Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1907-05-04


who robbed me-"
Evidently they've cached the
spoils," said one of the men.
Cheney and LOnergan were not say
ing anything but they were doing
heap of thinking.
Where was Guthrie all this time;
why hadn't he been taken with them?
The mob made them put on their
| clothes and marched them down
stairs and out on the street. Quickly
Cheney glanced over the mob which
numbered about 200. He saw Guthrie,
and unobserVed 10y any one a sign
passed between them. 1t meant one
word, "sOldiers!" The sign consisted
merely of a badly made right hand
salute. Guthrie understood. Cheney
wanted soldiers and there was no time
/ to lose. Guthrie knew Camp Mac
Pherson was seven miles to the north
ward. Cheney had told him that last
evening. But seven miles is long
distance afoot.
Tied to tree short distance down
the street was cow pony saddled and
| bridled. Guthrie watched his chance
| and when the time was opportune un-
hitched the cayuse, vaulted into the
saddle and was gone. The mob were
too much occupied with their prisoners
to pay any attention to this one rider.
AS soon as Guthrie was out of sight
around the hill he dug spurs into the
| pony's TANKS and rode like the wind.
Never had that pony been so ridden
| even in the widest stampede. The
| seven miles were covered in record
time, and Guthrie dashed into Camp
| Macpherson hatless and his pony COW
cred with foam. Capt. Benson, COM
handing troop M, Ninth (colored)
cavalry, was just at his breakfast, but
when Guthrie was brought to him and
had told his story he yelled:
Orderly, have the trumpeter sound
Boots and Saddles and be damned
| quick about it,"
The stirring notes of the trumpet
| rang out full and clear in the morning
air, and in a very few minutes some 80
brunette troopers were in line waiting
the word of command Guthrie had
been given new mount and rode
with Capt. Benson.
'Fours right, trot, march," and
then "Gallop, march!" and away they
went.
Meanwhile, down in Smedburg Judge
Lynch was holding court. In those
| days mobs bent on vengeance were not
| prone to be slow.
The prisoners were marched out in
r1I-o
ed of seven men, and Buck Ewing was
| chosen to preside. This same Ewing
knew Cheney was a secret service man
from Gen. Grierson's letter. He knew
| him by reputation to be a bad man
after crook, and Ewing's conscience
told him that he (Ewing) was the
crook Cheney was after at this time
Most of the caravan were strangers.
All they wanted was IAN eye for an
eye, and tooth for tooth The boy
had identified" both the men as his
assailants-the mob would do the rest
land before more government men
could get out there Ewing and his
gang could make a 'get away" up into
Wyoming. Great head, had Mr..
Ewing
Cheney and Lonergan knew things
looked against them. All their hope
was in Guthrie. If they could play for
time the troops would get there, they
would be saved and Ewing and his
crowd could be rounded up at one fell
swoOp.
The court was convened under a
cottonwood tree which later would be
the gallows. The boy again told his
story and said he was sure Cheney and
Lonergan were the two men who had
slugged and robbed him.
Cheney asked him some questions;
SO did Lonergan. Time, time was what
they were playing for A good horse
could cover seven miles to MacPher-
son in 80 minutes if pushed hard; and
Sid Guthrie would push for all he was
worth. He must be at the camp now
Thirty-five or 40 minutes mOrei
Against them was Buck Ewing, presi-
dent of the court. The evidence was
all in and Cheney asked to make a
few remarks. He talked % minutes,
when he was abruptly cut off by
Ewing. The court retired to deliber-
ate, and the elaboration was not
lengthy-about five minutes for de-
cency's sake The verdict was guilty
sentence, death by hanging''-time,
Immediately"
Cheney and Lonergan knew they
were mighty close to death. They
were not afraid of it, but to die in such
a way, at the hands of mob led by
Ewing, the man they were after! Two
ropes were procured, two barrels
stood on end, side by side. The pris-
oners were placed one on each their
hands tied and the Eoose placed
around their necks
This time LOnergan spoke up and
for five minutes talked. Then Cheny
had his last say. Only a few minutes
more and Guthrie would be back with
help If not-well, good-by!
The mob were intent on watching
the execution and failed to note that