Rensselaer Standard, Volume 1, Number 12, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 September 1879 — GAME TO THE LAST [ARTICLE]

GAME TO THE LAST

An Alleged Horse Thief and Burglar Hanged Three Times—His Dying Prayer— I ‘‘Hallelujah! Poll Away, Boys !”g Lead vllle Chronicle. Daniel McDow is a freighter. Last night he encamped with his teams and wagons on the Elm sheet commons, below Grant’s smelter. Fearing a visit from horse and mule pilferers, be secured his stock to the wagon by a patent fastener, and then went to sleep. A dog disturbed his slumbers about 4 o’clock this morning, and, remembering his stock, he palled up the bottom of his tent and peeped out One horse was missing. He aroused one of his men end some neighboring freighters, and they hurriedly mounted and started in hot pursuit of the missing horse. A trail was struck, and at a point about half way to Malta the horse was spied. On it was a middle aged man, ana also a bag of table-ware which had been stolen last night from the Grand hotel. The rider made no resistance when he saw the muzzles of several pistols looking him in the face. He turned the stolen horse right round and rode leisurely back to town. In the city a crowd of men, boys and some women quickly assembled, and the decision that the thief should hang was arrived at without a dissenting voice. Some rope halters were taken from the mules at the corral and spliced, the supposed thief was led to the little grove nearly in front of Grant’s new mansion, the halters fixed around his neck, with the long end looped over a crooked limb, .and then the culprit was told to pray. His face turned toward those who were about to take away his life, and to them he prayed most piteously. He denied that he was a horse or any other kind of thief. The stolen Jin his possession was Intrusted to him by a man whom he supposed to be its lawful owner, and he, the man in the halter, was merely to ride the horse to Malta, where he was to be joined by the owner.

Die executioners listened to the irayer patiently, and, after laying their leads together a few seconds, concluded to let the petitioner live, providing he would give the name of the man from whom the stolen property was obtained. The man in the halter refused to save his life by any such cowardly means, and word was given to hoist him up. He went about four feet from the earth, and was almost in the death throes customary on similar occasions, when he was lowered and given a second opportuuity to live by divulging a secret. “No, sir, I’ll die a dozen deaths,” was the response, and up went the culprit a second time. The crowd now began to cheer, a woman fainted, aud a dozen voices cried out for another chanoe. The man was let down a second rime and asked whether he still persisted in wanting to die at the end of a rope. He said he wished to prepare himself for death. The boys at the other end of the halter let up enough to allow the doomed man to kneel, and thus hepraye3T*‘o Thou merciful Most High, I thank thee for all that I have received from thee since I came to this country. I wish I had prayed oftener. Now I need your parting blessing. Let me come into leaven after I’m hung. Send down an angel to take my soul to Jesus as quick as It leaves my body. Don’t let the devil get hold of me after I’m dead. I know that I’ve been a big sinner, but Lord, you know I didn’t steed this horse and things for which I am about to die, so you will forgive me, won’t you, won’t you, good Lord, and let one of your angels come down and take me up to heaven. Oh, if you will, it won’t hurt me to die. I would a thousand times rather be with you and Jesus in heaven than tostay in Leadvilie any longer. Let me know. Lord, that I can come, and I’ll die like a Christian. Oh, yes, I know you will. All right. AU right. Bless His holy name. Hallelujah! Victory is mine at last. Bless His holy name. Pull away, boys, puU away. Pu-ul!”—and up went the accused horse pUferer on his way to heaven.

Just then a big. burly miner named Cronan rushed in the midst of the throng of executioners, and, leveling a seven-shooter on the party pulling down the rope, commanded them to let up. or their brains would be scattered. The wild and fierce flashing of Cronan’s large black eyes convinced them that he was not the one to be trifled with, and the dying man come back to earth with a thud. He was totally unconscious, and rolled over on the ground as limp as any fresh corpse. He was the only one in the crowd free from a fever of excitement. A number of pistols were drawn, everybody was shouting, and it was expected that every minute some one would shoot. The burly Cronan, still flourishing his revolver and gesticulating like a mad man, and roaring like a mountain lion, gave notice that the first man who made a move toward the half-hung man on the ground would die. He was a stranger to him, and, by G—, he should have fair play. No a— man, whether he be a horse-theif or not,

should be bung likeadog wi.hout some opportunity to prove his innocence. The culprit did not look to him like a thief, and, even if he was, the speaker would take his part, and shoot down the first man that attempted to touch the rope over his head again. Hearing which, the would-be executioners showed signsapf cooling. Tne fiery Cronan loosed the rope from the man’s neck; ordered a cup of water, bathed his face and head, and as soon as he had revived sufficiently to walk led him to the office of Sheriff Tucker, on State street, closely followed by the mob. It was about 8 o’clock when the office was reached, and the supposed thief vas handed over to the eivfl authorities for safe keeping. He was taken to the city jail, where the reporter found him bathing his rope-bruised and lacerated neck an hour later. He is about fifty years, with not a very intelligent face, but his hands show hours of honest toil.

•'Were you ever hung before?” inquired the reporter. “No, sir; I never was In such a mob iu all my life.” “Why did they make the attempt” “Because they thought I was a horsethief. They said I stole the horse I was riding, but I didn’t” “Suppose you tell ms all about this little transaction, and I will write it down in your own words. Now, go ahead.” “My name is Charles Wheeler. I

am a miner and prospector by trade. Have been down in New Mexico about a year. Cagle op to Leadvilie about a week ago. Stopped at Silver Cliff on the way. I made considerable money in New Mexico, bat lost it all. and when J got here I did not have a nickel. I tried for work and got a chance to work for my board. Never mind about that. You want to know about the hone and silverware scrape. Well, last night I met a young fellow who said he waslooking for an old miner to go with him on a prospecting tour. He said he had enough money to pay for a pack-horse ana an outfit, and that he would set that against my experience. I consented, and agreed to meet him at the lower end of the town at an early hour this morning, that we might make a good start I met him as agreed. He toki me to get on the horse and ride down as far as where he would overtake me. He had to go back to his hotel to see about something. I did as requested, not thinking but everything was all right Had jogged on about a mile when the men came up and commanded me to turn back. They followed me up the point of a pistol to the little grov down there. I didn’t know just where I was. but thought of course I should be killed. They put a rope around my neck and told me to either tell the name of the man that stole that horse or I must hang. I couldn’t' tell his name and they hung me four times. The last time I was the same as dead, but I came to and they brought me here. My neck is pretty sore and I feel kind of lame all through my body, but I guess I’m all right.” “Were you willing to die?” “No; but I thought, of course, there was no escape.” “Never saw the party till yesterday ?” “Never.”

Didn’t know that he or some other partner of his had planned to rob the Grand Hotel last night?” “Never heard anything about robbing an v place.” The bag found with tiie prisoner at the station house contained nothing except the silver and table ware stolen from the Grand. Of this lot not an article was missing.