River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1910-06-02

In the face OF the caller, demanded MS business.
The man protested that he meant no HARM but
had come from one Buck Holley, who lived two
miles down the road. and said he knew Captain
Mcdonald and wanted to see him. The Ranger
captain reflected minute.
"I don't know any Buck Holley" he said
81 knew scoundrel by the name of Bill Holley
some years ago up in the Panhandle and If that
is who it is don't want to see him. 1 judge
you fellows have got a gang down the road
there to shoot from ambush. Who you,
anyway"
The said his name was Monasco; that
he was staying at Holley's and that he had
brother named Bill Monasco, in Amarillo.
81 know Bill Monasco" Mcdonald said, land
he has brother that sent to the peniten-
tiary. Is that your"
The visitor acknowledged that he was the
man-that he had been recently released.
"Well" said Mcdonald that's about the
kind of a crowd 1 would expect to find Bill Hol-
ley running with, and you tell this Buck
Holley, as you call him, that suspect him of
being connected with this mob and that used
to make him stand hitched in the Panhandle,
and that I'm going to do the same here"
Monasco said Good night" and Captain Nc
Donald never saw him again. Somewhat later,
when he met Bill Holley he said:
Look here, Bill, I'm afraid your partner,
Monasco, didn't tell you the message I sent the
night came. I said didn't know Buck Holley,
but that | knew sorry bulldozing scoundrel
by the of Bill Holley, and that supposed
he down the road there to take shot at
from ambush. You weren't in this lynching
mob, reckon, but they're your friends, and
you'd help em if you could. Now, Bill, you've
been counting funeral a good while, and if you
try any of your nonsense here, you'll win out"
The Ranger captain was out early the morn
ing after his arrival in Alley, and on the trail
The tracks of the five horses were followed to
fho Of Toe hi
and to the homes of John and Arthur Greenhaw.
In Joe Wilkerson's lot he found part of a we'll
rope, the remainder of which had been cut away
1t matched precisely with the rope used to hang
the Humphreys-the freshly cut ends being the
on both. The Wikersons and one of the
Greenhaws were taken into custody forthwith
and other arrests followed as the criminals were
tracked home
The testimony brought out the facts that
the Humphreys had known of an illicit still run
by two men-one Polk Weeks and man named
Johns. Also that they had known of John
Greenhaw stealing cattle and hogs, and that
John Greenhaw had once drawn gun on the
elder Humphrey, VINO had promptly taken it
away from him, instead of killing him with it
and rendering the community a service. These
things, added to the other provocatiOns already
named, had made the Humphreys sufficiently
unpopular in a neighborhood like the Trans
cedar bottoms to warrant their being hung to a
Guilty knowledge of the crime actually killed
man named Eli Sparks, whose conscience tor
tured him day and night to the point of giving
testimony, yet whose fears upon the witness
stand caused him to withhold the truth He
was large, red-faced man, evidently greatly ex-
cited when questioned and concealing more than
he told. Soon after his first examination he met
Captain Mcdonald and offered to testify again,
saying that he had been too frightened to tell
the truth the first time, but thought he could
do better now. The Ranger captain scrutnized
him keeny and made the prophecy that Eli
Sparks would not live 80 days. unless he got
rid of the load on his conscience. He died in
just half that time; not, however, until he had
fully confessed
The efforts of the believed to be con-
cerned as principals in the crime, to establish
their innocence were sometimes wary some
times crudely absurd and always frutless The
mesh OF TACT that was weaving and linking itself
about them became daily more tightly woven
more impossible to tear away. Knowing them
selves closely watched, they dared not ATTEMPT
hight. TO do so would be to confess guilt and
capture would be well-nigh certain Like Ahab.
having comprised the death of neighbor they
LAY in sackcloth and went softly" Finally it
came to pass that three of these children of
Belial," turned states evidence-that is, they
confessed fully, sacrificing their comrades, un-
der the law, to themselves Eleven men
including these three, were brought to trial
In the final trial John and Arthur Greenhaw
and Polk Weeks, who were not only murderers
but cowardly traitors, were given their freedom
in exchange for their evidence that sent their
eight associates to the pententiary for life
Polk Weeks, in giving his evidence appeared
much disturbed. but confessed how he had
climbed the tree and tied the ropes, and tied
them too long, making it necessary for the
legs of the Humphreys to be bent upward, to
clear the ground. John Greenhaw corroborated
this, but grinned as he told it. remembering how
amusing it had been. He Gid not live to enjoy
his freedom, for he was shot dead soon after
his liberation by Willie Humphrey, son of one
of the younger Humphreys and no punishment
followed the righteous act.