The Billings gazette. [volume] (Billings, Mont.) 1896-1919, 1902-04-01
Mob's Victim Dies on caIIows Pre-.
pared for Legally Execut-
ing Laws Sentence.
from Saturdays Daily Gazette.

49,
ly appeared to arouse him from his
slumbers and after that he had but
little voice in the subsequent pro
ceedings, the members doing most OF
the rest. He talked some, but those
in whose charge he found himself
were men Of action, rather than od
words.
The sheriff, in whose keeping he
had been, was also asleep, or at least
is supposed to have been when the
mob arrived at the Jail and under the
guard OF two of It's members, who are
said to have bucked and gagged, him
and then Influenced him with six
pistols, that officer found himself help.
less and could not interfere with the
arrangements carefully prepared be:
fore hand by the committee appointed
for that purpose, and the thing went
off with the precision for which the
men Of the sagebrush state are noted.
He Jumped or.
OF course, the members of the mob
were masked, and to maintain a
semblance Of congruity throughout,
they also masked Woodland, carefully
tieing a piece of red flannel, presum-
ably from that gentleman's neither
clothing, owe his mouth and led him
out to the gallows that had been built
in anticipation Of his legal death by
strangulation and a broken neck. Here
he val compelled to mount the steps
leading to the platform and one end
of a rope was placed around his neck,
the other end being brought into close
relationship with the convenient
'crossbeam overhead. With these 3Nep
liminartes attended to, Woodland was
next pushed onto the trap, but he dis
appointed his would-be executioners
by suddenly jumping to n side and
over the edge Of the platform before
the trap could be released.
The end Of the rope with which his
neck had become entangled prevented
him from reaching the ground, as it
broke his fall, but not his neck, and
in order to make his dispatch certain
a couple OF willing and helpful gentle
men pulled his legs, not gently, but
with considerable force, after which
he was permitted to slowly strangle
to death, the mob standing by and
w,ofchinU hic cyyfforino o
Warning to Others.
When satisfied that the man was
really dead, the mob produced a card
which was pinned to the shirt cover
ing the lifeless form swinging in the
raw. wintry air. On the card appear
ed the following legend:
"The process of the law is a little
too slow, SO this is the road you'll
nave to go. Murderers and thugs be-
ware. Peoples verdict"
Sheriff Released.
The next move on the part of some
Of the members OF the lynching crowd
was to notify those guarding the sher-
if that all was over and they released
their prisoner. The mob then scatter
ed and went in different directions.
An hour or so afterward the body Of
Woodland was taken down. The piece
Of flannel which had partly covered
his features was removed and a 0
oner's jury summoned to sit on the
inquest which was ordered.
Loved His Wife.
About the last words the unfor-
tunate wretch Ia said to have uttered
were addressed to his wife and he i'm
plored the mob to tell her that he
loved her dearly also asking that it be
printed in the newspapers. He also
asked for time to pray not only for
himself but for those who were about
to hang him and for the man whom
he murdered. He begged not to be
choked, saying the rope was choking
him. In his wild ramblings he declar.
ed that he. had not purposely shot
Kicker. His last words were,. 'The
Lord have mercy on me and my dear,
little wife,"
Stay Had Been Granted.
While the mob was busy hanging
Woodland n Of his attorneys was en-
route from Cheyenne to Casper with
a notice Of a stay Of execution, his
having been taken to the sp-
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