The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-09-19
PAID HANGMAN's BILL.
Queer Entry Found in Government
Records.

RECORDS.
Washington Cor. Boston Transcript
1--WE get great many cuffs and kicks
for the accounts we hold up because
they do not come within the terms OF
an appropriation law" remarked q
government auditing officer the other
day; 'and undoubtedly we do have TO
cause good men discomfort now and
then when we are only trying TO do
our duty. But a side Of our work the
public rarely sees Is the lengths to
which we go now and then TO save
some deserving man from a loss. In
war We have instances of this sort
continually occurring, as so much has
10 be done under abnormal conditions,
when the lines must not be drawn too
closely II we would promote substan-
tiaI justice.
To give you a case In point: We
once found among the vouchers OF an
officer actually engaged in the field a
receipted bill for $40 for the hire Of a
hangman. This was a record breaker
for me. OF course. on its face such a
charge could not be passed; so I or
dered a letter to be sent to the officer
asking for an explanation. The an
swer arrived In due time, quite in the
style Of the bluff old fellow who wrote
il, 1 can't give you the exact Ian
guage, but II ran somewhat like this:
"A B. was notorious bandit,
blackleg and bad man, who had not
only kept like wolf on the trail of
my command for weeks, killing and
robbing struggling soldiers wherever
he could. but shedding the blood and
taking the property of non-cOmbatant
~ rrf1fa hn1 r.r1 -,
protect. After long trying in vain,
at last captured the scoundrel. and to
make an impression on the people Of
the country all around there 1 resolved
10 do something with him little out
of the ordinary. l sent out a general
invitation TO the peaceful inhabitants
who had suffered at his hands to come
and bear testimony al his trial. which
l held in the village of Ballygoo. in
the open air, and made as public as
possible, and conducting II on the gen.
eral lines OF criminal court In a civil
community. / detailed the men in my
command who knew most about law to
serve as Judge. prosecuting attorney
and counsel for the defense, and Inn
paneled a jury from the most inteIn-
gent material I could find. | was re-
solved that the fellow should not en-
Joy the honor OF anything ike a sol
dier's trial, or suffer anything like a
soldiers death-that would have been
too good for him.
He was convicted and sentenced to
be hanged. but We had not an officer
or an enlisted man at hand who knew
how 10 do the job properly. I was told
that a civilian who lived back in the
hills had once worked as a sheriff's
assistant and helped three or four
murderers out Of the world. SO I sent
for him and struck a bargain 70 hang
our prisoner for $40. Including the loan
OF a rope. suppose the whole thing
was irregular. but I was resolved 70
do il In an artistic manner. and the
good effects OF my policy are shown
| By the fact that my command has
been offered no moIestatiOn from brig
ands since
1T was a strong plea. and appealed
20 me- But how were we TO straighten
the account out so as 20 make II su-
/ perfciaIIy correct? A clerk at my el-
| bow suggested a solution IN a Penciled
memorandum: Have item made
/ charge on quartermaster. for emer-
gency transportation Of A. b. Bally-
/ goo 10 Gehenna, by most direct route,
distance unknown: attach order Of
! commanding officer for execution 10
prove that transportation was neces-
sary and for the good OF the service. >
Tt was done. and the historian who
orerhauls the archives OF that period
viii find the papers there and may
draw his own conclusions"