil companions with whom they have long
been accustomed to associate. Some of
them murdered for money. others for re-
venge; and the history of their crimes is hut
a repetition of that of nearly u hundred
others that have been expiated en- the same
gallows from which these men are soon TO
take their fatal drop.
Perhaps no other structure since the
bloody guillotine of the French revolution
can boast of having sent so many souls into
eternity as the old gallows standing in a
quiet corner of the jail yard at Fort
Smith. This famous scaffold was erected
fifteen years ago, and since that time sew
enty-two murderers have dropped through
its fatal trap. Its victims have been of all
classes and conditions of life and of various
natiOnalities, all for crimes committed in the
Indian territory, or that portion of it over
which the United States court for the west
ern district of Arkansas has jurisdiction.
ONE OF THE ''GAMEsTn MEN
that ever swung from this gallows-and
most of the unfortunates died game-was
DIR. Henri Stewart. a graduate of Yale col
lege and u MAJ of extensive travel and
much information. He had been a ply stefan
on board an English merchantmaD ana had
sailed the seas for several years in that
capacity, but coming back to America ne
drifted into the Indian territory and falling
among evil companions wandered into the
paths of crime and paid the penalty on the
gallows. 1t seems that Wiley Stewart, a
cousin of Henri. who was then residing in
the Choctaw nation, had a grudge against
an old doctor living at Coddo ana had deter.
mined to XII him. Henri was ap.
prised of Wiley's intention and went
along TO see the deed well done.
Both men were under the influence of liquor,
and all Indian Territory whisky belongs to
the fighting kind. They rode up to the rail
r.nn1 1nn,nt ~ AIH -tvh L. thnt~ ,y.,,, -, 49,
suspicious Of danger, stood on the platform
awaiting the train. Henri Stewart drew his
six-shooter and Tired into the ground, then
Wiley regarding that as a signal to begin OPP
erations. opened fire with a Winchester and
soon brought down his old enemy. Wiley,
who was one of the most hardened charac.
tiers in the territory, made mis- escape and
was never Appreciated, but Henri was ar
rested for the crime and was proven guilty
OF having entered into n conspiracy to com
init murder, and all efforts TO save him We're
of no avail. He protested his Innocence to
the last and made a short speech on the gal
lows warning his hearers against bad COM
pany and strong drink, then ..
CALMLY ASSISTING THE HANGMAN
to adjust the fatal moose about his neck, he
bade the crowd farewell and was dropped
into eternity.
Colorado Bill was Stewards companion on
the gallows, He too died game, but his
courage was more of the daredevil,
braggadocio kind and not the cool
courage of resignation that Stewart
possessed, Colorado Bill had killed several
men, but the crime for which he forfeited
his lie was the murder of a young man at
Mushogee, with whom ne became involved
in a difficulty on account of a fallen woman.
Two ,handsomer men than Henri Stewart
and Colorado Bill would be hard to lind.
Both were six feet tall and well proper
toned, but Stewards features showed cul-
ture and refinement while Bills were
rugged aid coarse from the wild life of ex.
posure he had led in the west.
Many other interesting cases have termin-
ated on this gallows, and the expert hang
mar who has dispatched over fifty of them
cuu truly boast of never having made a miss.
He prides himself on breaking the neck of
every man he hangs, aud says it is an act of
humanity to carry out the sentence of the
law and exact the penalty that stern
unnecessary suffering to the unfor-
tunates whose lives must be taken.
This expert hangman has the knot we'll un