The evening herald. [volume] (Shenandoah, Pa.) 1891-1966, 1899-02-25
THE RUNNING clNcH.
It's Meaning and Economical Uses
Explained by n Western Sheriff.

It's Meaning and Economical Uses
Explained by n Western sheriff.
"It is in the newly settled regions of the
far west, where bad men congregate and
turn loose, that the running cinch works
to be st advantage, and it saves costs to the
community and trouble to the sheriff"
said an ex-sheriff from New Mexico to a
reporter in the office Of an up town hotel.
sit works well all round and satisfies
every body concerned except the man that
Is ciDched, and he never complains, be-
cause he's dead.
"You see, it often happens that a sheriff
in a wild and woolly region, with the best
intentions, has live prisoner on his
hands that ought by all good rights to be
planted He is responsible for his safe
keeping in Jail that COW could walk
through, and he knows that the man is
dangerous every minute that he lives.
The prisoners friends outside are plotting
TO help him escape on the one hand, and
on the other there is always the chance
that the citizens get up a necktie party
and call for the prisoner with a rope,
| which is a reflection on the sheriff and
| gross disrespect to the majesty of the law.
| "These things worry the sheriff, and he
| thinks he's stood enough of 1t, so he leaves
matters loose in the jail, and there is not
much of watch kept that any one can
see, and the prisoner, seeing nothing to
| hinder, walks out some day and runs for
it. He does not get far The sheriff has
| everything prepared, with men waiting
and the prisoner is bored and ballasted
with lead before he has time to make
much of a show as pacemaker.
1.-THE MOrmons have used the possibilS-
Il q. II. Il.
| tematically, and in the days when they
held cards and spades in Utah a gentle
prisoner in their hands was liable to be
overpersuaded if he declined to take ad-
vantage of the chances they gave him to
run. During the building of the Union
Pacific road through Utah the Jail at
! Brighamyille, 40 miles from Salt Lake
City, became famous for this Although
! the prisoners comprised the toughest
class of men, such as naturally flOcked tO
the country as the railroad advanced, nc
effort was made to hold them in Jail,
and door or window was always left
open somewhere at their service should
they feel inclined to walk out But none
ever got away or outlived his experiment
in breaking Jail The Mormons in otficia
authority are always good shots, and the
prison guards kept their practice up in this
way.
1T was through an atrocious misuse o.
the running cinch that the great Apache
chief Mangas Colorado was killed by
United States soldiers about 40 years ago
He had surrendered as a prisoner of wal
and was held under guard in camp wheT
the plot was made for his death. As h,
refused the opportunities given him to ruI
he was pricked with a redhot bayone
thrust through the wall of the tent IL
which he was lying. At that he spranl
from the tent and vas killed by the guarC
as an escaping prisoner. This dastardl.
murder, which was wholly without justi
lcation, proved costly crime for the gov
ernment in the end. After this tn
Apaches would not trust the white man
word, and long wars followed as a conse
quence, in which thousands Of lives wer
lost and vast expense incurred New
York Sun