theysaid\"Ibe\"for\"Iam,\"and\"haag\"for\"hog;\"\"Letmelookatyourknifehalfasecond,\"or\"Givemejustasupofthatwater,\"wherewesaidsimply\"Lendmeyourknife,\"or\"handmeadrink。\"TheywerelessreservedthanthetrueYankees,moredisposedtobesocial,and,withalltheireccentricities,wereasmanly,honorableasetoffellowsasitwasmyfortunetomeetwithinthearmy。IcouldasknobettercomradesthantheboysoftheThirdMichiganInfantry,whobelongedtothesame\"Ninety\"withme。TheboysfromMinnesotaandWisconsinwereverymuchlikethosefromMichigan。ThosefromOhio,Indiana,Illinois,IowaandKansasallseemedcutoffthesamepiece。ToallintentsandpurposestheymighthavecomefromthesameCounty。Theyspokethesamedialect,readthesamenewspapers,hadstudiedMcGuffey\'sReaders,Mitchell\'sGeography,andRay\'sArithmeticsatschool,admiredthesamegreatmen,andheldgenerallythesameopinionsonanygivensubject。Itwasneverdifficulttogetthemtoactinunison——theydiditspontaneously;whileitrequiredanefforttobringaboutharmonyofactionwiththosefromothersections。HadtheWesternboysinprisonbeenthoroughlyadvisedofthenatureofourenterprise,wecould,doubtless,havecommandedtheircordialassistance,buttheywerenot,andtherewasnowayinwhichitcouldbedonereadily,untilafterthedecisiveblowwasstruck。
TheworkofarrestingtheleadingRaiderswentonactivelyalldayontheFourthofJuly。Theymadeoccasionalshowsoffierceresistance,buttheeventsofthedaybeforehaddestroyedtheirprestige,brokentheirconfidence,anddrivenawayfromtheir,supportverymanywhofollowedtheirleadwhentheywereconsideredall—powerful。Theyscatteredfromtheir,formerhaunts,andmingledwiththecrowdsinotherpartsoftheprison,butwererecognized,andreportedtoKey,whosentpartiestoarrestthem。Severaltimestheymanagedtocollectenoughadherentstodriveoffthesquadssentafterthem,butthisonlygavethemashortrespite,forthesquadwouldreturnreinforced,andmakeshortworkofthem。Besides,theprisonersgenerallywerebeginningtounderstandandapproveoftheRegulators\'movement,andweredisposedtogivealltheassistanceneeded。
Myselfand\"Egypt,\"mytaciturnLieutenantofthesinewyleftarm,weresentwithourcompanytoarrestPeteDonnelly,anotoriouscharacter,andleaderof,abadcrowd。Hewasmore\"knocker\"thanRaider,however。
HewasanoldPembertonbuildingacquaintance,andaswemarcheduptowherehewasstandingattheheadofhisgatheringclan,herecognizedmeandsaid:
\"Hello,Illinoy,\"（thenamebywhichIwasgenerallyknowninprison）
\"whatdoyouwanthere？\"
Ireplied,\"Pete,Keyhassentmeforyou。Iwantyoutogotoheadquarters。\"
\"Whatthe————doesKeywantwithme？\"
\"Idon\'tknow,I\'msure;heonlysaidtobringyou。\"
\"ButIhaven\'thadanythingtodowiththemothersnoozersyouhavebeena—havingtroublewith。\"
\"Idon\'tknowanythingaboutthat;youcantalktoKeyastothat。
Ionlyknowthatwearesentforyou。\"
\"Well,youdon\'tthinkyoucantakemeunlessIchoosetogo？Youhaintgotanybodyinthatcrowdbigenoughtomakeitworthwhileforhimtowastehistimetryingit。\"
Ireplieddiffidentlythatoneneverknewwhat——hecoulddotillhetried;thatwhilenoneofuswereverybig,wewereaswillingalotoflittlefellowsasheeversaw,andifitwereallthesametohim,wewouldundertaketowastealittletimegettinghimtoheadquarters。
