The Coconino weekly sun., 1896-03-26

s alton for public
approval was its centra ! location, the
rlace being almost exactly in the
center Of the county. To the people of
the struggling little frontier town Wild
Rock was a world within itself. It's one
short dusty business street, with the
county courthouse and jail-the most
commodous building in the place-at
one end of it, was the center of the uni.
verse to them.
But twice week Bill Wagner's stage
coach, drawn by four big black mules,
brought to them news of the outside
world from the little telegraph and
way station on the Southern Pacific
road, some 40 miles to the south.
One of the latest additions to Wild
Rocks population had been Frank
Wagner, q younger brother of the big
brawny frontiersman who supplied
the town with its semi-weekly mail
and such other commodities as it was
necessary to bring from the railway
station. This younger Wagner had
settled in Wild Rock, first, because
his brother was there, and, second,
because the place vas ''out west" He
had come west, like thousands of
others, in search OF health, and in less
than IA years time had found it, only
to be brought face to face with death
In much worse form-on the
gallows.
Before he had been in the place ten
months, Wild Rock awakened one
morning and found one of her citizens
dead, murdered at his home during
the night. Had Bill Wagner been ut
home instead Of at the railroad sta
ton he would, no doubt, have been
arrested as the murderer, because he
was the only enemy the dead man was
known to have. But, as 1t was impos-
sible to fasten the crime onto the stage
driver, the citizens Of the place has
tened to lay it upon the shoulders OF
the younger Wagner, and had Frank
arrested before night.
1t lacked but six weeks of election
day, and the county attorney, eager to
be the choice of the people for another
term, was untiring in his efforts to
weave a chain of circumstantial evil
dence around the young man that
would certainly convict him. Could
his purpose be accomplished, it would
win for the lawyer the plaudits Of the
people, and secure him their supper,
at the polls, because the young mans
polished eastern manners and goot
clothes had never been popular with
Wild Rocks male population.
Good counsel for the defense was
secured in the east, but all to no pur
pose, for, do what they could, it wa.
impossible to secure an unprecedented
jury, and their only hope for thei
client lay in the judge. When thu
case came to trial the few persons VIII
were willing, and knew enough abou
the case to testify, were placed on tn
stand in the young mans favor, bu
the eastern attorneys knew, befor
half the witnesses for the state wer
examined, that their case was lost
Even the hope that they might secure
some clemency for the prisoner from
the judge decreased gradually as tn
case proceeded, owing to some of tn
rulings he made in the states favor.
After the testimony was all in ant
the county attorney had thrown all o
his pent-up eloquence into an appea
for justice to the people, for IAN ey
for an eye and tooth for tooth;
and after the attorneys for the de
Tense had shown to the jury the veal
points in the purely circumstantia
evidence against their client and hat
spoken Of his good character, know
both in Wild Rock and at his eastern
home, the fate of the prisoner was lief
to the 12 men chosen to represent tn
law in Navajo county.
In less than Is minutes they returnet
and announced to the court that the.
had found Frank Wagner guilty o
murder in the first degree, and recon
mended that he be sentenced to hang.
Never had life seemed 80 dear u
young Wagner as when the judge, II
voice evidently calculated to carr.
warning to all in the courtroom
sentenced the prisoner at the bar to b
hanged by the neck until dead on Fri
day, November 20, 1892, between tn
hours of four and ten a. m.
That date was but five weeks away
and every chance of saving the pris
oner's life must be tried in the mean
time. The motion for new trial wa
overruled by the Judge, and an ap
peal was denied. Two weeks befor
the day of the execution there was bu
one hope left, and it was with heav.
hearts that Wagner's attorneys, thor
'oughly convinced of the young man
innocence, started for Washington t.
lay the case before the president, an,
appeal to him for a pardon for thei
client.
The time of execution was less thai
"a hours away, already the gallows ha,
been erected in the Jail yard, and moth
ing more encouraging than that tn
president had taken the case under ad
Visement had been heard from Wash
ington.
CHAPTER II.