Capital journal. (Salem, Or.) 1893-1895, 1894-10-31
WE'D BY A BADGE.
A STORY THAT WILL INTEREST All
COLLEGE MEN.

80 strung Up When His College socistv
Emblem Was Seen by One Who Knew 7,
The siXtioth annual dinner of Gam.
laa Beta was certainly great success
1T the long table sat $50 guests, of all
.,cs and from all parts of the land
Iho feast was ended when the captain
iruso from his place near the head Of
iho board. Straight of figure and alert
I eye, ho bore his go years lightly.
Boys, says the captain, II haven't
leon to a Gamma Beta dinner for 40
sears. The last time went was boy
j college. AS l look around me 1 am
1 '@d am not the oldest alumnus here.
1or | feel as young as any freshman.
But / came here tonight to tell Won
story, and if you have patience to hear
Inc / may as well begin. Remember.
we old ones are garrulous at times and
stop me when you have had enough. "
lis audience was all attention, and
tho captain lighted fresh cigar, blow
cut putf of smoke and began.
81 was the first northern ma, to
plant cotton in Arkansas after tie var
The state had declared for the Union
early i'll 1864, but there was plenty of
laWless sccessionism about, and north
erner's life and property were none too
safe. Before | had been long at NV
planting got a notice from some of nv
secessionist friends that | must stop op.
erations or leave the district if l had
any regard for my life-in short, they
gave me to understand that if they
caught me they would string me up to
the nearest tree as sure as my name was
Jim Roberts. Row, didn't intend to
stop planting, and didn't intend to be
hanged, so / went ahead and told them
they could hang me-if they could catch
me.
about month after that was rid
ing across country one afternoon to get
little business done in the nearest
town AS l entered lonely piece of
road a dozen men jumped out of the
woods, pointed their guns at my head
and ordered me to halt and dismount.
| saw | could do nothing but surrender
at discretion, so l came down from my
horse and was marched off in silence.
In few minutes we turned into a lane
that led deeper into the woods and kept
on until we came to little clearing.
One of my friends brought out rope,
slung one end Of it over the limb of a
convenient tree and had the other end
slipknotted around my neck in jiffy.
Probably none of you has ever felt
hangman's rope around his neck, so you
CAM t appreciate the state of my feelings
at that time. I'll tell you, felt pretty
serious and thought my lease Of life had
run out for certain. But a man clings
to life at such times, and all at once /
had a happy thought. l remembered
that / had package Of excellent cigars
In my pocket and / drew it out.
M Gentlemen, | said, with as much
goodness as | could muster. i know
that have but few minutes more to
live. Iwant to ask one favor. Give me
time to smoke out cigar before you
swing me into eternity. Will you join |
me2 You will find them most excel
lent.
my captors grimly assented. and we
lighted our weeds together. No one
Said word Well, boys, ! made that |
eigar hold out, you may depend. But il
would burn. Little by little the ash be- /
gan TO get longer and drop on until
fhere was just so much left And the J
eaptain held up his smoking stump,
Measuring It's small remainder critical
ly with his finger.
We'll, thought 10 myself, here
goes for few more puffs anyway
and ] was just getting the very last Of
lhem when we heard horse coming
fhrough tho trees A fine looking fellow
rode up who seemed 10 be u sort Of
commander Of the company Hello,
boysp he called OUT, 'whO'yo you got
herop We've got Roberts, aud wsTe
going 10 hang him, said they AN
Hght, said tho oliicer ana came over %
baye look az mo
Now, had on my watch chain this
lttle badge hore," ana the captain
lDuohed q loWulod monogram u Sold
thAt hung % his breast have alwAyb
MOrn u thoIe and pApeGt 10 IA long ~ J
yo Ny coat was open, ana W llo Con
bderato oape up his $50 caught fho
Badge Well, tlls. he tpfped All solls "
&Dlols aud leaning close ~ my oAl
y Whispered tAu name ~ Uuf fraternity
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