The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-06-11

thought. Why, I do not know, but it made
me think of The tall stranger with whom I
slept tho night before. Huskily and blindly,
for I could not see a thing, and my eyeballs
seemed starting from my head. l told them
about tho tall stranger who had slept with
me the night before.
''Give me q canoe to find him." 7 said,
land I can prove that I never left my room
all night"
That was all I could say, and I said it over
and over again. But they only laughed at
mo, and the command was given to "Strin9
him up again ii he won't confess; we've
wasted enough time over him." mingled
with oaths. I gave up then and knew I
must die. It was strange. but l did not
think of the injustice of the action then nor
of the death l was to die away from home
and friends. Indeed, ! do not remember
that l thought of anything.
Then the moose frightened and up I went
again. You have heard how, when men are
dying, a vision Of their life flashes over
their brains-childhood. youth, manhood,
all the acts they have committed, the good
and the wrong they have done-in short,
their whole life passes in a panorama. Well.
this was not my experience. l felt the
throat, the rush of the railroad trims as
they tore madly around inside my skull,
and then again a shock rs though of n ter
rife collision. My next sensation I can
hardly describe to you. It was as though
were floating, not evenly through the air,
but as though I we're on soft pillows, which
were moving me up and down and along
with a soft, easy, graceful, slumbering
movement, and l felt a sensation of quiet
and soothing as though I were being rocked
gently to sleep. That is all there was to it.
/ don't remember anything more-that is.
not for several days afterward. What else
occurred on that night l can only tell you
frpy, uvhnt r hAUr1 ,vha, 7 svok wol1
1t seems that when the mon had drawn
their revolvers to fire at me as I swung at
the other end of the rope some one of them
remembered having seen the tall stranger
Of whom / had spoken, and whose height
made HIM remarkable. He had suggested
to verify my statement. II l had lied to
them he said they would have another
hanging bee. They did this and took me
back to the hotel, still insensible. Then
they went of to the mine l had mentioned
without waiting for daylight to find the
tall stranger. Somebody at the camp told
them that he waa there and showed them
where he slept. They walked in as uncere-
moniously as they had walked in upon me,
and interrogated him ut the points of their
pistols. He told them he had met me on
the street and asked me for Il supper and II
nights lodging and that l had given them
to him. He said that he had not slept well,
OSCuAbo ~ Z WAC " oAN oAlSeEA "
him to rest comfortably upon, and 80 he
had awakened off and on throughthe night.
| He swore that l had not left the room
while he was in it, and that he had not left
until about daybreak. This proved my
alibi, md l was safe.
Those men who had taken me ont in tho
i dark night and hanged me to the limb of a
tree came back to The hotel where l was
lying and treated me like a brother. 1t wal
several days before l regained conscious s.
ness. and when / did l HAD the old apoplec-
tic feeling in my head and the iron collar
about my throat. My neck was badly Gus.
as you may see + / ON the scar which remains.
| The pain was so intense that l wanted to
die, and would have killed myself If ! could.
But the hands which were strong and will.
ing to pull NJ the ropc were just as strong
md willing and far moro tender to hold
mo in bed in my rawlings and to care for the
man whom they had brought 80 near 10 the
gates Of eternity.
1t was four weeks before I recovered suf-
fciently to be able to get about. During
that time no sick man ever received mora
careful nursing than ! did from those
rough fellows. They seemed to try by
kindness to make amsnds for che evil they
had wrought me. In two weeks more l Wal
able to travel, and you may DO sure l did
travel. My roll Of money had been given
back to me; but when asked for my bill
the landlord said ! did not owe a cent, that
everything had been paid. And, m he was
one Of the viRilantes. l suppose no had
stood n portion of the expense.
Well, l came east, and havs never since
desired to see anything Of tho wild life o!
the west. 1t may bs said, ~ they say, when