Juniata sentinel and Republican. [volume] (Mifflintown, Juniata County, Pa.) 1873-1955, 1899-03-08
WORKING THE RUNNING o,MoH.
Its Neaniag and Ecensnisal Ues n
pinned BY q Western ShefiE

At0 A001k1B on0 GSOo0.A08A 49, -
plained BY q Western SheriR
at is In the newly settled regions Of
the far West, where bad men congre-
gate and turn loose, that the running
cincha works to best advantage, and II
saves costs to the community and
trouble to the sheriff." said an ex.
sheriff from New Mexico in the Office
of a downtown hotel last night. "N
works well all round, and satisfies
everybody concerned except the man
that Is cinched, and he never com
plains, because he's dead. You see 1t
often happens that a sheriff In wild
and woolly region, with the best inten-
tions, has a live prisoner on his hands
that ought by all good rights to be
planted. He is responsible for his safe
keeping in Jail that a 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 re-
Election on the sheriff, and gross disre-
spect 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 a 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 10
bored and ballasted with lead before
a pacemaker.
The Mormons have used the possi-
bilities of the running cinch the most
systematically. 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 de-
clined to take advantage of the chances
they gave him to run. During the
building of the Union Pacific road
through Utah the Jail at Brlghamville,
forty miles from Salt Lake City. be
came famous for this. Although the
prisoners comprised the toughest class
of men. such as naturally fOcked to
the country as the railroad advanced,
no effort was made to hold them in jail
and door or window was always left
open somewhere at their service. sh 3uld
they feel inclined to walk out. But
none ever got away, or outlived his ex-
pertinent In breaking jail. The Nor
mons In official authority are always
good shots, and the prison guard kept
their practice up in this way
1T was through an atrocious misuse
Of the running ciDch that the great
Apache chief, Mangas Colorado, was
killed by United States soldiers about
forty years ago. He had surrendered
as a prisoner of war. and was held
under guard in camp when the plot
was made for his death. As he re-
fused the opportunities given him to
run, he was pricked with a red-hot
bayonet thrust through the wall Of the
tent in which he was lying. At that he
sprang from the tent and was killed by
the guard as an escaping prisoner. This
dastardly murder. which was wholly
without Justification. proved costly
crime for the government in the end
After this the Apaches would not trust
the white mans word. and long wars
| followed as q consequence, In which
thousands Of lives were lost and vast
expense incurred" Chicago Intea
Ocean