Theconversationseemedunnecessarilylongto\"Egypt,\"whostoodbymyside;aboutahalfstepinadvance。Petewasbecomingangrierandmoredefianteveryminute。Hisfollowerswerecrowdinguptous,clubinhand。FinallyPetethrusthisfistinmyface,androaredout:
\"By———,Iain\'tagoingwithye,andyecan\'ttakeme,you————————————\"
Thiswas\"Egypt\'s\"cue。Hislongleftarmuncoupledlikethelooseningoftheweightofapile—driver。ItcaughtMr。Donnellyunderthechin,fairlyliftedhimfromhisfeet,anddroppedhimonhisbackamonghisfollowers。Itseemedtomethatthepredominatingexpressioninhisfaceashewent,overwasthatofprofoundwonderastowherethatblowcouldhavecomefrom,andwhyhedidnotseeitintimetododgeorwarditoff。
AsPetedropped,therestofussteppedforwardwithourclubs,toengagehisfollowers,while\"Egypt\"andoneortwootherstiedhishandsandotherwisesecuredhim。Buthishenchmenmadenoefforttorescuehim,andwecarriedhimovertoheadquarterswithoutmolestation。
Theworkofarrestingincreasedininterestandexcitementuntilitdevelopedintothefuroreofahunt,withthousandseagerlyengagedinit。TheRaiders\'tentsweretorndownandpillaged。Blankets,tentpoles,andcookingutensilswerecarriedoffasspoils,andthegroundwasdugoverforsecretedproperty。Alargequantityofwatches,chains,knives,rings,goldpens,etc。,etc。——thebootyofmanyaraid——wasfound,andhelpedtogiveimpetustothehunt。EventheRebelQuartermaster,withthecharacteristickeenscentoftheRebelsforspoils,smelledfromtheoutsidetheopportunityforgainingplunder,andcameinwithasquadofRebelsequippedwithspades,todigforburiedtreasures。HowsuccessfulhewasIknownot,asItooknopartmanyoftheoperationsofthatnature。
ItwasclaimedthatseveralskeletonsofvictimsoftheRaiderswerefoundburiedbeneaththetent。Icannotspeakwithanycertaintyastothis,thoughmyimpressionisthatatleastonewasfound。
ByeveningKeyhadperhapsonehundredandtwenty—fiveofthemostnotedRaidersinhishands。WirzhadallowedhimtheuseofthesmallstockadeformingtheentrancetotheNorthGatetoconfinethemin。
Thenextthingwasthejudgmentandpunishmentofthearrestedones。
ForthispurposeKeyorganizedacourtmartialcomposedofthirteenSergeants,chosenfromthe,latestarrivalsofprisoners,thattheymighthavenoprejudiceagainsttheRaiders。IbelievethatamannamedDickMcCullough,belongingtotheThirdMissouriCavalry,wasthePresidentoftheCourt。Thetrialwascarefullyconducted,withalltheformalityofalegalprocedurethattheCourtandthosemanagingthemattercouldrememberasapplicabletothecrimeswithwhichtheaccusedwerecharged。
Eachoftheseconfrontedbythewitnesseswhotestifiedagainsthim,andallowedtocross—examinethemtoanyextenthedesired。
Thedefensewasmanagedbyoneoftheircrowd,thefoul—tonguedTombsshyster,PeteBradley,ofwhomIhavebeforespoken。SuchwasthefearofthevengeanceoftheRaidersandtheirfriendsthatmanywhohadbeenbadlyabuseddarednottestifyagainstthem,dreadingmidnightassassinationiftheydid。OtherswouldnotgobeforetheCourtexceptatnight。Butforallthistherewasnolackofevidence;therewerethousandswhohadbeenrobbedandmaltreated,orwhohadseentheseoutragescommittedonothers,andtheboldnessoftheleadersintheirbightofpowerrenderedtheiridentificationamatterofnodifficultywhatever。
