Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1891-10-23
HOW WE HUNG RED SHED

Where or how he had dug up the name
of Shed no one ever knew or cared, | reck-
on. But his big, round, red face, heavy
red beard and brick dust hair plainly have
to answer for the first part of his name.
He was big, stupid and heavy man. with
a low, soft voice and kindly manner,
with very little to say. He did not use a
jackknife to whittle dry goods boxes and
hitching posts like most meH when loating
about the door of the saloon, but stood
with his big, heavy legs wide apart, his
broad shoulders stopped and his hands
thrust deep in his pockets, as if on the deck
of ship.
Sid Berry, his partner had pack train
and big. burly wife with jaw like a
wolf trap. She could ride a mule and she
could drivea mule as we'll as 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 tumbled in there
together when gold was found-a long line
of us on our way from California, through
the wilderness to Idaho. We had found
gold by chance one day about noon, and
before night we had Getty" staked off,
and every man, the big woman included,
had lot and mining claim. We did not
know where we were; we only knew that
we were several hundred miles from the
nearest white habitation; that ~e were a
iawless mob and SO must have law and
order; a recorder to record or claims and
town lots, a judge to pass judgment, and a
sheriff to enforce it.
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 re-
spected wholesale merchant in San Fran
cisco, recorder Tom Hound, the butcher,
was elected sheriff and the writer of this,
judge.
Shed had big, woolly, black dog de-
voted to him, and that woman was devoted
to him too. We boys all saw this very
soon. Where there is only about one wo-
man and half to several hundred men,
the boys are apt 70 see what is up.
The pack train was off soon for The
Dalles, 200 miles distant, Berry, his big
wife, Shed, the big woolly dog and all to-
gether In month the caravan came back
all right, and we had the city already
built. And we had a graveyard started
up on the hill, too, for we had taken somr
whisky with us from California.
After time the pack train started for
The Dalles again, Berry, his big wife, Red
Shed, the wooHy dog and all
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 at the head OF
the pack train and swore Justify at the
men and their laden horses for not getting
out of her way faster. Behind the pack
train came Red Shed shutting along, lead
ing his horse, and with head held down.
The dog was not to be seen and Berry was
not in sight, either
But as they crossed spur of the noun
tain and came to creek they saw off to
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, but would start on after
the pack train, then stop and howl, as if to
tell the big woman and Red Shed that they
had forgotten something.
So when the dog, after bowling min
ute or SO, turned about and ran back into
the thicket, one of the men handed his
bride to the miner nearest him 10 the trail,
and, gun in hand, went to see what was up.
There lay Berry in the edge of the bush
dead-shot through the head. his hair all
blood, and his torn clothes all dust from
having been dragged there.
The men wrote everything down in q
little note book with a pencil, SO that there
could be no mistake about the facts, and
then, having nothing to dig grave with,
they found hollow place not far off on
the hillside and laid the body there, cover
ing it with a heap Of stones.
They said nothing when they got back
till the pack train came in, Shed, the big
woman, the big woolly dog too.
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 and the water was bloody.
She told Hound that Shed had killed an
antelope and tied it while yet warm on tor
of his pack.
Where was Berry? Oh, Berry and she
had divided up at The Dalles; he had gpnss
his way and she had come her way, 'and
that is all there is of thatp'
Her fingers snapped in the air, she tossed
her big head as she turned on her pig heel
and her jaws snapped like steel trap.
Hound found Shed, the shadowy 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 little colony Of ants reforming
their curious little city. A mule bad sci
its foot In this ant hill, and the big man,
with head down, WIGS 20 busy, SO sorry as he
watched them that be did not see OF hear
Hound till his hand was on his shoulder.
"All right, Tom; only let me lead the
mules down to water and sort er herd 'em
up bitb
The trial was 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-passlng strange
But ali, those were the days when women
had women's rights to perfection. For
after the trial and the sentence of death
had been passed-and all rather hastily, sc
that the boys might not lose any sleep, but
be up in good time to see the hanging
the court on his way to his cabin saw hel
"placidly" taking down a pair of blankets
from the clothesline.
Hound worked all night and got up a
first rate scaffold by the little graveyard
In fact, any one to look at it would have
said it was equal to the scaffolds of much
Older civilization.
"'Bout noon suit you, Shedg"
"All right, Tom; bout noon"
Thought I'd kinder like to let the boys
git in from round about. They don't have
much to muse 'em, you know"
"All right, Tom; let 'em git in"
1t was warm day to be so late in ths
fall. There were four OF us Oh the scaffolf
Shed, Hound, the dog and myself. Shed
had sent Hound to ask me to say some
thing, or at least help sing. But it was
awful to be there! The dog kept rolling
his big, woolly head I'D against Sheds tied
legs and whining and whining all tht
time, as if it were he and not quiet anG
passive old Red Shed that was to bt
hanged.
There was an immense crowd; queer
curious crowd. 1t came up so close that i