The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-05-07

man across the street, if he would save
her life. There was no time TO shout &c
her to get out of the way: she was
walking calmly down the street with
her paraSol over her shoulder. and
probably would not even turn her head
if he called out to her. There was but
one course and the boy followed it al
most instinctively. His right hand
graSped his own revolver, leveled, fired
straight at the breast of Long Pete
who dropped to the ground, his weapon
being discharged into the air as he fell
AS the echo of the shot died away
Parks head swan, his senses seemed tC
be leaving him. the revolver dropped
from his nerveless grasp, and he sank
down on a box close beside the spot
where he had been standing. He hao
had no clear intention of killing the
man, yet doubt that he was dead never
entered the boys mind. He did not
even reflect that he had saved the girl
which had been his one thought a mo-
ment before. His mind was all a con-
fusion of sensa tions, with one fact
bearing down uDon him with over
whelming force The had taken a life
Events had conspired against Park
Raymond on this day. as they some
times do against all of us. That very
morning the district attorney OF the
county had arrived in Gordon City
coming to investigate what the Almira
Sunbeam was pleased to cali a "carni-
val of crime" and to see what was rhe
condition of the new towns legal APP
paratus. He was a smooth-faced, cal
culating young fellow, with a turn Ter
politics, and he knew how to impress n
mining camp in order to bring it 10
mis- own way of thinking. And Gordon
City was no less anxious to impress
the district attorney. Here, then. wa;
their opportunity. a most fragrant case
that called for immediate attention. a
group of sleepy and disheveled citizens
gathered leisurely about Park Ray
mOnd and the body of Long Pete at the
news of d killing. a man with an air
of great Importance pushed his way
through the crowd. He was the newly
elected marshal of the town. and the
young plainsman was promptly placed
under arrest for murder. Murder was
new word to the inhabitants of Tor
don City, and the flavor of it gave them
the pleasing experience of a new SEN
sation.
In towns like Gordon City justice
moves not with the hating step that
characteriZeS her progress in the east.
but swiftly, so that the full effect of
the example is felt. If she is less GER
tain, that is the quality that can best
be spared in a new community. In this
case everything had happened most OPP
perfume. The district attorney was on
hand. He would wait over one day
to try the case. The machinery of jus
tice. all brand-new, would have its first
trial under the most suspicious Cir
I cumStances.
Promptly at 9 o'clock the next morn
ing a crowd gathered at the extern
ported courthouse; the long shed used
by the proprietor of the mule train
lot 10Th IN (ifN-
had been given over temporarily for
this purpose. The justice of the peace
who tried the case sat upon a bale of
hay, the clerk was similarly supplied,
and a board laid across two barrels
served as desk. The jury was ranged
upon a double tier of dry goods boxes,
while the spectators stood up, or
lounged on boxes and casks. On the
question of lawyers there could be no
difficulty. The district attorney would.
of course, prosecute, and. as the only
lawyer in town, Judge" Woodrow ap-
peared for the defense.
There was no division of sentiment
about the case. AS for the killing it
self, it mattered little. Pete had never
been prime favorite: he was too prone
to quarrels when in his cups If he had
not died at this time, his end would
probably have come in some similar
fashion before very long. Sympathy
for the prisoner, or inquiry as to his
motive. was apparently unthought of.
The one well-defined feeling was that
Gordon City could not take a place in
rank with the more pretentious towns
of western Colorado until its claims to
the height of civilization had been vim
Dictated by a legal execution. AS old
Josh Summers expressed it: 81 dunno
but I'd "a done the same thing in that
young feller's place. but theys a gem
erai feelin' in town that it's bout time
we had hangin'. II would give the
Almira Sunbeam opportunity for a
fresh attack If this man were let GO
1t would be almost an act of discoilr-
tesy TO the district attorney to allow
his first visit TO prove fruitless one. -
The district attorney had enough Of
the cunning of his craft to appreciate
this state of mind on the part of Cor
don City. While he briefly mentioned
the points of law involved. he appealed
chiefly to this general feeling, and put
ii into words. He told his audience
that their beautiful and beloved town
had bad reputation (the adjective
served as a sugar-coating to the un-
pleasant statement, and showed that
the district attorney knew his bust
ness. He showed them that as long as