The Portland daily press., 1896-05-09
TARRING AND FEATHERING.
One OF the Worst Forms OF Torture
Ever Devised.

Kind of Punishment was Inflicted in
California for Wife Beating "A Joke
That Caused Death After a Fortnight's
Torture
Pomona, CAL, April IA company
OF mon sat in the Office of the Pomona
hotel the other evening talking about
the partial coat of tar and feathers that
haa been given to a land claim jumper
over IN the San Jacinto Valley.
If live to rival the age of old Methu
selah," said Georges Huns.ey of Les An
geles, I can never forget the horror of
tar and feathering Zee that lot of US
fellows took part in at Ell Paso. Tex.
twenty-five years ago, and if any of you
men could SEQ what l remember you
would never so much as smile at the pos
coating of tar and feathers.
q" You see it was like this: One of
| the few women in western Texas at the
time am telling about was "a certain
MIS- Bill Hodson, who lived in our camp
With her husband, and had sort Of bak-
~ - sOly bONy 1lhCo ILLS, Jill 1'o
was mighty pretty, could sing like
bird. and was always looking on the
bright side of things. which was moro
than half the women of the world would
have done If they had bsen in her place
on those plains. She had an unusual lot
| sneaking man ever knew. Bill Hodson
| was drunk six days in tho week, and
abused his.wife until she gave him mon
ey with which to go on drunk or gam
BILE. He kent this up for several months,
and tried to shoot several persons who
told him what good for nothing fellow
he was, and how shametully he treated
his poor little wife, One day the fellow
knocked his wife down and smashed her
| cook stove because she had no more mon
ey for him to squander
"But there came an end to such abuse
for one evening Hodson came into the
bakery drunk and dealt his wife blow
u the face. He escaped through the
back door of the kitchen, and she came
in scared and bleedingiHand told the
story to some of the buarders. An i'm
proniptu Indignation meeting was held,
and it waa decided to tar and feather the
fellow and run him out of town. The
phrase sounded well in the mouth of
the man who suggested it, and every
body agreed that it was the correct thing
to do.
"No time was lost. Two men ran over
to the refining works and got big
bucket of tar. and others procured an old
feather tick from lodging house. Then
committee started out to get Bill Holds
son. They found him asleep in saloon
the rear of some buildings. He was
half dazed and confused with drink,
and thought the affair W as q joke, until
the men began to strip off his clothing.
Then he fought like q mailman in truth.
believe he was mad with terror. His
shlrt and underclothes had to be literally
torn off, and it was good fifteen min
utes' work before he stood shiyeripg and
naked in the moonlight.
II can see him now-his bleared eyes
dilated and his shock of yellow hair
bristling on his head. His nude body
stood out in bold relief against the group
that surrounded him. and the chill, pen
etrating air must have struck the wretch
to the bone, At any rate he crouched
down, and somebody called out:
"Give it to him now"
Sat the same instant the bucket Of tar
was lifted, and about gallon thrown
with swash over his bare shoulders.
He sprang erect at the touch of the tar,
and whirled round just in time to receive
the rest of it on his head, face and chest.
For moment he stool petritied the
block stuff trickling doWn his body and
legs and uniting with q great puddle Of
it on the ground. Thenohe slowly raised
his hands to his eyes and tried to brush
them clear, but as his fingers had re-
ceived good share of the pitch he only
made matters worse and dropped his arms
again. He did not seem to be able to
realize what had happened, and Wagon
his head blindly from side to side.
''As be stood thus ono Of the men took
the upper edge OF the tick and inverted
it over him. / suppose it was us CON-
plete q job of the sort as was ever under
taken; at least nothing was overlooked to
make it a success. Hodson looked like
nothing human, but soma strange
species of monster blotched all over with
fluffy white. His head seemed about the
size and shape of a bushel basket, and
his features were obliterated in the gem
eral blackness. When the work was dono
the committee gave him f fteen minutes
to get out of camp. He WAS made to un-
derstand with difficulty, but was started
on the trail, and the crowd dispersed.
Early next morning some cow
punchers found H odson back of O build
ing, lying on the ground and moaning.
The Tar had by this timo rubbed ali over
him and partly solidified. AS 1T grow
hard 1t contracted, and every contraction
Lad drawn with it the thousands of mi
croscopio hairs with which the body is
covered. In places it had broken the
skin, and the men who carried him in
to shed found blood on their hands, A