Thetriallastedseveraldays,andconcludedwithsentencingquitealargenumbertorunthegauntlet,asmallernumbertowearballsandchains,andthefollowingsixtobehanged:
JohnSarsfield,OneHundredandForty—FourthNewYork。
WilliamCollins,alias\"Mosby,\"CompanyD,Eighty—EighthPennsylvania,CharlesCurtis,CompanyA,FifthRhodeIslandArtillery。
PatrickDelaney,CompanyE,Eighty—ThirdPennsylvania。
A。Muir,UnitedStatesNavy。
TerenceSullivan,Seventy—SecondNewYork。
Thesenamesandregimentsareoflittleconsequence,however,asI
believealltherascalswereprofessionalbounty—jumpers,anddidnotbelongtoanyregimentlongerthantheycouldfindanopportunitytodesertandjoinanother。
Thosesentencedtoball—and—chainwerebroughtinimmediately,andhadtheironsfittedtothemthathadbeenwornbysomeofourmenasapunishmentfortryingtoescape。
Itwasnotyetdeterminedhowpunishmentshouldbemetedouttotheremainder,butcircumstancesthemselvesdecidedthematter。WirzbecametiredofguardingsolargeanumberasKeyhadarrested,andheinformedKeythatheshouldturnthembackintotheStockadeimmediately。Keybeggedforlittlefarthertimetoconsiderthedispositionofthecases,butWirzrefusedit,andorderedtheOfficeroftheGuardtoreturnallarrested,savethosesentencedtodeath,totheStockade。InthemeantimethenewshadspreadthroughtheprisonthattheRaidersweretobesentinagainunpunished,andanangrymob,numberingsomethousands,andmostlycomposedofmenwhohadsufferedinjuriesatthehandsofthemarauders,gatheredattheSouthGate,clubsinhand,togetsuchsatisfactionastheycouldoutoftherascals。Theyformedintwolong,parallellines,facinginward,andgrimlyawaitedtheincomingoftheobjectsoftheirvengeance。
TheOfficeroftheGuardopenedthewicketinthegate,andbeganforcingtheRaidersthroughit——oneatatime——atthepointofthebayonet,andeachasheenteredwastoldwhathealreadyrealizedwell——thathemustrunforhislife。Theydidthiswithalltheenergythattheypossessed,andastheyranblowsrainedontheirheads,armsandbacks。Iftheycouldsucceedinbreakingthroughthelineatanyplacetheyweregenerallyletgowithoutanyfurtherpunishment。Threeofthenumberwerebeatentodeath。Isawoneofthesekilled。Ihadnolikingforthegauntletperformance,andrefusedtohaveanythingtodowithit,asdidmost,ifnotall,ofmycrowd。Whilethegauntletwasinoperation,Iwasstandingbymytentattheheadofalittlestreet,abouttwohundredfeetfromtheline,watchingwhatwasbeingdone。
Asailorwasletin。Hehadalargebowieknifeconcealedabouthispersonsomewhere,whichhedrew,andstrucksavagelywithathistormentorsoneitherside。Theyfellbackfrombeforehim,butclosedinbehindandpoundedhimterribly。Hebrokethroughtheline,andranupthestreettowardsme。Aboutmidwayofthedistancestoodaboywhohadhelpedcarryadeadmanoutduringtheday,andwhileouthadsecuredalargepinerailwhichhehadbroughtinwithhim。Hewasholdingthisstraightupintheair,asifata\"presentarms。\"HeseemedtohaveknownfromthefirstthattheRaiderwouldrunthatway。Justashecamesquarelyunderit,theboydroppedtheraillikethebarofatollgate。
ItstrucktheRaideracrossthehead,felledhimasifbyashot,andhispursuersthenbeathimtodeath。
CHAPTERXXXVII。
THEEXECUTION——BUILDINGTHESCAFFOLD——DOUBTSOFTHECAMP—CAPTAINWIRZ
