The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1912-01-13
BY DON MARK LEMON.

bSSh SIOleA' one dlJet duOJueI WIN
consummate daring and cunning, and,
now that they had the guilty party in
their power were they to let him 90
because to hang him would be an un-
pleasant duty?
Boys, all of you that have horse
you wouldn't like to lose, just step
over here"
Nine of the ten came from under
the tree and gathered beside their
leader in the open The tenth man
the man who remained in the shadow
of the tree-was bound hand and foot
and couldn't very well change his
position. Besides, lie was the horse
thief"
We'll, boys, demanded the leader,
are we a quorum?'
"Sure!"
Then he hangs?'
The nine men nodded their heads.
Good"
Hold on, gentlemen!" cried the
Man under the Tree. Il wish again
to assert that l bought this horse
which you accuse me of stealing, and
paid three hundred dollars for her
There was a loud guffaw.
you don't believe me, gentlemen"
The Man under the Tree seemed hurt.
Believe your" said the leader
"Why, stranger, that's wilkins Bess,
and he'd have parted with his grand
mother first. They say the bay has
some of Wilkins blood in her. for
when she got that clip in the Shout
der he grated the spot with a piece
of skin off his own leg"
But gentlemen" expostulated the
Man under the Tree, wouldn't it be
wise to look up Wilkins first, and ask
him."
The leader smiling, said: "stra-
ner, were you ever hanged?"
The Man under the Tree made a
deprecatory movement, "Only twice,
he said
Well, you're a cool UNI" exclaimed
the leader, when he again got ais
breath.
The Man under the Tree dug his
heavy boots into the ground and,
though bound hand and foot, managed
by dexterous movement of his knees
to bring his body upright.
Gentlemen" he cried, 81 forbid
this hanging!"
The whole quorum started.
Forbid it, as illegal, unconstitu-
tional and tending to destroy the
sacred respect for human life in this
community"
The leader fairly grinned. "Stran-
ger, you amt got a book on etiquette
to sell before you go?"
Again the Man under the Tree
looked hurt. Gentlemen, I am a man
of my word, and l give you fair warn
ing that if you hang me without a
trial l will take this matter before
the highest court in Texas And,
moreover will not settle in this com
munity nor give it the benefit of my
moral influence and support"
The members of the quorum shook
their heads and sighed, then gathered
in a body around the Man under the
Tree. One of them took lariat from
his arm and another adjusted it about
the prisoners neck. This last man
was the leader himself and he could
tie a knot that isn't down among
sailor knots nor in popular religious
pictorial works. 1t was a hangman's
knot and it had never been known to
fail when given a fair trial
Then the loose end of the lariat was
thrown over a strong limb of the
tree
Gently. boys" cautioned the lead
en- Gently! He comes of good fam
lily and perhaps if he hadn't been a
boss thief he had been honor to the
community. Gently"
The body of the prisoner was drawn
up, the loose end of the lariat Sc
curely fixed, and the quorum stood off
and viewed its work. The hanged
man swung about six feet free of the
ground, his face twisted toward tile
tree, so that the men beneath could
not well see its expression. However
they did not wish to-
Too bad murmured the leader,
that his education was neglected
But it's too late now, boys, for moral
suasion!"
The others silently nodded their
heads in confirmation of this quorum,
and mounting their horses, rode hast
lily away with the bay of Wilkins IN
the lead.
Arriving at the settlement about
half a mile distant, the stern body