The Camden chronicle. (Camden, Tenn.) 1890-current, 1894-03-09

fcation. How could he fSce these men
who disbelicved his very first utter
ance? He turned to 80.
Hold on thor !" cried Paymastcr
Bill; "this is twicet yer say yer bin
robbed in this camp. Both times it
Was orr money as ye WAS robbed Of
money at we give ye, Now ye're got
Ter Prove it; fer we don't low no mOu
& accuse none o us o Robin him the
second time 'thout he perduces tbcr
proof"
"Ther proofs v'ot we wants"
shouted the crowd
Parson Tom stood as still rs death.
He could not speak.
can theirs another thing ye'vo got
ter prove" continued Bill, as he saw
the parson would notreply; "ye've got
ter prove tibet We didn't rob some
other parties besides yerself. More'n
one cabin was burglarized last night /;
an Of ye amt Their burglar, then
prove i'll"
But Parson Tom could utter no
sound, save q groan Of anguish. Could
he but recall that voice! But, no!
His memory failed.
There he stood as dumb as though
he had been born without speech,
while PNymaster Bill demanded bat
he prove his innocence, and the crowd,
led on by Big Frank, sneered at and
reviled the accused.
During this trying ordeal for the
parson, three men, selected by Big
Frank, had gone to the parson' s cabin,
and there, upon the floor, had found Il
nugget of gold belonging to Big Frank
This they brought and fouted in the
face of the trembling victim. Well he
knew how it had come there, but it
was idle to assert or protest. His
words-if he could have spoken
would have been, to these Infatuated
men, like the screech of q wild bird
borne on the wind in a bowling storm.
''Ye hev no proof o yer innocence, "
said Paymaster Bill, hotly, can We
hev this proof O yer guilt. Wat dye
say MOVE"
Parson Tom saw that all hope was
lost, but with dying hope his speech
returned, and he said with evident eff
fort:
"Gentlemen, I see no hope of estab-
fishing my innocence; but still main
tain it. That nugget of gold must have
been dropped by the robber in our
struggle in the cabin. If / could re-
call the voice should convince you.
1t was none of you who did the decd,
but one who has once lived here among
you, though [ can not tell his name.
He can not live far away-perhaps at
one of the idle mines or in some de
serted tunnel. He went toward the
gulch, for had he come this way he
would have had to cross my body, as
lay there in the snow. That is all
have to say. Do with me as you
must"
1t was useless to search the gulch
the heavy snow would not permit.
And, then, these angry men had nc
doubt of the guilt Of the parson. Only
the production of the man he claimed
had robbed him would destroy thcil
belief in his guilt. The crowd grew
Gngrier as the minutes passed.
1.-The parson has lied" coolly re
marked BIC Frank. whose faith in til,
preacher sort had never been strong
"He's an ungrateful robber, " Pay
master Bill added,
Hang him!" yelled a man in tn
crowd.
The excitement increased like ia
roar of the wind through the gulchc
in the coming of storm. A minut
more and the Infatuated mob who, il
the absence of court, had tried, con
victed, and sentenced the accused, wa
eager to execute the sentence of death
Like wild men they flew TO tn
upper end of the camp, dragging th
parson with them. Convinced of hi
guilt, and maddenod by thoughts @
his ingratitude, no hand could sta
them.
Quickly the preparations for the ex
ecution were made. Two barrels, cac
of which supported an end of a broa
plank, placed under the stout limb {
a great tree, formed the scaffold. On
end of the rope was fastened to til
limb, the other formed into q noos
and placed over the head and aroun
the neck of the trembling parson.
= care we ready?" cried the leadC
4 of the mob to the two men who wer
7 stationed at the ends of the plan
A ready to lift it out from under IL
feet of the doomed man.
, "Give him one more chance ter tel
i who robbed him." demanded Pnyma
e ter Bill.
t Standing there upon that plan
with the death rope around his nee
e Parson Toms memory returned. II
q ,,o,I,r fano &C l,ig ocso;I,n& ,rl,Ob