The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-06-20
NOT YET A PROPHETS SON.
BUT THERE'S A PROSPECT VOW OF
"A HANGING IN PIKE COUNTY.

Thtug Woutd Happen, ana the Son Has Been
waiting for the Fainiment OF the Prophecy
Disappointments That Have Come 60 Him.
MILFORD, Pa, Juno 19.-"when Tom Quick
and Ben Haines years an years ago murdered
6hankss Bon jes' cause he was fshin' where
they wanted 10 fsh, up at tho mouth Of the
Shoholy, an nothin' was never done about II, my
father UP an says:
"'If setch things keeps agoin' Oh thererl DO
somebody hung in Pike county yit.'
wow setch things has ben goin' on for hfty
year an better. an i ben waitin' all that time to
zee somebody hung In Pike county, 'cordin' to
my fathers prophecy. Moron wunst my hopes
has ben rz to tho pint O. feelin' that tho day
was at hand, but l alluz got disappointed. 1t
seems to look u little jos now. though, as II the
time was actually DRAWN nigh, but l wouldn't
bet on it's gittin' here. Sumpin' Il happen, jst
as like as not, to knock 1t in the head agin. tn
be list my consumed lucki'
The venerable citizen from tho Knob country,
away back In tho Pike county wilderness, had
been In town all week, attending the murder
trial, and those were his remarks after tho jury
had come In with n verdict that the prisoner,
Schulz, was guilty OF murder in the first degree.
"Naturely, anywhere else on the footstool.
that'd mean hangin'," continued the veteran,
"but the trouble is that precedents Is ag'in 1t in
Pike county. Now. here I ben waitin' better'n
hfty year fer that sayin' O. my fathers to como
true, an see how things has turned outi Look
at Andy Callaghani II any one ever give an.
other one reason to have hopes, Andy Callaghan
give reason TO me as long ago as fifty years.
What did Andy dol First place. he was helpin'
build the Erie Railroad. up near the mouth o.
the Lackawack-and, mind you. the mouth O.
the Lackawack amt no long ways from the
mouth O. the Shoholy. where Tom Quick and
Ben Haines knocked Shanks's Ben's brains out.
The ~ n- that Ari- xrarLnl .,tth ~, lz,.,n -,
. gang o. carpenters that was buildin'
the railroad bridge crosst the Lackawack,
an one day, after maxim threats that
he'd do II, Andy showed his knife into George
Keys. one o tho carpenters, and there was one
carpenter less on the job. My fathers words
came mighty close to comm true right there
an then, fer Keys's friends got q ropo an slung
It over the limb of an apple tree. an was goin'
to string Andy Callaghan up off-hand, to save
time an costs on the county, but Lackawack
folks talked en- out of 1t. an they took Andy to
Milford an put him in Jail. He was tried next
term O. court, an the jury reckoned he ought to
be hung an said SO. He was sentenced to be
hung, an was feelin' big cause l could go
round an say / was a son OF II prophet. / guess
j could a ben elected constable or sumpin' by
my Teller citizens just then. an mebbe mowt a
been boostedtil 1 got to the Legislator, II it
had ben apywhere's else but Pike county.
"When they sent word to a man named John
con. who happened to be Governor O. Pennsyl-
vany then. that he'd oblige EN- by signin' the
papers that d give 'em the right to go ahead
an hang Andy Callaghan, Mr.. Johnson sent
back word that they'd have to excuse him. but
h. wouldn't have time to sign tho papers. as he
Wa bin to quit bein' Governor pretty soon. SO
considerable standin' 'mongst my feller cit
s. is. an i don't believe I'd q even dast run for
!athmaster. But there was new Gov'ner comm
In. an l had big hopes O. him, cause l had voted
for him, as poorly much everybody else in Pike
county had. His name was Bigler. an when he
come in an went to governin'. they sent the pa.
pe-s on to him TO sign. so as they could go on with
the hangin. o Andy Callaghan, who was gittin'
tired o waitin' hisself. But the new Governor
he sent back word that it wasn't none o his bust
dSss; it, he h M0a said. I S Rn' e there '0 %s %as ought he TO
couldn't go on an hang Andy without the Gov
ernor signed the papers. an things looked dark
ship. where | counted on the hope that in n cou.
p!o o years we'd elect a Governor that would
Icould get TO be the son Of a prophet. after all.
But. what do you think Two years afterward
Pike county voted for him.! Then l give up.
Folks thought there wasn't no use Q, keepin,,
oil an pinin' for i%estice, on the dee that maybe
two years later n Governor might slip in that'd
siEn the papers, so they went to work an got
mouth when l hcerd they'd turned Andy out O.
Jail. J. can't say, of course. whether my old
III bet they shifted a%little., But we might bet.
ter a hung Andy; He had ben four years in Jail
road was All built. So he got,a Job workin' on it
as a brakeman; He hadn't ben there. long
found him all the way between there and the
turnout. two miles furder on:
Things went along. an at last hope riz wunst
Mcbbe my gray hairs won't have to go down
in sorrer to the grave after all! l says.
IN HIM linn m % niNE. Ir.. rho rnnaNn
his medium bein' young Jimmy, Waddcll. whom
he shot an killed an'bprncd his body up, ont
Jimmy .WaddTeiiiI' belonged down in Bff9okiyS.
a little ,cicarin up in the Pike county Wider:
ness. an, cause he thought Jimmy was inclined
e eH eSsqi 'nt along sa Wiits fen jim me meg icy n mp 70 as isi his on come 5hc
pany. The old man Used 10 send the
s s9y mSS e Ind every sai q m IoItar n An ons d" =
1t, no one see anything more OF Jimmy round
anywhere, an McGnrck was %GlpnGin' round
the Waddeli house, which WAS Nv from
found q lot o hnlf. burned bones on the premises
AZ eycTybody said they was human bones,
Gurck had put the boy out o the way. an he
was toGk up an Pat in jni!. oon,s... ,ur
but feel that ] WAS gOin' to be the son of a
Tor tho better lords mo 'mongst my Teller citi
EShos hiopS "a" 'itof " nv Nol iiot'h "lCl
Mctiurck owned up to the whole thing-tolo
how he killed Jimmy, an how he took him ouI
an burned him up an buried what was left o.
him. When | hcerd o this, | says:
81 must kind o. think up what III run fer a
tho hands o. my Teller citizens at the next cleo
tion. I'm feclin' that they'll force sumpin OF
me. sure!'
"McGurck WAS actually plcadin' to be hung
cause he said that was what he was cut out for
The Court. o course. wouldn't let him send hi,
oYnse.f TO the gallows, so 1t got n Jury together
70 find put il McGurek did kin Jimmy W9ddell
The evidence showed plain enough that he hat
done 1t, Jest as he said he had. but the
jury had their doubts about It. They went on
an had a long talk over 1t. an at last concluded
that mebbe McGurck had killed Jimmy just
little. an found him guilty O. murder In tn,
second degree. Before ! could git my breatl
after that verdict the Judge sentenced McGurcl
TO six years in the penitentiary, an then | drul
myself home an stopped up my ears. for l wa
That disapp'intin. endin' O. my hopes was
hardship fer linn McGurck. too. He wanted I,
be hung in Pike county, where everything wa
handy. but they wouldn't let him, so what die
he have 10 do. after his time was out, but q
way down in Maryland to be hung. He wen
down there an killed a man, an they hung hin
without any fuss.
MY hopes never riz ag'in for more'n ten year
an then they got "A student lift, A Young cha