La Junta tribune. (La Junta, Bent County, Colo.) 1881-1939, 1898-07-30
THE REPRIEyE CAME.
but NOT OVER THE WIRE.
A Picturesque Tale of n Colorado Man's
Narrow Escape From Hanging.

MARROW Escape from hanging.
Up to the present time l have hesi-
tated about speaking of this matter,
for did not wish one set OF people to
call me ridiculous and fantastic liar;
neither did l desire that another por-
tion of humanity should consider me nS
u daft fool gone wrong because of
much heat and extreme altitude. But
last night l talked with tie man who
preached the sermon when we buried
Jerry Armitage two weeks ago-that
good man who won the esteem OF us
railroad men by the kindliness of his
talking--and before the conversation
was concluded he had heard the story
of Pierce Cartons respite, and hear
Ing it from me he did not laugh nor
pity me. He said that great many
things that men count as mysteries are
but the working of an inscrutable provi-
dence. and he recommended me to be
easy of mind and tell that story when
ever and wherever ! might choose. for
was n witness Of heavens wonders.
As to that do not know. l am not
n religious man. i am Il telegraph OPP
orator. Some people have told me that
IL is never necessary 10 use the first
and negative sentence when | employ
the second and positive one. This may
be. There are probably not many
church enthusiasts among telegraph
operators, bur | guess the average OF
reputable behavior will not suffer
greatly by comprehending the men
who pound brass. If there is any ar
gumcnt in the fact of II man being
within hailing distance of death for
years, l ought to be n pretty proper
sort of an individual. for | came out
here to Colorado in 1894, given up to
lie by our home doctor and wearing Il
pair of lungs that We're full of pune
lures. They told me il anything would
postpone death the Colorado climate
would do the trick, so my superinten-
dent of telegraph. who rather liked
me. got me n job on the Midland ana
sent me away with half Il dozen first
class letters in my pocket. l found
that. although the altitude was good
for my lungs. it was dreadfully bad for
my heart. for the least eXertion or eX-
element set that ratified old organ to
humping like box ear with Nat
| wheel For instance, on the day or
the Welland murder l was nearly
prostrated and my heart beat against
my ribs as though II wanted to get out
and meant To do so. / suppose the
real reason for the shock to me lay In
the fact that almost as soon as the
, crime was made public popular suspi-
cion fell upon the very man who had
occupied by position as operator be-
fore came-Pierce Carton.
The reason people hit upon Pierce
Carton as the probable murderer was
that 1t was known that he had
grudge against Colonel Welland, whose
influence had been used to bring about
| his discharge Few knew the begin
ming of the trouble. but all We're aware
that for three months nearly the two
men had been ready to shoot. 1t was
natural, therefore, when the body of
| Colonel Welland was found. broken
! and battered, at the foot Of the dump
! OF No ., that the marshal and the sler-
| in should become Interested In Pierce
Carton.
1t doesn't take lifetime to bring
man to trial in southern Colorado, ana
within two weeks the jury had decid-
ed that Carton must hang, and the
court, In sentencing him, named the
first Friday within the time limit nj
lowed n man to get ready for death.
With the trial and the testimony my
story had nothing to do, so l shall not
! tell you how hard n fight Pierce made
for his life or upon what grounds 9th
er than suspicion the prosecuting nttor-
ney claimed his conviction. His own
lawyer, Major Ferguson-he's judge
now, and n good thing, too-worked like
hive of beavers to save him. 1t was
hue and cry, though, and that's the
fact of it. Popular opinion could read
only one solution Of the Welland mys-
terry, and that was the guilt of Carton.
myself felt convinced that Pierce had
made the killing, for knew the tenn
pers of both men. Carton had once sig
nified an Intention of waiting till l got
well enough to make an interesting
whipping, when he promised he would
get square for my taking his job. AS
say, guess Major Ferguson was the
only man who believed in Pierce, and
he exhausted every effort to have the
verdict set aside and new trial grant
ed, and failing in that he went to the
governor. The majors fight had inter-
ested nll Grigginsville, very naturally.
and counter petitions were got up
against his plea for a commutation or n
respite. FEELING was high and interest
great, and aside from the ordinary
gambling bets Of the local establish