THINKSITISPROBABLYARUSETOFORCETHESTOCKADE——HISPREPARATIONS
AGAINSTSUCHANATTEMPT——ENTRANCEOFTHEDOOMEDONES——THEYREALIZETHEIR
FATE——ONEMAKESADESPERATEATTEMPTTOESCAPE——HISRECAPTURE——INTENSE
EXCITEMENT——WIRZORDERSTHEGUNSTOOPEN——FORTUNATELYTHEYDONOT—THESIX
AREHANGED——ONEBREAKSHISROPE——SCENEWHENTHERAIDERSARECUTDOWN。
Itbegantobeprettygenerallyunderstoodthroughtheprisonthatsixmenhadbeensentencedtobehanged,thoughnoauthoritativeannouncementofthefacthadbeenmade。Therewasmuchcanvassingastowheretheyshouldbeexecuted,andwhetheranattempttohangtheminsideoftheStockadewouldnotrousetheirfriendstomakeadesperateefforttorescuethem,whichwouldprecipitateageneralengagementofevenlargerproportionsthanthatofthe3d。Despitetheresultoftheaffairsofthatandthesucceedingdays,thecampwasnotyetconvincedthattheRaiderswerereallyconquered,andtheRegulatorsthemselveswerenotthoroughlyateaseonthatscore。Somefivethousandorsixthousandnewprisonershadcomeinsincethefirstofthemonth,anditwasclaimedthattheRaidershadreceivedlargereinforcementsfromthose,——aclaimrenderedprobablebymostofthenew—comersbeingfromtheArmyofthePotomac。
Keyandthoseimmediatelyabouthimkepttheirowncounselinthematter,andsufferednosecretoftheirintentionstoleakout,untilonthemorningofthe11th,whenitbecamegenerallyknownthatthesentencesweretoobecarriedintoeffectthatday,andinsidetheprison。
MyfirstdirectinformationastothiswasbyamessengerfromKeywithanordertoassemblemycompanyandstandguardoverthecarpenterswhoweretoerectthescaffold。HeinformedmethatalltheRegulatorswouldbeheldinreadinesstocometoourreliefifwewereattackedinforce。
IhadhopedthatifthemenweretobehangedIwouldbesparedtheunpleasantdutyofassisting,for,thoughIbelievedtheyrichlydeservedthatpunishment,Ihadmuchrathersomeoneelseadministeredituponthem。Therewasnowayoutofit,however,thatIcouldsee,andso\"Egypt\"andIgottheboystogether,andmarcheddowntothedesignatedplace,whichwasanopenspaceneartheendofthestreetrunningfromtheSouthGate,andkeptvacantforthepurposeofissuingrations。
ItwasquitenearthespotwheretheRaiders\'BigTenthadstood,andaffordedasgoodaviewtotherestofthecampascouldbefound。
Keyhadsecuredtheloanofafewbeamsandroughplanks,sufficienttobuildarudescaffoldwith。Ourfirstdutywastocarefortheseastheycamein,forsuchwastheneedofwood,andplankfortentpurposes,thattheywouldscarcelyhavefallentothegroundbeforetheywerespiritedaway,hadwenotstoodoverthemallthetimewithclubs。
ThecarpenterssentbyKeycameoverandsettowork。TheN\'Yaarkersgatheredaroundinconsiderablenumbers,sullenandabusive。Theycurseduswithalltheirrichvocabularyoffoulepithets,vowedthatweshouldnevercarryouttheexecution,andsworethattheyhadmarkedeachoneforvengeance。Wereturnedthecomplimentsinkind,andoccasionallyitseemedasifageneralcollisionwasimminent;butwesucceededinavoidingthis,andbynoonthescaffoldwasfinished。Itwasaverysimpleaffair。Astoutbeamwasfastenedonthetopoftwoposts,aboutfifteenfeethigh。Atabouttheheightofaman\'sheadacoupleofboardsstretchedacrossthespacebetweentheposts,andmetinthecenter。Theendsatthepostslaidoncleats;theendsinthecenterresteduponacoupleofboards,standingupright,andeachhavingapieceofropefastenedthroughaholeinitinsuchamanner,thatamancouldsnatchitfromundertheplanksservingasthefloorofthescaffold,andletthewholethingdrop。Arudeladdertoascendbycompletedthepreparations。
