The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1892-12-17
FRONTIER JUSTICE.

Fiddlers was excited, not that there
was anything extraordinary in that, fol-
the Flat was in a normal condition of ex
element over one thing or another every
hour in the day and vented it in much
drinking, loud talking and fighting, but
on this particular occasion the excite.
ment was of a unique order, that in its
still intensity chilled and silenced the
mob of men that crowded in and close
about the doors of the Mary's Eyes
saloon and gambling house, the pro-
prietor of which, Velvet Jack, was at
that moment being tried for his life be-
fore that most terrible of earthly courts,
Judge Lynch.
1t was not the first killing at the Flat.
This shooting scrape was only one of
dozens Of others during the five months
of Fiddlers' existence, but the victim
was a peculiarly ~inoffensive creature
known as "Mud" to the camp. He had
no other name that they knew of, and
had earned his sobriquet by his unfail-
ing ill luck at the gaming tables, and
his equally unfailing remark as he rose
penniless from his bout with the tiger,
"Waal, my names mud again." but on
| this particular occasion Mud's luck had
run his way, and he had sat hour after
hour at the little oblong faro table since
the night before, and won with unfail-
ing regularity through every deal.
Velvet himself had the shift at deal
when Mud had won the last ounce in
the 'bank roll" and az the lucky player
rose from his seat opposite him, the
| gambler had without a word shot him
through the heart. The cold fiendish-
ness of the act was too much for the
nerves even Of Fiddlers, and the camp
rose to a man and cried aloud for ven
geance. They were waiting now for
the sentence. Long Smith was the
judge. He occupied a chair placed on a
faro table at one end of the long, mar
row cabin, the identical chair that Vel
vet sat in when he shot Mud. Velvet
sat a little to his left, a guard at either
side on his right, the hastily chosen
jury of twelve sat or stood, and beyond
a rope stretched across the room was
the silent, expectant crowd. The evil
dence was all in and Long Smith was
settling himself down into a comfortable
position to listen to counsel for defense,
when Velvet suddenly rose to his feet
and said:
"See here, boys, what's the use of going
on with this monkey business any longer?
l shot Mud and you've determined that
| must hang. Can't you drop this and
take me out and hang me and be done
with it, instead of torturing me with all
this nonsense. You know you're only
doing it to amuse yourselves" The eyes
of every man in the crowd were fixed on
the prisoner during this speech, then
turned expectantly to the judge.
"Pris'ner ct the bar, yer bein tried fer
murder by the only kin o er cot this yer
kentry hez. Eff there's enythin We hev
ter say yerll hev er chance ter say it
furder on" There was a murmur of
approval from the audience, and coun
sci for the defense went ON with his ar
gument, followed by the counsel for the
prosecution. The court summed up and
charged the jury, which without a mo-
ment's hesitation returned a verdict of
guilty.
The judge arose from his chair and
said, 'Velvet, yer gone in there was
no further assumption of judicial digni-
ty; it dropped from him as one drops a
cloak from his shoulders: ether boys
hev Civ ye a; III deal, which's more'n
We Civ MUD. IL yell hev ter go under.
What hev We got ter say agin it?'
Velvet smiled and shook his head.
You've got the drop on me, | reckon"
he said, land | can't kick"
Just at this moment there was a strug-
gle as of some one trying to force an en-
trance through the crowd at the door,
and the shrill tones of a woman's voice
could be heard demanding access to the
court that was trying the man who had
killed hers.
"I'm Mud's wife," she insisted in a
shrill, shaky voice.
"Oh, | know what yer nicknamed
him. His n my names Dobbs, n he
were a good huff man most ways, n ]
want ter see the maj what killed him
n lef' me er lone wilder rite in the
prime er life"
The relict of the late Mud was at the
bar of the court by this time. She was
a tall, angular of forty or SO,
dressed in rusty black, with an i'm
mense calico s%unbOnnet that projected
over her face like a section of stovepipe
and effectually concealed her features.
The eyes were bright and keen though,
and swept quick glances from prisoner
to judge and jury.
The court ordered a chair for her in
board covered with a very white linen
cloth, beneath an image of st. Patrick,
and between two punches of white
flowers, l perceived-the little slippers!
The poor child looked at her shrine of
beauty with admiration and even with
religious awe, as upon a precious relic.
"But you should put the slippers on
your feet. They are for you to wear
said l. could not help laughing to see
them set up as sacred objects of devo-
ton.
She appeared astonished, almost an
gry. "Oh, never!" she said earnestly.
They are too beautiful!'
We slipped some money into the
pocket of the old grandma and babe
adieu to Betsy; but she could not bear
to leave us yet, and followed us quite to
the carriage, and looked after it with
eyes full of tears as long as it could be