Waterbury evening Democrat., 1891-01-13
AN oLD-TIME HANGING.
A Sample of Texas Justice When That
 State Was Q RepublIc.

is now Hunt County, in this State,
 about fourteen miles east of Greenville,
 and only a short distance from the fa-
 nous town of Black Jack Grove, says Q
 Texas correspondent of the Philadel-
 phia Times. This trial took place in
 1s44, and its history has never before
 been written up. There was only one
 newspaper printed in two hundred and
 fifty miles of the place, and 1t only
 made a passing reference to local mat
 ters, presuming that the people knew
 of them, and it's limited space was taken
 up with foreign news.
 There are very few persons now liv-
 ing who were present on this unique
 occasion. One of these was Henry
 Slidmore, of this city, who is now moro
 than three score and ten years. AL
 though the writer has heard of the trial
 all his life and has played upon the spot
 where it took place, MT. Slsidmore is
 the only man whom he ever met that
 was present and participated in it. At
 that time this country was on the
 northwestern frontier of the Republic of Texas. The policy of the Texas Gov ernment toward the Indians was hu- mane and liberal. The reason was ob- vious. There were then on the frontier
 she Comanches and other powerful tribes who were always ready to wage war upon the slightest pretext.
 Living among the whites were frag- ments of numerous bands of Indians, who were inveterate enemies of the Co manches. They made an offensive pledge for mutual protection. If white man killed one of these friendly Indians he was to be turned over to them for trial, and if an Indian should kill a white man the whites were to try him.
 There was a band of horse thieves that had regular stations from the Mis- sissippi river to the Sabine, on the frontier. Near where the town of Lone Oak, Hunt County, now stands lived two members of the gang, named Ray and Mitchell. In the Sabine bottom, near by, some of the friendly tribes struck camp for the winter of 1s4S-4 Ray and Mitchell became quite intimate with them.
 The Indians were bountifully supplied with provisions, blankets and belts, be- sides some horses and money. In April, 1s44, two members of the gang of horse- thieves, named Andy Jones and Harry White, arrived at Mitchell and Rays. The four worthies coveted the posses sions of the Indians, and decided that the best way to obtain their property was to kill them. With very little de- lay they surprised and killed eleven of the unsuspecting Indians in the most cruel and cold-blooded manner imagin- able. The remainder of the Indians in that vicinity saved themselves by flight.
 Little attention was paid to the atro- cious affair by the whites, but it was soon learned that the Indians intended to revenge themselves upon all the set tiers unless the murderers were brought to justice. Aroused to a sense of the danger that confronted them, the whites arrested Mitchell, Ray, Jones and White, and offered to turn them over to the Indians, but the Indians re- fused to receive them. They insisted that all the whites from the Arkansas line to the frontier and from Red river to the Sabine take part in the trial. Couriers were sent all over the country summoning the people to meet at Merideth Hart's place in Sulphur on the first Monday in June.
 On the appointment day fully two thousand white people and five hundred Indians were present. The crowd chose one of its number to preside over the deliberations of the meeting. Another citizen was chosen to represent the peo- plo and tho Indians. The accused were permitted to select the citizens to repre- sent them. A jury was then selected, and no man was allowed to sit upon 1t that was objectionable to the accused. John B. Simpson, county judge of Fan min County, who was present by request, swore in the jury. Two days were then consu med in hearing the testi- mony. The prosecution made a com plete case, and declined to argue it be- fore the jury. The defense made a strong plea for mercy. The jury re- tired, and after deliberating three hours returned a verdict of guilty against all the men, and fixed the date of their ex- ecution two days from the hour of the finding of the verdict.
 There was still a chance for the con- demned men. There was one appeal. and that was to the people themselves. If they approved the verdict the men must die; if they did not, some other course would have to be taken.
 The presiding officer then called upon all who agreed with the jury to walk to the right, and those who did not to go to the left Every man except one went to the right. He explained that his reason for opposing the execution was that he had conscientious scruples against the infliction of the death pen alty as a punishment for crime. On Saturday heavy pole was placed in the forks of two trees that stood near each other. The doomed men stood in a wagon, the moose was adjusted, some words of religious consolation were ut tered, the wagon was pulled away and the men had expiated their crime
 After it was all over the Indians re- newed their pledges of friendship and expressed their satisfaction at what had been done. The spot where this trial took place was an opening or glade in the edge of the bottom of a small creek that is one of the tributa- ries of the Sulphur river. The judge, jury, accused and council sat under a