The Arizona sentinel. [volume] (Arizona City [Yuma], Yuma County, A.T. [Ariz.]) 1872-1911, 1890-07-26

u Z CAetNO 1ceGo VI CiIC Nt"0N . i-<. ' \
communicated with some Of my
neighbors III the 'potters field" in
which | lie, on'this subject. The
experience Of these parties is SINH
lar to my own. They also, speak
ing Of them as individuals although
they long since lost every trace Of
humanity, appear to he condemned
to bear company with their rottin1
and decayed fragments that arc
fast resolving INFO dust. I am
informed by one, who is my nearest
ncighbor shat, although his former
shape has now been reduced to cor
rupt and decaying matter, he him
self, speaking Of him Of course as
an individual, still animates and
exists therein. Even in these dis
NAL shades | find ''companion
ship in misery"
This person also informs me that
this state Of affairs is in nowise due
to any crimes he may have com
mitted in the flesh, but that his
experience was the experience
of all the myriads whose pale
forms had been consigned to
earth since life began and ended.
This mans statements on these
abstruse and difficult problems
had some weight with me until
after consulting some other neigh
bors Of mine in this dreary place. |
learned that he originally came
from Texas. While there he en-
acted the "role" of the chad man"
successfully. He was highly APP
preciated by his associates on that
account, and finally sent to the Lee
geslature. While occupying this ex-
allied position he ran short of meat
one day and thoughtlessly appro-
priated calf belonging to a friend
Of his and mad to leave the country
speedily. In fact he resigned. He
came to Arizona and was promptly
lynched on general principles.
Another neighbor of mine who
occupies a grave somewhat distant
from the one I adorn, an old gen
tleman, venerable, not only from
the decadence of his remains, but
from the general knowledge he dis
plays of life after death, so to
speak, goes farther into this mat
ter than does the Texas desperate.
He informs me that he died at the
age of 76, he was also hangel~
His popularity in tie flesh was
stage-robbery, a:'PHd one night while
in pursg1t75ofh his calling, he shot at
a stxge-horse and by the purest ac-
cident killed the driver.
For this n1ishap, purely innocent
of itself, he was lynched by an I'M
thinking and dissolute mob. This
old party, now badly decayed, was
also from Texas. He was a peace
officer there of some kind for many
years, and held in high esteem.
His weakness for mail bags and
express boxes finally excited a
suspicion in the minds of his
neig lbors and he was compelled to
emigrate.
He connded to me the fact that
he had passed most Of his life in
the penitentiary, and admitted
that, had all the facts of his career
been known he would have been
there yet. AS he hailed from Texas
was forced 20 agree with him.
To mix forever with the ele-
ments,
To be a brother to the insensiblc
rock.
And to the sluggish clod, which
the rude swain,
Turns with his share, and
treads upon"
He also tells me with unexamp-
led eloquence' borrowed from the
same author) all about the shroud,
and pail, the stern agony, the mar
row house and its breathless dark
ness, and many other such poetical
illusions to his present condition,
whereas | know that. according to
his own admissions, he was hanged
on cottonwood with stake-rope.
feel somewhat demoralized COM
ing into contact with these Texas
people, for | myself, was hanged in
a highly respectable and decent
by a sheriff on a gallows
that cost $50, and the County paid
all expenses.
[ consider myself somewhat SUI
perior to these people even if l am
a corpse with a severed spinal
column.
However we must make allow
lnces. We cannot all be hanged
as we would wish to us dwellers in
5he neither gloom, as we are, and
from the contact with our
rotten flesh and decaying bones,
With the active worm forever re-
us Of our former trans
yressions, | may say, speaking for
myself at least, and not calling in
% question my disreputable friends
rom Texas, that my peace of mind 7
S disturbed by the ever present re-
that hundreds of my
ormer acquaintance and associ-
ties should be occupying apart