The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1915-09-28
EARLYDAY MOB
LAW AT BODIF

Since the mob down in Georgia took
Leo Frank a hundred miles to swing
him from the branches of a tree and
left him swinging there to be found
within a few hours by surprised Cd
~neople who knew the whole thing was
TO he transacted just as it was, there
has been more or less discussion of mob
law and the hanging of men.
Ever since the days of the hanging
of Haman there has been more or less
| discussion of the subject which has led
nowhere as some people are opposed to
n sometimes and some are opposed to
j, all the time just as long as the
bsnpee has not done something which
would align them in the class of hang
ers-s0t0speak.
We saw a man hanging in the trem-
bling zephyrs of the early morning.
Ing. long years ago. He was elevated
between earth and sky at the end of a
rope which had been thrown over a
blacksmith s wagon jack. The wagon
Jack did not belong where the hanging
took place, either. 1t had been carried
there by the hangers for the especial
reason that il was needed for tn occa-
SION. Report has it that the blacksmith
dad not like the idea of their using his
wagon Jack. but as he was a wise black
smith, he never said much about it. He
had to paw the bill for having the jack
returned to his shop. The men who bro
rowed it failed to return it for some
reason when they were done with 1t
II was in old Bodie, along in the early
eighties. We were only a kid then and
our father took us down town in the
early morning to see the sights. 1t was
considered somewhat out of the ordi-
nary to see a man hanging up in the
air before breakfast-even in Bodie,
where many strange things were done
before breakfast. How our father knew
flat a hanging had taken place, we
never knew. Maybe a little bird told
him early in the morning.
We walked down town, hand in
hand. That old father was good to us
and gave us a chance to see all that
was seeable. There the body was,
swinging to and fro and turning just
a little in the breeze. A quiet crowd
was passing and repassing, taking Gov
ert looks at the swaying body, but not
talking mueh-it was not a good mora
ing for talking and the people seemed
to realize it. The talking did not start
until in the afternoon and the talking
was suddenly quieted when General
Kittrell made his famous out-of- town
run, with his coattails spread out
like a ebeekerboard.
While we were standing on the out
skirts of the crowd, Dick Miner came
pp with a few men and the body was
cut down and taken to Kelly & Card
e. s undertaking establishment. We
have heard that it was Dick Miners
appointed job to see that the body
was landed at the undertaker's In
those days of the "601D each man had
a job told off to him and he generally
did il.
w went into Kelly & Carder's in the
long line who marched by to see the
who had been lynched. The rope
was still around his neck and eoiled
upon his breast. Each man who went
CIV had his pocket knife in his hand and
cut off a little piece of the rope to put
IN his cabinet. Some of the fellows
back in the line were too late TO
get a piece Of the rope, but they adj
iusted matters later on by buying a
of rope at the grocery store. The
rope that hanged DeRoche must have
been at least half a mile long, Judging
by the pieces which were in the eabi-
nets in the town later on.
In the afternoon they held a matinee
at the undertaker's and the women
had a chance to see the man who play
ed the stellar and elevated role in the
performance of the night before. The
wer takn along, too, as in the
early days of the mining camps there
was not any too much pleasure for the
children and they were entitled to all
there was. We went along to the mat
inee, too-it didn't cost anything.
They buried the body along about
dark. There were no mourners and on
the undertaker's men. They buried
the body outside the fence of the grave
yard on the hillside, among the Chi
nese. The Chinese objected, but their
objections were overruled. The grave
was unmarked, save by a rough un.
planed board, on which was written the
of DeRoche. It was claimed af-
forwards that the bones were sent to
China among a shipment of bones of
deceased Chinese who were shipped to
the F1owery Kingdom that their souls
enter the haven of eternal rest.
They had an investigation Of the
hanging. The man who tied the rope
and the man who commanded the shot
gun brigade which was the effective
guard of honor at the hanging were
both on the coroner's jury. Their YER.
diet was satisfactory to the people.
"Broken-nosed Bob" Cameron was
justice of the peace then and had pre-
sided at the preliminary hearing of the
DeRoche ease-the case had not been
completed when DeRoche made his get
away from the deputy sheriff who had
him in charge and was not found until
three days later out at the Goat ranch
made a notation on his docket,
:" Case dismissed as the defendant was
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