Alpena argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1893-1909, 1893-01-25
A Lynching that was Stopped by the
Lynchers.


rope the other day. He had not
been seen at his favorite table in his
chosen restaurant in so long a time
that when three or four friends
came i'll by turns the next evening
and noticed his handsome face smil-
ing there they all came up and
greeted him warmly. OF course
they sat down at his table. A dim
ner with the colonel that did not
end with a story would be no dim
ner at all, and everyone knew from
the light in the colonel's eye that
he was waiting only for the cigars
Never tell a story at dinner until
you are through eating" is his rule
This is the way be began his open
ing one of the season:
This is little bit of world
and you are always meeting some
one wherever you go. ran across
man on my steamer going over
whom ! had not seen in a great
many years. | don't know whether
you ever felt your heart really stop
beating, but it is a wonderful sensa.
ton, as if all the world were melt
ing away from you. That is the
way l felt when l saw that mans
pale face and his dark eyes and
white teeth. It wasn't that | was
afraid he would do me any harm.
1t wasn't that | feared him as an
enemy; but scene which | don't
like to recall came back to ME with
a rush that made me dizzy. He
did not recognize me, and we never
came close together, but that first
night could not sleep to save my
life. | don't know what he does.
| don't know-but let me tell you a
story.
1--WE were a pretty rough lot that
fall and winter. | don't know just
why it was. Most of us were steady
going men usually, but there was
an element among us that kept the
whole town in a ferment, and you
know that was dangerous out west
in those days. There was too much
fighting and too much lawlessness
to suit some Of us, and so we got to-
gether one day and talked it over,
Our verdict was that the next time
man named Drake, gambler he
was, got into shooting scrapc we
would take him ont and hang him,
for we had come to the conclusion
that Drake was at the bottom Of
every fight. We also resolved to
inform Drake of our decision.
"This Drake was wonderful
cool fellow. When we told him Of
our verdict he shrugged his should
ers and smiled dryly.
"'All right, he said easily, Id
better be careful then
Nov it happened that for sew
eral days, perhaps two weeks, the
camp was as orderly as a church
meeting and our vigilance COM
mittee was congratulating itself on
the success of it's action. But one
night had got we'll into the
winter-there was a terrible fight
in the Diamond saloon. Spotty, a
cripple, and two half-breeds were
killed outright; and half a dozen
men got bullet or two in them.
One Of the wounded men was Drake.
He had been playing in the game,
and had undoubtedly drawn his re-
volver aud fired, for all the cham
bers were empty.
"When we went to get Drake he
m.de no resistance. He little
paler than usual, but not a muscle
Of his face twitched. / remember
how we marched out Of town up to
the hillside. A light snow had fall
en- that night and the moon was
out-nearly rounded. We went out
in single file, leaving a narrow
black path behind us on the white
covered ground. No one said any
thing.
up OH the slope the first man
stopped, and we came up and closed
a circle, Drake in the center.
drake, said the chairman of
the committee, you have made a
hell out of this camp. We gave
you fair warning. Now, have you
any message which you want to
send to anyone?"
81 have no message, said Drake
firmly.
"'Is there anything you would
like to say?'
"'Yes, answered Drake, looking
the chairman in the eye, i want to