第13章
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。