Evening times-Republican., 1903-11-10

Beverley. greatly handicapped by the
fact that the fresh scalp of white
man hung at Long Hairs belt. had eN-
hausted every possible argument to
avert or mitigate the sentence promptly
spoken by the court martial of which
Colonel Clark was the ruling spirit He
had succeeded barely to the extent of
turning the mode of execution from
tomahawking TO shooting. All the Off
GERS in the fort approved killing the
prisoner and it was difficult for Colo
mel Clark to prevent the men from
making outrageous assaults upon him.
so exasperated were they at sight of
the scalp.
Oncle Jazon proved to be one of the
most refractory among those who de-
manded tomahawking and scalplng as
the only treatment due Long Hair. The
repulsire savage stood up before them
stolid. resolute defiant, proudly fiaunt-
ing the badge which testified to his
horrible efficiency as an emissary of
Hamilton. 1t had been left in his
belt by Clark's order as the best justi-
f1cation of his doom.
.'L' me hack is headw Oncle Jazon
pleaded. II jes' bankers to chop a
hole inter 1t. An, besides, want 'is
scelp to hang up wi mine an that n
O the Injun what scelped me. He
kicked me in the ribs. the varmint."
Beverley pleaded eloquently and well,
but even the genial Major Helm laugh
"a at his sentiment of gratitude to a
savage who at best but relented at the
last moment for Alice's sake and con-
cluded not to sell him to Hamilton. 1t
is due to the British commander to
record here that he most positively and
with what appeared to be high SINGER
ity denied the charge of having offered
rewards for the taking OF human
scalps. He declared that his purposes
and practices were humane, and that,
while he did use the Indians as militia
ry allies, his orders to them were that
they must forego cruel modes Of war
fare and refrain from savage outrage
upon prisoners. Certainly the weight
of contemporary testimony seems over
whelmingly against him, but we enter
his denial Long Hair himself, how
ever, taunted him with accusations Of
unfaithfulness in carrying out some
very inhuman contracts, and, to add q
terrible sting, volunteered the state
ment that poor Barlow's scalp had
served in his turn in the place Of Bev-
erley's.
With conditions SO hideous to con-
tend against, Beverley, Of course, had
no possible means of succoring the con-
demned savage.
Him a-dckin' yer ribs clean inter
ye, an a-makin' We run the gantlet. an
here ye air a-tryin' to save ,is life"
whined Oncle Jazon. IVY man, l
thought We he'd some senterments! Dast
is Injin liver, l kin feel them kicks
what he guv me till yit. Ventrebleu!
Que diable voulez-vous?"
Clark simply pushed Beverley's
pleadings aside as not worth mo-
ment's consideration. he easily felt
the fine bit OF gratitude at the bottom
of 1t all, but there was too much in
the other side of the balance. Justice,
the discipline and confidence OF his lit
tie army and the claim Of the women
and children on the frontier demanded
firmness in dealing with n case like
Long Hairs.
mo, no. he said to Beverley. II
would do anything in the world for
you, FitZ, except to swerve an inch
from duty to my country and the de-
fenseless people down yonder in Ken
lucky can't do it. There's no use to
press the matter further. The die is
cast That brute's got to be killed and
killed dead Look at him-look at that
scalp! I'd have him killed II dropped
dead for it the next instant"
Beverley shuddered. The argument
was horribly convincing, and yet, some
how, the desire to save Long Hair
overbore everything else in his mind.
He could not cease his efforts. 1t SEEM
ed to him as IL he were pleading for
Alice herself. Captain Farnsworth,
strange to say. was the only man in the
fort who leaned to Beverley's side, but
he was reticent, doubtless feeling that
his position as British prisoner gave
him no right to speak, especially when
every lip around him was muttering
about infamous scalp buy
ers and Indian partisans," with whom
he was prominently counted by the
speakers.
As Clark had said, the die was cast. |
Long Hair, bound to stake, the scalp
still dangling at his side, grimly faced
his executioners. who were eager to
fire. he appeared to be proud Of the
fact that he was going to be killed.
Zone thing l can say of him." Helm
to Beverley-"he's the grand
est specimen of the ANIMAL might |
say the brute-man that I ever saw,
red, white or black. Just look at his
body and limbs! Those muscles are
perfectly marvellous"
"He saved my life and must stand ,
here and see him murdered" the young
man replied with intense bitterness.
It was ell that he could think, all that
be could say. He felt inefficient and
detected, almost desperate.
Clark himself, not willing to cast re-
sponsibility upon a subordinate, made
'eady to give the fatal order. Turning
10 Long Hair first, he demanded of
him as we'll as he could in the Indian
lialect, of which he had a smattering,
what he had to say at his last moment.
The Indian Strengthened his already