The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1898-03-10

- ut NAntt ItACt Vas tIfsAtus NlNu clNi'
le msut. sad ielt sure that Laramie Vas /
- become second Cbicsso aud WyominRl
oi new Eel Dorado. Nha htllc meusy ha
III uenl toto mining clAIms Bat ianoied
bad . longer bead than the average spec
4 lstof aud decided to establish some toh
/, business, ! started paper | hope
/, that 10 time, as the city grew iute mett
IL puitan proportions, ny weekly sonl,
& blossom cut into great iunacutlsI daily
!. and 10 fancy ! ssv myself The Pulitzer Q
~ the vesl, Bot the lead Of ore played co
and the town instantly collapsed Thos
IS who had enough money to get oai Of Lar
0 mie did SO. Those who had not stsil,
= remained.
o / hung on to the paper 10 the hope tha
= ! conld sell !, some time Bnt 10 pm
0 chaser came my way. The motley crowd
Of stranded spectators left behind by the
J boom could not support paper and in
fact, large proportion OF them couldn'
read anyway. There was no news
J Every little occurrence was seized upon
eagerly, and lspun 1t Cut as fer as could
, to I'LL up my paper, A dog fight any time
was good for q column. At last 10 desper
alton began writing humorous sketches
merely to fill up with. OF course | had
no circulation, but | sent the paper to
every leading Journal in the country, and
10 q short time my stuff began to be
copied. That was the beginning OF the
end.
At one time, / remember, We had d hang
ing scheduled. OF course We often had
little informal, impromptu hangings, bnt
this one was to be . real, genuine, legal
execution. A half drunken miner had
shot down Il saloon keeper without the
slightest provoostion. There was no
doubt about the fellows guilt, He admit
ted it himself. Ordinarily be would have
been lynched right away. but several OF
us talked the matter over and decided
that the murderer ought not 10 be wss,sG,
We would use him as an advertisement
| We held that legal execution would be
good card for the town aud would show
the world at large that Laramie was not
Wild, lawless place, but law abiding
city, with established courts and officials
to enforce the law properly.
The murderer himself was nightly
pleased pilh the idea He relshed the
notoriety it would give him, aud immedI
stely became he proudest man 10 town.
There was no jail Laramie in those days
didn't need one anyway. Lswbreskers
never we're fed at public expense. They
were lynched or given notice to get out Of
town. Court was held ia the rear room
Of a grocery. jury wac sworn in. and
every thing was done as nearly according
to law as possible, The prisoner was sen
fenced to hsng, and the day OF execution
was fixed for the following Friday. !
raised an Objection to this and pointed
ont to the court that | would require
more time 10 order TO get up creditsble
newspaper sccouDt OF the eflsir ia special
edition which was TO te sent broadcast
to advertise the town. SO the hanging
was postponed for week TO suit the
exgehcies OF my printing establishment.
| went right to work on the special
boom edition-wrote up history Of the
man who was murdered, gave sketch Of
the murderer, printed the judges charge
in full and gave special write ups to every
mem Der Of the jury and to ell others who
had taken part in the Trial 10 any way.
Then | gave 40 elaborate account OF the
banging itself, told how the prisoner look
ed, gave bis dying speech on the gallows
described the scene when the drop fell
and ended with the post mortem exsmlna
tioD.
O0ly one thing really bothered mel
wanted to illustrate the fffilr, and there
wasn't a cut OF any sort within hundreds
Of miles. After worrying about the ma,
Ter for solne time | decided TO do little !
wood engraving oD my own account.
ook piece Of hardwood plank, plsDed il
Town type high, and with q chiseI cut ont
mans face as nearly as ! could. This
placed 10 the middle Of the first page,
1iib q line under II stating that 1t was
portrait OF the murderer" Beyond any
question that was the oldest specimen Of
.he engrsyer's art ever turned ont 10
America. The head had more angles than U
geometry ever described, the eye was I
bree cornered white apot made With the
orner Of the cbiseI. But il went sill right II
The old rickety press was slow. ana had
. run Of the editorial ahead Of time. 1t "
vas printed and piled away 10 rear room -
Waiting for the sppcinted day TO come. y
10 the meantime the n urderer was about u
own ss usual, eIcspt thGt he was drunk
Z than ordinarily because every one 8
eemed 10 feel il al honor 10 drink with '
mao who was 30 soon TO be the ceutsr OF VI
,ubic interest, "
Two days before the hanging omeboly y
earned that my boom edition was pnutsd -
pd Immediately The Cfice was bsseiged v
y citizsus who wanted to see the paper.
L fret | refused, but soon the crowd "
Iered bonus ior the paper, sud found | "
oud cell ont then and realize just 81 -
luch ss could by waiting, 80 took IN the y
ash and let the papers go They u, =
he hot cakes. The murderer himself -
gss smons the hfst 10 seta copy, and. 81 =
housh be conld1'l read, be seemed great ~
' interested 10 The Woo3cut. II came y
1to the Office 10 sssnte himself that there v
Las M nnI.t.kn nhnnl II and told him