Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1899-06-22
ALYNCHING BEE SPOILED
Too Much Attention Paid to the
Etiquette of the Occasion.
'M9NHS M 9N7NNS

DON'T take the personal interest
in lynchings that l used to-" said
Uncle Atkinson, as he sat on the YER
anda of his hotel at Fresno, Cal, talk
ing over the recent lynchings in the
south. 1T isn't entirely because 1 am
getting old, but the last lynching par
ty took part in disguised me with the
whole business. You see, Pete Lam
sing stole a horse and we got a party
together and started out after him.
Pete gave US quite a chase, but at last
we struck a hot trail near Pine hills,
and then we gained on him so fast that
when our little party of vigilantes
swept around the curve at the foot of
the hills Pete was only half mile
ahead and pushing his horse at gailop
across the prairie. We called to him to
stop. OF course, he couldn't hear us
at that distance, and as he knew we
wanted to hang him for horse stealing,
heVvouldn't have stopped if he had heard,
but it was the first time since we or
ganized that the Diamond Center Wig
iIantes had been called out, and we
wanted to do things in proper style.
So we formally summoned Pete to sur
render. Dick Evans, our leader, want
ed everything done exactly right, but
1 and some of the other boys think he
was too particular on this occasion. y
swell bon ton society affair is one thing
and a lynching bee is another, and
there isn't any use trying to combine
them.
However that may be, after we had
called upon Pete to stop we thought we
had done all that etiquette, as Dick
called it, required, and we began to
pump bullets at him. Pretty soon one
of the bullets struck his horse and it
tufnbled over. Pete knew there wasn't
any use running after that. so he lit a
.ciparette-he was a sort of dude in
some ways-and waited for us to come
up.
...Guess we've got you this time,
Pete says Dick.
Looks that way replies Pete, as
calm and unconcerned as if he didn't
have any part in the show. What is
the next thing on the programme"
1.-The nearest trees were about half
way ND the pine hills. and we allowed
the first thing to be done was to take
Pete to where the trees were. After we
reach a tree we won't have much
trouble finding out what to do next,
Mr.. Pete lansing said one of the boys
in an ugly kind of way. The man who
smoke had lost three or four good horses
that season, and was feeling kind of
sore over it, but Pete looked quite hurt
at being talked to in this kind of fash
ion. and Dick Evans spoke up:
"'That'n do for you. Tom. That's
no kind of a way to speak to man
who is almost dead
'But our troubles had only begun
Pete's horse was dead and he swore mat
he wasn't going to walk to the pine
hills Nobody ever heard of a man
framping a mile to his own hanging.
You fought me fair and square, says
Pete, and l don't kick on that, but /
amt going to hoof it across this prairie.
A man in my position ought to have
little politeness shown him.
''.Jim Haly, who runs the Crescent
saloon, happened to have deck of
cards in his pocket and he proposed
that we throw around and the low man
give up his horse to Pete. We all
agreed to this, and Pete being in one
way our guest we let him deal. That
made a delay. for Pete dealt himself the
low hand. and as he didn't have any
horse we had to deal again. One of the
BOYS got stuck this time, so Pete took
his horse and we started out for the
pine hills.
1T was pretty dark when we reached
the hills, but one of the party got out
rope and we thought the business
would be over in few minutes. But
here Pete made another kick. For
man who was going to be hanged he
was the most particular, bothersome
fool / ever ran across.
81 don't want to be hung right here
alongside of the road where everybody
will see me. Take me little ways into
the woods and do the job there
but we want your body to be an
example, says Dick Evans, sort OF
floubtfully.
THAT made Pete mad. Example,
he snaried. L take horse. you boys
catches me and strings me up. So far ,,
all right. But I don't want my booy |
used as the tag end of a Sunday school
lesson. Besides, what kind of thing |
would that be to shcw strangers think |
i.g to inves. their u,enay Ia the grow