The new enterprise. (Madison, Fla.) 1901-1908, 1902-02-06

lated the FORTY miles 10 NluceuHes ShN
the number Of days 1t would take
his oxen to make the journey. lie
wrlnkled his brow many times. but at
last he was satisfied. The next morn
ing he yoked his beasts to n rude
wagon, climbed in, laid his rife across
his knees and took the Vincennes trail
He figured he should reach there in
three days. and IL this proved true he
would arrive on the day of Toms"
death and several hours before his ex-
ecution. That was all he wished to
do.
over in Vincennes no one expected
any member of the Mckinney family
to be present. The people were poor,
far removed, and "'rom" had chosen
his own way. The scaifold rose in
the square, unprotected by barricade.
The night before the hanging the OK
teams from the settlement began to
come in. The wagons were ranged
about the scaffold, and there the cat
tie fed, while the men fingered in the
taverns, drinking and cmoking and
listening to many tale Of what Nc
Kinney had been when be was free.
Women came with their husbands and
little children, and the one topic OF
conversation was the coming death.
"rn bet" said one, "'Tom's' wiGhing
now he had his ma. ;, gun and an
open road"
Gosh, no." said another. "He's
playing pitch and wishing his jig was
done. Lie Amt no coward, Tom
amt"
The morning came and the stirring
of the town. The cattle were fed in
the shadow Of the scaffold, while the
Sheriff joked with his prisoner and
told him he would make things as
easy" as possible. BY 10 O'Clock the
crowd was thronging the square and
iostling ~ to the edge Of the scafold,
fixing many q curious eye on the
dangling rope.
On the west hank of the Wabash
appeared a dusty, foot-sore OK team
that slowly made its way across by
ferry and then numbered up the street
to the scafTold. A grim-faced old nan
sat on the wagon seat, and n rifle lay
across his knees. Some IN the crowd
knew him. They called out:
ITS Toms father"
The people made way for the old
man aud oxen to draw near to the
scatfold, but Mckinney did not stop
there. He kept on until he was di.
rectly under the structure, and there
he sat looking toward the Jail Then
the doors opened and TON" came ouq,
tall, rugged, handsome, fearless. His
throat was bare, his arms bound. He
held his head high among his guards,
and laughed at the peoples faces. The
eyes Of father and son met.
How, pa" said Tom"
"How, 'Tom,'" said the old man.
Standing under the Moose, having
one moment of life left, Tom Nc
Kinney began TO sing:
"When shall 1 see Jesus,
And reign with Him above"
The old mans voice, dry with dust
broke in:
Mighty soon, Tom IL ever
A second of silence and the drop
fell, McKinney's body shooting Down
almost in front Of his fathers face.
The old man sat there lingering his
rifle and looking at the doctors crowd
ing about. They, too, noticed his ner-
vous shifting Of his weapon. When
they pronounced tom" dead, they
drew back. The Sheriff cut the body
down and it fell in the dust. Old man
Mckinney was off the wagon Instant
~, and had lifted his dead son high
in the air and stretched him out in
the wagon. Then holding his rife
again and looking toward the doctors
that had counted on having the body,
he said:
"This is my meat, Get up, Buck"
And across the Wabash passed father
and son to be seen no more.-H. /.
Cleveland, in the Chicago Record-Her
aid.
Queer Fishing.