Asthearrangementsnearedcompletiontheexcitementinandaroundtheprisongrewintense。KeycameoverwiththebalanceoftheRegulators,andweformedahollowsquarearoundthescaffold,ourcompanymarkingthelineontheEastSide。Therewerenowthirtythousandintheprison。
Oftheseaboutone—thirdpackedthemselvesastightlyaboutoursquareastheycouldstand。TheremainingtwentythousandwerewedgedtogetherinasolidmassontheNorthSide。AgainIcontemplatedthewonderful,startling,spectacleofamosaicpavementofhumanfacescoveringthewholebroadhillside。
Outside,theRebel,infantrywasstandingintheriflepits,theartillerymenwereinplaceabouttheirloadedandtrainedpieces,theNo。
4ofeachgunholdingthelanyardcordinhishand,readytofirethepieceattheinstantofcommand。ThesmallsquadofcavalrywasdrawnuponthehillneartheStarFort,andnearitwerethemastersofthehounds,withtheiryelpingpacks。
Allthehangers—onoftheRebelcamp——clerks,teamsters,employer,negros,hundredsofwhiteandcoloredwomen,inallformingamotleycrowdofbetweenoneandtwothousand,weregatheredtogetherinagroupbetweentheendoftheriflepitsandtheStarFort。Theyhadagoodviewfromthere,butastillbetteronecouldbehad,alittlefarthertotheright,andinfrontoftheguns。Theykeptedgingupinthatdirection,ascrowdswill,thoughtheyknewthedangertheywouldincuriftheartilleryopened。
Thedaywasbroilinghot。Thesunshothisperpendicularraysdownwithblisteringfierceness,andthedenselypacked,motionlesscrowdsmadetheheatalmostinsupportable。
Keytookuphispositioninsidethesquaretodirectmatters。WithhimwereLimberJim,DickMcCullough,andoneortwoothers。Also,NedJohnson,TomLarkin,SergeantGoody,andthreeotherswhoweretoactashangmen。Eachofthesesixwasprovidedwithawhitesack,suchastheRebelsbroughtinmealin。TwoCorporalsofmycompany——\"Stag\"HarrisandWatPayne——wereappointedtopullthestaysfromundertheplatformatthesignal。
AlittleafternoontheSouthGateopened,andWirzrodein,dressedinasuitofwhiteduck,andmountedonhiswhitehorse——aconjunctionwhichhadgainedforhimtheappellationof\"DeathonaPaleHorse。\"Behindhimwalkedthefaithfuloldpriest,wearinghisChurch\'spurpleinsigniaofthedeepestsorrow,andreadingtheserviceforthecondemned。Thesixdoomedmenfollowed,walkingbetweendoubleranksofRebelguards。
Allcameinsidethehollowsquareandhalted。Wirzthensaid:
\"Brizners,IreturntoyoudosemensoBootasIgotdem。Youhaftrieddemyourselves,andfounddemguilty——Ihafhadnottingtodowitit。
Ivashmyhandsofeferytingconnectedwitdem。Dowitdemasyoulike,andmayGotthafmercyonyouandondem。Garts,aboutface！Voryvarts,march！\"
Withthishemarchedoutandleftus。
Foramomentthecondemnedlookedstunned。TheyseemedtocomprehendforthefirsttimethatitwasreallythedeterminationoftheRegulatorstohangthem。Beforethattheyhadevidentlythoughtthatthetalkofhangingwasmerelybluff。Oneofthemgaspedout:
\"MyGod,men,youdon\'treallymeantohangusupthere！\"
Keyansweredgrimlyandlaconically:
