Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1893-03-25

certainly an interesting, al.
though decidedly dolorons
subject said an ex,Un,ci States
Deputy Marshal from O.lahom,. I'm
Western districts Government M,rshals.
men who do not value their own or
others lives at farthing when makinr
an arrest or trailing criminal, shrink
back appalled, At the bare idea OF hav.n.
to pull a trap alta legal execution Jack
Stillwell, the oldest, most noted, and
desperate officer on the border, with
record OF over forty deaths to his ac
count, once said to me as We stood to-
gether at the hanging Of two Creek In
dian murderers at Wichita, ,Eln..
81 have pulled the trap at seventeen
executions, and l have never done Sc
without feeling of horror and dc.
sire to shirk my duty. would willingly
forfeit three months salary rather than
obey the mandate of the Court il this
particular.
GAS it was with Jack at this execu,
ton, so it is with spectator, at least a.
his first hanging. remember distinctly
my original experience in this line /,
was also at Wichita. An eighteen year.
old boy, Lee Mosher, had been convic:
ed Of having deliberately planned anc
carried out the plan to kill man when
only sixteen years of age A large
stockade fifteen feet high had been
erected just outside the Jail, and on the
morning Of the execution curious
crowd gathered there with tsthe morbid
desire to see the condemned boy rs he
passed from the Jail to the stocAade an
mex. When the hour arrived for the
execution the prisoner was taken from
bis cell into the Jail parfor, and there,
standing ghostly white but firm and
| determined, the death warrant was read
to him. The Marshal reading the paper
broke down aud sobbed like child, the
prisoners lips quivered painfully for 6
moment, aud all persons present brushed
the tears from their eyes ss they followed
the officers and the boy from the build.
ing and through a lane Of anxiou, spec
tators into the door Of the stockaie.
1.-The rabble saw the feeling that
animated the select few who followed the
boy and it was communicated to them.
Perhaps there was not one in hundred
but would have turned him free if they
could have done so. Numerous petitions
had been sent to President Cleveland,
but no reply had been received.
"Once inside the stockade the door
was shut and barred. the condemned
boy mounted the scaffold with firm
step. The moose and black cap were ad
justed and the trap sprung. AS thu
body shot through the hole my knees
almost gave way under me. and heard
3 great sigh OF pity 60 up from those
around. Before we could recover from
the shock thunderous rap came upo,
the door and thousand voices on tht
outside shouted:
"a reprieve! reprieve! Don. hang
that boy on your Iives!'
1.-THE officers turned pale, and the
spectators as they looked in fascinated
horror at the swayiug. shiveriug body q
the end of the rope, gaspei in horror.
Some one opened the gate to admit the
messenger. and .he mob outside saw the
dangling body. Then ascended CRY o!
Lynch the officers. They hung
the boy after be had oeen rcp'ieved.
"Tne message. however. did no
prove TO DO reprieve, bu. was nosice
tina. the Psesiden. refused to interfere.
A border tragedy was thus narrowly
aver.ed. ] have neve, forgotten II.
feeling Of utter weakness and knee snak
, Ing a. experienced i. thea.
!. The next ,inel sax man hun
i. WAS 10. legal execution oE AZ
, means. was doing newspaper work II
E.s:e.a papers around the Ok'ahon
/, coan;rJ IA 1855. .n1 waile a. Purcell
had Al experience TIA: l don't care
/. repeat in kind
THE place was filed up Ei.h s:rans
, era. The Santa Fe depo: is down in Il
, valley near the South Canadian Rave
E aad,she town i. percaei higa uo oa
J. projecting spur o: he A-backle Nous
e ,ain,. During the months pr'os % Il
d opening o. Okiahom. tic ever oo:,o
!. was one mass OF wagoas, oxen, horse
dosa, men, women, ca.!dsea aod SIC