The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1891-11-06
HOW WEHUNG RED SHED

10 answer luz GuO nISb PaA1 VI AAo AnAAAOs
He was big, stupid and heavy man, with
a low, soft voice and a kindly manner,
with very little to say. He did not use
jackknife to whittle dry goods boxes and
hitching posts like most men when loafng
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 q
wolf trap. She could ride mule and she
could drive mule as well as 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 'city" 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 we were
lawless mob and so must have law and
, order; a recorder to record or claims and
town lots, 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-
suected wholesale merchant in San Fran
Ton, Hound the hr,tcbor
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 to 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 a 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 some
whisky with us from California.
After time the pack train started for
The Dalles again, Berry, his big wife, Red
Shed, the woody 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 a creek they saw off to
the right, or rather the first bend, ole
woolly bowling dismally by the edge of 8
thicket. The dog did not seem to see then
| or notice them, but would start on after
the pack train. then stop and howl, as if tc
| 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 IN the trail
and, gun in hand, went to see what was up
There lay Berry in the edge of the busf
dead-shot through the head, his hair al
blood, and his torn clothes all dust from
having been dragged there.
The men wrote everything down in ;
little note book with pencil, so that there
could be no mistake about the facts, anC
then, having nothing to dig grave with
they found hollow place not far off OF
the hillside and laid the body there, cover
| ing it with heap Of stones.
They said nothing when they got bach
till the pack train came in, Shed, the biz
woman, the big woolly dog too.
The next day after the pack train go
back Tom Hound, the sheriff, called at th
big woman's camp. She was washing
pair of blankets and the water was bloody
She told Hound that Shed had killed al
antelope and tied it while yet warm on to-
of his pack.
Where was Berry, Oh, Berry and sh,
had divided up at The Dalles; he had gon
his way and she had come her way, 'ant
that is all there is of thatP'
Her fingers snapped in the air, she tosse'
her big head as she turned on her big hee
and her jaws snapped like a steel trap.
Hound found Shed, the shadowy old do
at his heels, out on the hill with the mules
His feet wide apart, his hands deep in hi
| pockets and his head bent low, he wa
watching little colony of ants reforming
their curious little city. A mule had Sc
its foot in this ant hill, and the big man
with head down, was so busy, so sorry as
watched them that he did not see or hea
Hound till his hand was on his shoulder.
"All right, Tom; only let me lead tn
mules down to water and sort er herd Eel
up bit"
The trial was held in the city squar
that night by the light of big log fire
And the dog was surely the only frien
that Red Shed had. The big woman wa
not there Why she was not there, VIII
she was not then a prisoner and on tria
also does seem strange-passing strange
But ah, those were the days when wome
had women's rights to perfection. Fo
after the trial and the sentence Of deaf
had been passed-and all rather hastily, s
that the boys might not lose any sleep, bu
be up in good time to see the hanging
the court on his way to his cabin saw be
"placidly" taking down pair of blanket
from the clothesline.
Hound worked all night and got up
first rate scaffold by the little graveyard
In fact, any one to look at it would hav
said it was equal to the scaffolds of niue
older civilization.
"'Bout noon suit you. Shed'"
"All right, Tom: bout noon"
Thought I'd kinder like TO let the boz
git in from round about. They don't hav
much to muse 'em, you know
"All right, Tom; let 'em git in.
Ii was a warn gay TO be so late in Il
! fall. There we're four Of rs on the scafIol
Shed, Hound, the dog and myself She
] =
thing, or at Iesst hep sing. But it w
awful to be uaer5l The dog kept rollin
his big. woolly nead up against Sheds tie
legs and whining aud whining all Il
time, as if it were he and not quiet at
] = ! L.~