\"Thatseemstobeaboutthesizeofit。\"
Atthistheyburstoutinapassionatestormofintercessionsandimprecations,whichlastedforaminuteorso,whenitwasstoppedbyoneofthemsayingimperatively:
\"Allofyoustopnow,andletthepriesttalkforus。\"
Atthisthepriestclosedthebookuponwhichhehadkepthiseyesbentsincehisentrance,andfacingthemultitudeontheNorthSidebeganapleaformercy。
Thecondemnedfacedinthe,samedirection,toreadtheirfateinthecountenancesofthosewhomhewasaddressing。ThismovementbroughtCurtis——alow—statured,massivelybuiltman——ontherightoftheirline,andabouttenorfifteenstepsfrommycompany。
ThewholecamphadbeenasstillasdeathsinceWirz\'sexit。Thesilenceseemedtobecomeevenmoreprofoundasthepriestbeganhisappeal。
Foraminuteeveryearwasstrainedtocatchwhathesaid。Then,asthenearestofthethousandscomprehendedwhathewassayingtheyraisedashoutof\"No！no！！NO！！\"\"Hangthem！hangthem！\"\"Don\'tletthemgo！
Never！\"
\"Hangtherascals！hangthevillains！\"
\"Hang,\'em！hang\'em！hang\'em！\"
Thiswastakenupallovertheprison,andtensofthousandsthroatsyelleditinafearfulchorus。
Curtisturnedfromthecrowdwithdesperationconvulsinghisfeatures。
Tearingoffthebroad—brimmedhatwhichhewore,heflungitonthegroundwiththeexclamation！
\"ByGod,I\'lldiethiswayfirst！\"and,drawinghisheaddownandfoldinghisarmsaboutit,hedashedforwardforthecenterofmycompany,likeagreatstonehurledfromacatapult。
\"Egypt\"andIsawwherehewasgoingtostrike,andrandownthelinetohelpstophim。Ashecameupwerainedblowsonhisheadwithourclubs,butsomanyofusstruckathimatoncethatwebrokeeachother\'sclubstopieces,andonlyknockedhimonhisknees。Herosewithanalmostsuperhumaneffort,andplungedintothemassbeyond。
Theexcitementalmostbecamedelirium。ForaninstantIfearedthateverythingwasgonetoruin。\"Egypt\"andIstrainedeveryenergytorestoreourlines,beforethebreakcouldbetakenadvantageofbytheothers。Ourboysbehavedsplendidly,standingfirm,andinafewsecondsthelinewasrestored。
AsCurtisbrokethrough,Delaney,abrawnyIrishmanstandingnexttohim,startedtofollow。Hetookonestep。AtthesameinstantLimberJim\'slonglegstookthreegreatstrides,andplacedhimdirectlyinfrontofDelaney。Jim\'srighthandheldanenormousbowie—knife,andasheraiseditaboveDelaneyhehissedout:
\"Ifyoudaremoveanotherstep,youopenyou————————————,I\'llopenyoufromoneendtotheother。
Delaneystopped。Thischeckedtheotherstillourlinesreformed。
WhenWirzsawthecommotionhewaspanic—strickenwithfearthatthelong—dreadedassaultontheStockadehadbegun。HerandownfromtheheadquarterstepstotheCaptainofthebattery,shrieking:
\"Fire！fire！fire！\"
TheCaptain,notbeingafool,couldseethattherushwasnottowardstheStockade,butawayfromit,andherefrainedfromgivingtheorder。
Butthespectatorswhohadgottenbeforetheguns,heardWirz\'sexcitedyell,andrememberingtheconsequencestothemselvesshouldtheartillerybedischarged,becamefrenziedwithfear,andscreamed,andfelldownoverandtrampleduponeachotherinendeavoringtogetaway。TheguardsonthatsideoftheStockaderandowninapanic,andthetenthousandprisonersimmediatelyaroundus,expectingnolessthanthatthenextinstantwewouldbesweptwithgrapeandcanister,stampededtumultuously。Therewerequiteanumberofwellsrightaroundus,andallofthesewerefilledfullofmenthatfellintothemasthecrowdrushedaway。Manyhadlegsandarmsbroken,andIhavenodoubtthatseveralwerekilled。
