The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-10-12
STRUNG UP A JUDGE.
.,ceo TO GIVE HIS NAME AND
MAG HUNG BY THE THUMBS.

,,...onant's commission in the Fifth
'.tantry when an event occurred which
~are me great deal of unsought noto-
sa - said a department official the
' .Scr night. mot only was the notori-
O 0tv unsought, but it was exceedingly
sndosirable," he added, for 1T almost
10 an old man of me in a single day.
=. VAS an experience calculated to try
~ d;scinline and determination OF any
young officer -,
"What kind of an experience dld you
have?'
az had merely routine duty to per-
.,rm Int il was exciting. The regiment
Das Stationed at Santa Fe, and the de-
1~t,,ont was under martial law. The
inor had lust commenced, and people
..oro averse to obeying military orders
INT tbey learned obedience very soon
II was ordered that no person should
ontor the city of Santa Fe nor depart
from il without registering his name
Nth the provost marshal, The order
was positive and was rigidly enforced.
Ono afternoon, when j was officer of
tba day and, having attended to my
duties. was lying down in my tent
roodinp q book, an orderly reported that
there was man in the custody of the
nroyost marshal who refused to give his
name Putting aside my book, donned
NV uniform and sash and proceeded to
the guardhouse.
"There, in the midst of as tough a
looking gang as one ever saw, stood a
we'll dressed, distinguished looking gen.
teman. When / asked him why he was
in custody. he informed me that he was
under arrest because he had refused to
give his name or to register with the
proyost marshal When politely re-
ouested him to go with me and regis
ter. he responded, You know me well
enough and do not need ask my name. ;
When l assured him that had never
seen him before and / requested him to
comply with the order under which l
was acting he refused Indignantly to
do so.
81 then ordered the guards to take
him to the parade ground and tie him
to the flagstaff Upon arriving there
again begged him to be reasonable and
give his name, but he obstinately re-
fused to do so. Then l ordered the men
to tie him up by the thumbs. After
leaving him in that position for three
minutes ne was let down, but again re-
manned obstinately silent He was
drawn up again, and after leaving him
in that painful position nearly ten min
utes he was let down, but scornfully
declined to answer my most polite re-
quest to give me his name. ! begged
him to relieve me Of the necessity OF
resorting to more force and to relieve
himself Of further humiliation and phys
ical pain, but he scorned me. There
was on the parade ground with that
gentleman, who was manifestly of more
than ordinary ability and consequence
in the world, and in the presence of the
regimental staff. l, "a young officer. a
mere STRIPPING, and yet the officer OF
the day, was trying to compel him tc
give his name in accordance with the
order of the commanding officer Of the
department..
He remained stolidly silent, and
then | ordered the guards to buck and
gag him. 1t was painful scene, which
l shall never forget. The soldiers die
their duty, bound him in an uncomfort
able position and gagged him so tightly
that the blood ran from his mouth. That
was more than l had intended to be
done the first time, and it was more
than l could bear to see, SO / ordered
his release.
AS he stood up, trembling with
pain, passion and humiliation, he said
l am Joseph G. Knapp, chief justice Of
the supreme court of the territory Of
New Mexico. l Immediately ordered
his release from custody, and he re
turned to the Hotel Fonda, where he
mad registered upon his arrival. His
presence i'll Santa Fe was no secret, ant
nearly everybody knew him. Therefore
lie may have reasoned that knew hin
and was merely making a parade of my
authority needlessly in asking him hi
name and compelling him to give it
lou may be very sure that regretted
the occurrence when 1 heard him an
nounce his name, his title and his off
Cial standing, as, indeed, had sincere
~ regretted the entire scene from thu
first. -
Was anything done about it Off
cially?'
We'll, should say sol Colonel earle
Ton, commanding the post, wrote re
port OF the affair, which he character
lzed as brutal, and recommended pro
ceeolngs against me, although he knew
mat L had only done my duty in thu
premises. IL an obscure citizen had re
FUSED to give his name, as Judge KNAPP
nau done, Colonel Carleton would hav,
Ionimended my course. AS it was
ouuge Knapp and Colonel Carleton
were BOSOM friends and had been fol
years Therefore he was biased in tn,
matter. The papers were finally laiC
ueiore President Lincoln, who had mean
une been seen by some of my friends
Ia r Al.