The daily Alaskan., 1913-04-09
The Man That
 Was Hanged
By ARTHUR FITz PATRICK

 and an the business was confined to a quarter Of the number, concluded to go west
 ! When ! lrst reached B. a county
 seat In what was then a territory, 1t ! looked to me that had jumped from ] tbe frying pan Into che Are. found
 every one ready to help me, but there was little or no law business in the place. and law was my professions l l was three months without a job, and then got a criminal case.
 A young man named Sargent, a cow puucher, was accused Of murder It wasn't murder at an. A miner named
 Jenks had a grudge against him, and ] tho two met one day out on the plain, l far from every one except themselves
 Jenks began firing at Sargent and Sargent returned hs Ire, killing him
 without getting a scratch himself 1 Jenks fell on his face, and Sargent turned him over to sec bis condition and. dndlug that be was dead rode on, intending to report tho matter
 when be returned to town. Jeuks had
 some gold dust on him, and SO did Sargent A man passed Jenks soon after he was killed and, finding the dust appropriated it and llt out Be fore Sargent reported the Killing be was arrested for it with gold dust ! in his pocket and blood on his shirt sleeve that he had put there by con. tact with JenEs when be bad turned 1 him over
 ! It was @ clear ease against Sargent ] though ! believed bis story ! was
 unable to save him. and he was con- vlctcd and sentenced to be hanged
 He told me that he was a younger son l of British nobleman Els family iu England bad wished him to accept a ] living In the church controlled by his uncle, am earl. but instead be had
 come to America and became COW.
 boy
 | ! confess didn't believe this part Of ! his story on the day before be was to ! be executed. when a letter came for ] him announcing that his uncle had ! dled without issue and he, Sargent l was now Earl of BucclemOuth This
 was proof positive that Inc was what ] he had represented himself t0 be. The J letter contained a draft for a hundred ! pounds
 ! There was a reason why ! couldn't save him. The man he had killed had ] been popular and his friends declared ! that If Sargent were not hung legally
 they would hang him, and they ap- ! pointed committee to see that the ] lob was done. So he might as well be ] hanged by the sheriff as by the com mIutcc. For a whole day I rackcd my ! brain for some plan to get the young man oT. Finally ! went to the sheriff, ! told him the story and asked him to ! help me.
 He was a good nan, that sheriff, and
 after thinking the matter over he told
 me to let the hanging go on. leaving ] the matter with him. ] did SO, and ] the next day Sargent was hanged in l thc presence of the officers Of the law
 whose duty lt was Co witness thc exc
 cuton and the committee appointed by ] Ienks' friends to see that vengeance
 was meted out to him.
 The body was left hanging till those
 present were satisfied that an was over with Sargent and the Inst witness had left the iaII. Then lt was taken
 down. placed in a coffin, and, since l had put in an application to be permit ted to send it to the dead mans |. friends. lt was delivered to me. I had ! it cartcd to a railroad station some Ave miles distant and when a train going
 east came along lt was put into the
 baggage car ] went with it. and on
 reaching the border Of mn adjoining
 state went Into the baggage car and
 gave orders to put tho box or at the
 next station. It was dark when
 stood on the platform beside it and
 asked Che agent to put 1t in his bag gage room.
 During the night | went to this
 room. made n jimmy of screwdriver, lifted a window and went inside. The
 next use l modo of the screwdriyer
 was to unscrew the lid of the box, and
 Sargent, alive and well, stepped out. | An express due au hour later was not
 to stop at the station. but We Jagged ! It with lantern and got aboard, much
 to the dissatisfaction Of the conductor,
 who sworc like a pirate at us.
 On reaching the terminal Sargent
 or, rather, tho earl, cashed his draft
 and insisted on my going to England
 with him, where be would pay my fee !. for legal services. There was no req
 son for a refusal, and l consented. He
 drew more money in New York, and
 we sailed at once, for my client was
 in terror lest the deception should be
 discovered and be be stopped by tele-
 graph though with his due and his
 dne clothes no one would have taken him for a cowboy murderer
 Well, we went to England. l re-
 mained my clients guest for a month,
 when be sent me home with fee of
 E5.O0O for myself and f5,OOO more for
 che gherI who had hanged him. With
 plenty of capital, l settled in a large l city. and. being rather practical than
 legal, l soon got 0ll the clients
 gHnuFaH