The Negro world., 1892-07-30
HANGING ELDER BROWN.
The Miners Were Accommodating. bu
They Disliked to Hurry.

The Miners Were Accommodating. but
They Disliked to Hurry.
We simply had to hang him or 60
/ back on law and custom and lose all
our dignity as mining camp The
elder wasn't bad man by any means.
He'd been real church elder in lndi-
ana, and he'd have probably been there
| vet if the preacher hadn't efoped with
Mrs. Brown and sort o. broke him up.
He used to pretend he didn't care two
cents about ii, but we knew he did.
Fact is, no mans wife can slide out and
leave the supper dishes unwashed and
| the children CRYING to be spanked and
put To bed without being missed. The
elder didn't go back on religion on ac-
count of the mishap. but he was down
on preachers like n ton of brick II he
could have been turned loose with n
hundred of them he'd have considered
it failure if one got away alive.
He'd been with us at Strawberry Hill
over six months when he did the kill
ing. One day he heard that preacher
was down at TonahawlS Point, and he
went down to be the death of him. The
preacher had gone the day before, and
the elder came back all broke mp and
out of sorts A miner named Dan Pep
pcrs flung out something mean, and the
elder lost control of himself, and hit
him with pickax handle and killed
him on the spot There wasn't any
need of a trial. A dozen men saw the
killing, and the elder himself cN-
planned
I'm guilty, of course. and thar's no
need of you wastin' time in foolin'
around. ! know the law, and expect
you'll enforce it
YES we've got to hang you, of
COURSE" said Judge Bebee, who was
the boss of our diggings in the matter
of law and order, "but thar's no great
rush about it. Let's see. To-day is
Tuesday. How would you like to be
hung along about Friday or Saturday,
elder? Fridays the regular hanging
day, but we kin jest as well wait till
Saturday afternoon never did be-
lieve in rushin' such things"
Il don't see no object in waitin'," re-
piled the elder, as he put his coffeepot
on the fire in front of his shanty. "As
long as I've got to hang | might as well
40 Il uOu llNt 10 HtN
things on my mind to worry over.
81 know, elder-I know just how you
feel" continued the judge, 'an yit we
amt rushed. We don't want to string
YOU mp like one would drive hog outer
the garden. If you kin git ready 10y
Saturday thatll do for us.
Tile elder growled about the delay,
but finally agreed upon the day, and two
men were detailed to guard him in his
shanty. He kept his patience fairly
well until Thursday morning, whe he
sent for the judge and said:
Look here, Judge. don't want to be
any longer. want to be hanged this
afternoon"
why, bless yoEs, we agreed on Satur-
day.
81 know it; but amt tnllin' bit of
comfort over this. Bein as I'm the one
to he hung, | think | orter hev my say
about it."
Yes it does appear kinder that way
I'll blow the horn and get the boys up
and see what they say"
We were all called in and the case
stated, and n vote was taken as to
whether we should knock off work TO
oblige the elder. The motion was car
ried by nine ma jority, and the Judge re-
turned to the shanty 10 say:
Elder. it gives me unalloyed pleas
ure to inform you that you arc to be
hnug this afternoon at 2 o'clock"
Thanks replied the elder. Our
boys are ALWAYS u leetle slow. Git EN-
around ON time if you kim"
''l'll do my purtiest, elder, and now
you'd better prepar' fur your journey
Nou'rc goin' over the divide, and you'll
never return"
At exactly o'clock the elder was
standing on the head of pork barrel
under a tree while rope was made fast
To limb above his head.
Elder" said the judge. after seeing
everything in order, 1.-The boys are eN-
peeting a speech from you on this au-
spicious occasion"
"Fve got nothin' to sav," he replied.
'Dog-goue my buttons, but I'm glad
I'm goin'."
Don't be in no rush, elder; lots of
time to turn around in. II you want to
talk Wen give you AN hour or two.
It'll break the afternoon for rs, any
how, you know"
''l'm no tallSer Go ahead with your
hangin'r'
wall. elder, it's only material you'd
be leetle outer sorts under the sar-
cumstances and We won't keep you any
longer. Good-by 10 your
There was a rope fast to the barrel
A dozen men pulled on II. and fhe elder
( was swung of. He died very easy and
/ that evening after the burial Judge Be
Z bee observed:
II don't want To seem capshus and
/ over pertiekler. bnt it does appear 20
me that after the way We humored that
4 elder he orter hev spread hissclf on a
/ speech. It's the last time I'li put my
self out to hang a man two days ahead
E of timeH'--N Y. Sun.
valae of six Pictures.
In 1883 Charles Smith died in Eng
land, leaving six pictures, two by Reg