The islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1891-1899, 1896-06-25
ROPE WAS TOO LONG.
Exnedient of the Texas Sheriff to Over
come the Difficulty.

lExpedient of the Texas SneriH toO
| come the Difficulty.
"Hangings?" said the man from Tex
as talk about hangings-there's no
country In the world can beat the Dor
ders of the Rio Grande for neck pullin'.
Capital punishment out there Is as
common as pig tracks. They look on
a hanging out there like every other
habit of life, and 1t don't make no
more excitement than a man getting
drunk does in Atlanta. The people go
long and mind their business and
wouldn't step out of their path to see
a man swung up. The first year l
was out there the population decreased
so rapidly on account of hangin's that
| half the farms were left uncultivated.
The first day / got there little rope
party was on deck. | made up my
mind to see it, as l always had a curl
osity about such things, and saddled
my mule and rode over to little set
Element where they said the Teller
would be swung up. 1t was the quiet
est place / ever saw. | expected TO
see the people comm in from miles
about, but the place looked dead as
door nail, and | was maxim up my
mind that the thing was off an turned
to ride away, when l seed Teller with
SLOUGH hat on an big key In his
hand comm down the road. l asked
him bout the hangin', and when it was
goin' to be.
"'Soon as l can git to the jailhouse,'
seq he.
"'Can / witness it?' SEE l.
"'In course yer can,' SEE he, peerin'
at me curious like.
can l won't have to git no special
permit from the court? seq |.
Court be burned. I'm the ruler
of this ranch. Can't you tell sheriff
when you meets one in Their road?
1T was all right then, so | jes' tied
my mule an followed long behind.
We went by one or two houses an the
people looked at me kinder pitiful
like, an / heard one Teller say | had
long neck for a moose. They thought
the sheriff was goin' to swing me up.
That jail was the funniest place
ever seed. 1t didn't have but two
rooms an they didn't have no Win
dowS. The gallows was out to one
side In a grove of live oaks. | went
out there an took my seat 'gainst one
of those trees 1t was as still as death.
| There warn't nobody to be seen no.
where. The wind blowed kinder mourn
full bout the gallows an Topped the
rope ag'inst the sides. | stayed there
about ten minutes an was bout to give
up the game when the door opened
lean lookin' individual with a big rope
tied about his hands Another man
that said he was the Jail keeper an
| the sheriff's deputy came on behind.
They tole the POI mortal to git on the
scaffold. He got up there trem'ln' an
quiverin', an pale as sheet.
"'Got anything to say? sez the sher-
| iff
'The prisoner shook his head.
"'Want to make any confession 2
the sheriff said agin.
| But the prisoner didn't say any
thing an jes' shook his head.
want to say yer prayers| said
the sheriff again.
1.-The man kept on shakin' his head
''Then the sheriff tole the deputy t.
come up, an they tied a towel about
the mans eyes.
Commend your SOUL said the sher-
| iff Let her go, Bill!
''The trigger was knocked out, but,
by holy thunder, when the man shot
down his feet touched the ground an
he stood there kinder tiptoe-like, jump
in an jerkin'. l almost tainted, but
that sheriff stood there an didn't
move.
"'Bill,' SEE he, bitin' off a chew OF
tobacker, go up to the house an git a
shovel
81 didn't wait to hear no more.
got on my mule an went back home as
fast as | could That country bout
the Rio Grande is the blamedest coun
try fer hangin's l ever seed."-Atlants
Constitution.