ItwasthestormiestfiveminutesthatIeversaw。
Whilethiswasgoingontwoofmycompany,belongingtotheFifthIowaCavalry,wereinhotpursuitofCurtis。Ihadseenthemstartandshoutedtothemtocomeback,asIfearedtheywouldbesetuponbytheRaidersandmurdered。Butthedinwassooverpoweringthattheycouldnothearme,anddoubtlesswouldnothavecomebackiftheyhadheard。
Curtisrandiagonallydownthehill,jumpingoverthetentsandknockingdownthemenwhohappenedinhisway。Arrivingattheswampheplungedin,sinkingnearlytohishipsinthefetid,filthyooze。Heforgedhiswaythroughwithterribleeffort。Hispursuersfollowedhisexample,andcaughtuptohimjustasheemergedontheotherside。Theystruckhimonthebackoftheheadwiththeirclubs,andknockedhimdown。
Bythistimeorderhadbeenrestoredaboutus。Thegunsremainedsilent,andthecrowdmassedaroundusagain。FromwherewewerewecouldseethesuccessfulendofthechaseafterCurtis,andcouldseehiscaptorsstartbackwithhim。TheirsuccesswasannouncedwitharoarofapplausefromtheNorthSide。Bothcaptorsandcapturedweregreatlyexhausted,andtheywerecomingbackveryslowly。Keyorderedthebalanceupontothescaffold。Theyobeyedpromptly。Thepriestresumedhisreadingoftheserviceforthecondemned。Theexcitementseemedtomakethedoomedonesexceedinglythirsty。Ineversawmendrinksuchinordinatequantitiesofwater。Theycalledforitcontinually,gulpeddownaquartormoreatatime,andkepttwomengoingnearlyallthetimecarryingittothem。
WhenCurtisfinallyarrived,hesatonthegroundforaminuteorso,torest,andthen,reekingwithfilth,slowlyandpainfullyclimbedthesteps。Delaneyseemedtothinkhewassufferingasmuchfromfrightasanythingelse,andsaidtohim:
\"Comeonup,now,showyourselfaman,anddiegame。\"
Againthepriestresumedhisreading,butithadnointeresttoDelaney,whokeptcallingoutdirectionstoPeteDonelly,whowasstandinginthecrowd,astodispositionstobemadeofcertainbitsofstolenproperty:
togiveawatchtothisone,aringtoanother,andsoon。Oncetheprieststoppedandsaid:
\"Myson,letthethingsofthisearthgo,andturnyourattentiontowardthoseofheaven。\"
Delaneypaidnoattentiontothisadmonition。Thewholesixthenbegandeliveringfarewellmessagestothoseinthecrowd。Keypulledawatchfromhispocketandsaid:
\"Twominutesmoretotalk。\"
Delaneysaidcheerfully:
\"Well,goodby,b\'ys;ifI\'vehurtedanyofyez,Ihopeye\'llforgiveme。Shpakeup,now,anyofyezthatI\'vehurted,andsayyellforgiveme。\"
WecalleduponMarionFriend,whosethroatDelaneyhadtriedtocutthreeweeksbeforewhilerobbinghimoffortydollars,tocomeforward,butFriendwasnotinaforgivingmood,andrefusedwithanoath。
Keysaid:
\"Time\'sup！\"putthewatchbackinhispocketandraisedhishandlikeanofficercommandingagun。HarrisandPaynelaidholdoftheropestothesupportsoftheplanks。Eachofthesixhangmentiedacondemnedman\'shands,pulledamealsackdownoverhishead,placedthenoosearoundhisneck,drewituptolerablyclose,andsprangtotheground。Thepriestbeganprayingaloud。
