The San Francisco call., 1898-01-30

= BO.
 q short shrift and long rope were inc means to the end of many man who. in the simple annals of his far-away birthplace, was counted among the missing forever after. Bulger s Rar on the upper Yuba, was no exception to the generality of the primitive mining camps in its administration of affairs Faro was winked at, but the theft of a ham or a bag of beans was a crime de- manding a penalty of not less than eX- pulsion from the camp; the shooting down of a human being. if there was but the semblance of a cause, was but a mis- demeanor beside the rifiing of a sluice box. The logical successor Of the wittena- gemote of the Anglo-Saxons. the vigilance committed was composed of the best citi- Zens of the Bar, and at its head stood Hank Dunn, the proprietor of the Red Light saloon, and easily the leading ctti- zen of the community.
 Of late the committee had been some what lax in the performance of it's self imposed duties. It is true that one un- fortunate who had been discovered in the possession of one more ace than the law allows to any well-regulated deck of cards had been escorted from the camp astride of very sharp rail- but capital punish ment had not been inflicted for upward of six months. Meanwhile Red Dog had hung two men and Bulger'S Bar had begun to complain of the apathy of it's vigilance committee which had thus al lowed an inferior neighbor to gain such aScenQancy in the eyes Of the world. The times were ripe for an uprising, and when Hungry Jim, the most conspicuous ne'er-do-well of the Bar. was caught red handed in the act of stealing a can of dust from the cabin of Lucky George. it was felt, even in the air, that Bulger' s opportunity for self-asSertion had arrived
 The committee was speedily summoned to convene and the wretch was quickly tried and condemned. Upon the adjourn ment of the court. he was escorted in silence a quarter of mile down the canyon to large tree which had more than once done its duty in the history of Bulger' Bar. The rope was carefully adjusted around Hungry" Jim'S neck, the other end thrown over an outstretched limb, and twenty men grasped it while awaiting signal to pull.
 Now. Jim" said Hank Dunn. while q hush fell on the assemblage, you have been accused of the worst crime in the calendar O. Bulger's Bar; you have been fairly tried by jury of your peers and found guilty; you have been sentenced and the sentence is about to be executed. If you have anything to say, say it now, and may God have mercy on your sou. ''
 Sometimes, in the presence of death, the most worthless of beings acquires a dig nity that years of effort fail to give. and he did not quaver. He drew himself up to his full height and spoke simply:
 Friends, for you have been my friends. know the law and I shall not beg for mercy. Since I've been in this camn perhap I've been shiftless, perhaps I've been worthless, as some of you have
 the plain truth and say i've " been enn
 qInlucky. You know every claim
 I've took up has petered out;
 everything I've turned my hand
 to has gone dead against me.
 Not one of you ever knew me
 to steal before and God
 knows I was driven to it this
 time by absolute want make no other excuse, for /. l have none. If it were / possible for me to be / / spared this time. I 4 N would promise faith 4 XI IuIly to lead a diff MLIx//I ferent life. Yet. /MI#/E know such words Ws/E&. seem childish, /T/zZ$W the last re- A/H/N/IzzWH sort of all /Tlzl/g AT
 men in my WIlp,/<1%T
 position, MIlZ<W
 N AN and per
 M< ZMW haps they
 A/,/ZN are unwor-
 N.EIZH thy of a man
 / MIM who was once
 / 1AV gentleman. If / MT you think they / x . ]: : :..: N N4E are I withdraw AzzlEEH them, although they were honestly spoken AE However, 1 presume NY/ would be better out oi HT/ the world than in 1t, and N/ you may do your duty W Good-by, friends. and may you r never regret your act of to-day He was silent and every hand or
 the rope frightened it's grasp in the
 expectation of word from Hanl
 Dunn. But at this instant, tall
 broad-shouldered man pushed his way through the little crowd and stoo' beside the condemned criminal. l