The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1893-07-16
A POINT OF HONOR.

Gravel, Wy, on the morning of June
90, 1915. Jack Langworthy, local
celebrity, had killed tenderfoot from
Pennsylvania, and there was naturally
some curiosity, if not to say excitement,
over the affair The circumstances of
tho case were about like this: Jack and
the Pennsylvanisn were having q little
game Of cards, when the former noticed
slight deception on the part of his ad-
versary in the way Of dealing himself
from one to four cards too many and
concealing them in his coat sleeve.
''Sich proceedings are entirely foreign
to the customs of this yer camp" finally
remarked Langworthy, and at the same
time sent pistol shot into the "tendcr-
foot's" head The ball passed diagonally
through the head from the base of the
left ear, and ranging downward madea
final entrance into the side of a whisky
barrel which stood in one corner of the
room.
You'll lose some of yer whisky if you
don't regulate the hole I've just made in
that ere BARREL" quietly remarked Jack
to the proprietor of the place, adding
parenthetically, land it's good liquor
too"
AS for the "tenderfoot"-w he was
dead.
The rude law Of Scratch Gravel took
cognizance Of this fact and also of the
manner Of his death, and Jack was ar
rested. A few weeks later he was ar
raigned for the murder and pleaded
guilty. The Judge sentenced him to be
hanged. Then Jack made speech
Among other things he said:
Il killed the man. know, and perhaps
it's fair enough that 1 should die too.
Leastwise don't set up my Judgment
agin that Of the court. The laws Of
Scratch Gravel should be enforced, but
just now Pm sort o sorry the enforce
ment is necessary. The deal is hard
one, and the worst of it all is that the
roughness is not agin me alone-oh, no,
not agin me, but Sally and the twins.
don't care for myself-jrst rs soon go
as not-but when think of tho twins 1
thinl-I think, by mighty! I'll have to
tell you can't stand it. You SEQ, the
twins arc boys-both boys-and they are
rattlin pair an no mistake l alters
reckoned on the twins mounting to
something in the world, but if their IA
thcr is to be hanged-that settles it.
What would the twins ever amount to
then? Now, if l could go some other
way, it wouldn't look so bad-the twins
might pull throughput to he strung up
like common thief, it would he IL weight
on them ere twins that 'ud keep 'cm
down forever. So you SEQ it amt for
myself that care-not for me and not
fer Sally SC much. either, although do
kinder like the old gal-but tho twins.
Well, it breaks me all up to think of
leaving EN-, it does for u certain fact.
Jedgc, when will tho performance take
place.
The unfortunate man was informed
that the 10th of July was the date fixed
for his execution, and that lie should
make preparations to he on hand at that
time punctually so as not to delay the
proceedings.
You see. Jack, = said the judge faml-
iarly. 1--WE amt goin to be mean enough
to lock you mp, not youit wouldn't be
right-not with an honorable man like
you. 1t amt fer any dislike fer you or
bad feeling that We're going to hang yoii,
Jack, but it's the law, you know, the
law. SO You'll make it point of honor.
Jack, to he OH hand when the time
comes
For the next week Jack staid about
homo pretty much all tho time Occa-
sionally some of his friends would drop
i'll to ask about his health and the health
Of the twins. Tho slightest mention OF
the latter would set his tongue in mo-
ton, and somehow he seemed to think
thore We're no other children in the world
worth talking about.
They'll pull way ahead of their old
dad i'll few years." he had often said.
Maybe one of 'em ill DO an auctionecr
OF bank president, and the other a
steamboat captain--who knows? Them
boys are smart"
1t was the month of June Wonder
fully bright the sun shone, wonderfully
sweet the birds sung, wonderfully gray
and bare and cold were the distant
mountains. 1t seemed to Jack that all
creation was smiling over his misfortune
and knocking him for coward who was
afraid to die.
One evening, just "a week prior to the
date fixed for his execution, he seated
himself on bowlder near his cabin door
and took the twins in his arms. They
We're little follows and climbed all over
him. One of them got his little brown
arm around the paternal neck and pulled
the grizzly hair and beard with his ohub-
by fingers. Then looking into the up
turned face he said sorrowfully:
There's wasser in your eyes, dad.
What'yr matteri''
Jack put the child down rather rough
~, and remarking as he brushed his
eyes that the bugs war mighty trouble
, . Gonna fbot oro,,.,, L.