Keydroppedhishand。PayneandHarrissnatchedthesupportsoutwithasinglejerk。Theplanksfellwithaclatter。Fiveofthebodiesswungarounddizzilyintheair。Thesixththatof\"Mosby,\"alarge,powerful,raw—bonedman,oneoftheworstinthelot,andwho,amongothercrimes,hadkilledLimberJim\'sbrother—broketherope,andfellwithathudtotheground。Someofthemenranforward,examinedthebody,anddecidedthathestilllived。Theropewascutoffhisneck,themealsackremoved,andwaterthrowninhisfaceuntilconsciousnessreturned。
Atthefirstinstanthethoughthewasineternity。Hegaspedout:
\"WhereamI？AmIintheotherworld？\"
LimberJimmutteredthattheywouldsoonshowhimwherehewas,andwentongrimlyfixingupthescaffoldanew。\"Mosby\"soonrealizedwhathadhappened,andtheunrelentingpurposeoftheRegulatorChiefs。Thenhebegantobegpiteouslyforhislife,saying:
\"OforGod\'ssake,donotputmeupthereagain！Godhassparedmylifeonce。Hemeantthatyoushouldbemercifultome。\"
LimberJimdeignedhimnoreply。Whenthescaffoldwasrearranged,andastoutropehadreplacedthebrokenone,hepulledthemealsackoncemoreover\"Mosby\'s\"head,whoneverceasedhispleadings。Thenpickingupthelargemanasifhewereababy,hecarriedhimtothescaffoldandhandedhimuptoTomLarkin,whofittedthenoosearoundhisneckandsprangdown。Thesupportshadnotbeensetwiththesamedelicacyasatfirst,andLimberJimhadtosethisheelandwrenchdesperatelyatthembeforehecouldforcethemout。Then\"Mosby\"passedawaywithoutastruggle。
Afterhangingtilllifewasextinct,thebodieswerecutdown,themeal—
sackspulledofftheirfaces,andtheRegulatorsformaltwoparallellines,throughwhichalltheprisonerspassedandtookalookatthebodies。PeteDonnellyandDickAllenkneltdownandwipedthefrothoffDelaney\'slips,andsworevengeanceagainstthosewhohaddonehimtodeath。
CHAPTERXXXVIII。
AFTERTHEEXECUTION——FORMATIONOFAPOLICEFORCE——ITSFIRSTCHIEF——
\"SPANKING\"ANOFFENDER。
AftertheexecutionsKey,knowingthathe,andallthoseprominentlyconnectedwiththehanging,wouldbeinhourlydangerofassassinationiftheyremainedinside,secureddetailsasnursesandward—mastersinthehospital,andwentoutside。InthiscrowdwereKey,NedCarrigan,LimberJim,DickMcCullough,thesixhangmen,thetwoCorporalswhopulledthepropsfromunderthescaffold,andperhapssomeotherswhomIdonotnowremember。
Inthemeanwhileprovisionhadbeenmadeforthefuturemaintenanceoforderintheprisonbytheorganizationofaregularpoliceforce,whichintimecametonumbertwelvehundredmen。Theseweredividedintocompanies,underappropriateofficers。Guardsweredetailedforcertainlocations,patrolspassedthroughthecampinalldirectionscontinually,andsignalswithwhistlescouldsummonsufficientassistancetosuppressanydisturbance,orcarryoutanyordersfromthechief。
ThechieftainshipwasfirstheldbyKey,butwhenhewentoutsideheappointedSergeantA。R。Hill,oftheOneHundredthO。V。I。——nowaresidentofWauseon,Ohio,——hissuccessor。Hillwasoneofthenotabilitiesofthatimmensethrong。Agreat,broad—shouldered,giant,intheprimeofhismanhood——thebeginningofhisthirtiethyear——hewasasgood—naturedasbig,andasmild—manneredasbrave。Hespokeslowly,softly,andwithaslightlyrustictwang,thatwasverytemptingtoacertainclassofsharpstotakehimupfora\"luberlygreeny。\"Themanwhodidsousuallyrepentedhiserrorinsack—clothandashes。