The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1899-01-26

alert, active to arouse indignation and
anger against the one man hated, de-
spised and yet feared, who. by COM
pulsion, crouched before them. Fierce
were, the words, fiercer the gestures
and more fierce still the. looks cast to-.
wards the accuse ed witch as the mar.
rations proceeded.
ssss Na-u-che,, the war chief of the tribe,
finally gave the word for what was
to be done: Itzwas now daylight. The
early beams of morning light lit up
the valley, with its dead lava flows side
by side with the living stream, and
made brilliant the red and gray walls
of = sTa-ya-o-la-ne when Nick was
brought out from the 7estufa and con.
veyed to the plaza, or public square,
behind the ruins of the old church,
built under the direction of one of the
Jesuit priests who followed the redoubt.
able Vargas. Here convenient cross.
beam supported upon strong posts at.
iorded good hanging place. Nick was
rrudely stripped entirely naked, and his
feet tied together. Then his arms were
stretched behind him and his wrists So
tied that his hands were back TO back,
with the thumbs upright. A stout
raWhide rope was now fastened to his
wrists and thumbs, the other end
thrown over the crossbeam, and sew.
cral willing hands. upon signal from
Na-u-che, hoisted the unhappy victim
OF this merciless procedure several feet
from. the ground. As he there swung
suspended from the ground, the who's
OF his weight resting upon his thum ba
and. wrists, and the rope decorating his
skin and flesh to X the very bone, he
was asked-nay, commanded-to con.
TESS his witcheries. The gag was re.
moved to allow his answer. But what
could or would Nick confess? He had
nothing to say, and second time be
was hoisted,s this slime with fierce i'm.
precautions, equally without success g
third attempt brought forth blows
from the onlookers, and a storm of
misses, sneers and revilings, from the
men and women Of the village who had
now gathered in crowd to witness the
punishment, even unto death if need
be-. Of this hated foe of their peace. =
But by this time Nick's friends were
aroused. They complained to the few
whites who were in the village, and in.
reference on Nick's behalf was al once
made. He was released from his cruel
bands, his wounds attended to, and q
courier sent post-haste to the COM
mandanteof the United States military
post at Fort xWingate< for troops; to
arrest the perpetrators of this deed OF
darkness Two days elapsed and an
officer with several men appeared on
the scene. The warlike Zunis. always
intolerant Of outside interference in
their affairs, viewed with bitter anger
the arrival Of these men. and urged ON
by the unwise counsels of some of the
more daring resisted the j, troops. az.
sailed them with foul names from their
housetops,, led them into q trap. and
there, by force of superior numbers.
well armed. and dangerous, kept them
until reenforcements, which had been
hastily Summoned, arrived After due
consultation of the military men with.
Nick and others supposed to BE Il.
miliar with the affair It was finally de-
scided to arrest two. promiI mt Zunians.
punish them severely warn the others
and thus end the affair without pro-
.voking anaIndian outbreak. sDickswas
one Of the two dSout for arrestss
1Brooding upon his imprisonment me-
came to The nclasion that Nick was,
responsible for It, and upon his re-
lease and return. to Zuni il, was with