Los Angeles herald., 1906-05-13

dressed the court in behalf of his client. He
spoke Tor ten minutes and his address was very
pretty and ended with, 40, demand for the
prisoners discharge" The court listened quietly
and tine jury smoked stolidly, but Forshaw was
hardly prepared for the peculiar wording Of the
jury decision. Thirty seconds after he sat down
came the verdict: Hanging
"Hangingl" Forshsw sprang to his feet "That's
no verdict. All You can do is TO bind the pris
oner over -
I'VE have" interrupted the Judge. complacent-
ly. He's bound tight 'nuif. Double knots all
round"
yes, yes,'' said Forshaw, hurriedly, "but this
court has no right to pass on the guilt Of the
prisoner. You can't hang him."
Cant hey" roared the court "1'n show
you. Elephant, jest a rope over that there rafter
now moose over his neck-that's good Now,
boys" to the jury, "up with him, chair an all"
The ten Jurymen grasped the rope and quickly
drew the condemned up from the floor.
Forshaw gasped. He stood staring with hor-
ri6ed eyes at the face of the hanging man. The
muscles of the face twtched in agony as the rope
compressed the throat the eyes, seemingly forced
outward, rolled with awful horror for a moment,
finally turning back till only the bloodshot whites
were visible, and the tongue hanging out be-
tween the yellow teeth was slowly changing from
red to purple and from purple to black.
Forshaw could not turn his eyes from that face;
each chastity detail seemed fixing itself forever
his brain, and he knew he should dream Of it for
months. He felt giddy.
"He's dyin' hard,' Elephant Kenny explained
to Forshaw aye see they wasn't no fall SOS to
break his neck, an that there rope is a-shuttin off
of his wind He's liable to live for ten or fif-
as a cayote. Why, say, what ails ye? Hey, boys"
raising his voice, "Forshaw's goin' to faint Look
at i'm" -
"You brute!" bold-faced young woman
thrust Kenny aside and springing to Forshaw's
side, caught him in her arms as he tottered. She
half dragged the insensible man to a chair and
hastily forced glass of whisky into his mouth.
Then she turned to the crowd.
Its shame, boys" she said to Cayote gem
orally, and Kenny specially, ''to bully him SO.
He's only kid, an guess he never seen hang
ing before"
''Why, Jess" said Elephant Kenny easily and
without shame, you come into this yere game
kinder cheap-like. don't recollect seein' your
ante. An yer babys a-comin' to"
With many coughings and stranglings Forshaw
regained consciousness and looked at the crowd
with faint smile. jess stood before him, holding
the empty glass
Feel better, sweetheart?" 1t was the first time
she had ever spoken to him.
"Er yes, thanks? think / can walk now"
He rose unsteadly to his feet and staggered
weakly. jess stepped quickly to his side and,
throwing one arm around his shoulders, support
ed him through the door and into the street.
As they turned to the stairway cow-puncher
riding up the road hailed her cheerfully.
"'Lo, jess. Picked up maverick, amt you?"
She said nothing, but after assisting Forshaw
to his room she went back to the saloon and find
ing the cow-puncher there, conferred with him
most sulphurically, while all Cayote laughed ap-
proval and shouted scraps of encouragement. By
midnight she was maudlin drunk and asleep on
the faro table beneath the corpse of the still
hanging Indian.
Forshaw went away the stage in the morn
ing, resigning at one stroke his hopes Of pro-
fessional and political preferment.
He took the diary with him.