The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1891-02-19

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81 II
| q SSAA ~ IL oTwhen he dug himself
I &&Ett VIZ up no one ever knew
N1Ixlh IA or cared, reckon. But
| IS lee-%F1 ~ his big round, red face,
| n 2hNI TI heavy red beard and
| "a Eaf l19U M brick-dust hair plainly
] EtyEth IL //Zz| have TO answer for the
! gI3tSsI w - first part OF his namc.
| S-1Eyy .sE7sssE aEssssE lie was a big, stupid
and heavy man, with
low, soft voice and kindly manner, with
very little 20 say. lie did not use a jack-kuife
| 10 whittle dry-goods boxes and hitching-poss,
like most men when loafing about the door of
| the saloon, but stood with his big, heavy legs
wide apart, his broad shoulders stopped and his
two hands thrust deep in his pockets, If on
the deck Of a shin.
Sid Berry, his partner, had pack. train and
a big, burly wife with jaw like a wolf-trap.
She could ride mule and she could dTive a
| mule well Rs a Mexican could; and that
meant that she could swear terribly. No one
knew where Berry and the woman came from.
| In fact, nobody knew or cared TO know where
| anybody came from. We had all tumblcd in
there together when gold was found-a long
line OF Us on our way from California, through
! the wilderness 10 Idaho. We had found gold
| by chance one day about noon, and before
| night we bad "clty" staked Off and every
man, the big woman included, had a lot and a
mining claim. We did not know where we
were; we only knew that we were several
| hundred miles from the nearest white hAbi-
tation; that we were lawlcss mob, and so
must have law and order; a Recorder 70 record
our claims aud town lots Judge to pass judg-
ment, and Sheriff 10 enforce il.
And so one night by the light Of great pine.
knot fire in the center of the " City Square" the
/ men and that woman met and elected Mr..
Goodwin, now a rich and respected wholesale
/ merchant in San Francisco, Recorder. Tom
/ la fqha oil md
| the writer of this narrative Judge. IL is no
| little compliment 90 record that these three
parties were chosen at the first general State
| election two years later 10 ill the very same
offices. But let us get on with the hanging.
Shed had big, woolly, black dog. devoted 10
| him; and that woman was devoted 10 him, too.
| We boys all saw this very soon. Where there
is only about one woman and a half 20 several
hundred men the boys are apt TO see what is
up
The pack-train was of soon for The Dalles,
200 miles distant, Berry his big wife, Shed, the
hig woolly dog. aud all together. In a month
the caravan came back all right and we had
the city already built. And we had grave
yard started mp on the hill too; for we had
taken some whisky with US from California.
After time the pack-train started for The
Dalies again, Berry his big wife, Red shed, tho
big black woolly dog and all. They were
also other parties coming aud going up and
down the new road 10 The Dales now-tTaders,
travellers, prospectOTs and all sorts Of people.
One morning four miners met the pack-train
about half way from The Dalles, as they were
coming back TO Canyon City with horses loaded
with supplies. The big woman rode the bell
mule AZ the head Of the pack-tTain and swOre
Justify az the men and their laden horses for
not getting out OF her way faster. Behind the
paek-train came Red Shed, shuiling along
heavily and leading his horse; and with head
held down. Tho dog was not 10 be seen, and
Berry was not in sight, either.
But as they crossed a spur Of tho mountain
and came to a creek they saw off 20 the right,
or. rather, the first bend, old woolly bowling
dismally by the edge Of a thicket. The dog
did not seem to see them or notice them, bnt
would start on after the pack train then stop
and howl, rs il TO tell the big woman and Red
Shed that they had forgotten something.
SO when the dog, after bowling a minute OF
50, turned about and ran back into the thicket,
one of the men handed his bride 70 the miner
nearest him in the trail, and, gun in hand,
went 20 see what was up.
There lay Berry in the edge Of the bush,
deAd-shot through the head his hair ali
blood, and his torn clothes all dust from having
been dragged there.
TIE men wrote everything down in little
notebook with a pencil, so that there could be
no mistake about the facts, and then having
nothing 10 dig grave with, hey found hoI-
low place not Ear OF on the hillside and laid the
BODY there, covering IL with heap OF stones
They said nothing when they got back till
The paek-tran came in, Shed, the big woman,
the big black wooiy dog too. But the dog
was only big black shadow now, as If he
might have laid there in the bush by the old
camp all this time, waiting for his master TO
come back and get something that he had for
gotten.
The next day after the pack train got back.
Tom Hound, the Sheriff, called at the big
Woman's camp. She WAS washing a pair of
blankets aud the water was bloody. She told
Hound that Shed had killed an Antelope and
tied il while yet warm on top Of his pack.
Where WAS Berry2 Oh, Berry aud she had
divided up at The Dalles; he had gone his way
aud she had come her way, "and that is all
there is Of that"
Her thum and finger snapped in the air, she
tossed her big head as she turned on her big
heel and her jaw snapped like a stee-trap
Hound found Shed, the shad0Wy old dog at
his heels, out on the hill with the mules. His
feet wide apart, his hands deep in his pockets
and his head bent low, he was watching a col.
Ony Of ants reforming their curious little city
A mule had set It's foot i'm this ant hill aud the
big, heavy man with head down was so busy. so
sorry, ~ he watched them that he did not see
or hear Hound till has hand was on his shoul-
der.
All right, Tom only let me lead 'em down
10 water and sort 'er herd 'em up a bit. for il
mOut be some time before herd 'em agin."
The trial WIS held in the City Square that
night, by the light Of big log FIRE. And the
dog was surely the only friend that Red Shed
! had. The big woman was not there Why she
was not there, why she WAS not then a prisoner
and on trial also does seem strAnge-passing
! strange. But ah, these were the days when
women had wumen's rights 30 perfection. For
after the trial and sentence of death had been
| passed-and all rather hastily, so that the boys
might not lose any sleep, but be up in good time
/ 90 the hanging-the Court on his way TO
/ his cabin saw her "placidly" taking down
/ pair Of blankets from the clothes-line.
| Hound worked all night aud got up n first
rate scaiiOld by the little graveyard In fact,
any one TO look at that scatfOld would have said
| il was equal 10 the scafIOlds of a much older
| civilization.
"'Bout noon suit you, Shed1"
"All right Tom; bout noon"
Thought I'd kinder like 10 let the boys git
| in from round about you know. They don't
] have much 20 muse em, you know"
''All right Tom; let 'em git in"
IL was n warm day 10 DO so late in the Fall.
/ There were four of us on the scafTold-Shed,
| Hound, the dog and myself Shed had sent