A TEXAN LYNCHING.

Western Star, Issue 2218, 1 July 1898, Page 6

A TEXAN LYNCHING.

There was unusual excitement at Fort Clark. Cattlemen, cowboys, horse ranchers, teamsters, soldiers, all moved around in an uneasy, excited way, and threats of violence against some unknown person came fast and furious. Fort Clark is a frontier post in south-western Texas. It was not of so much importance as a town in ’69 as it now is ; hot civilisation not having crept so close over iron rails it was of more importance as a frontier post. Word had come in that Willie Pray, a sheep herder on Turkey Crctk, had been found in his cabin with a gaping knife wound in his breast, and a Mexican woman, whom he had recently engaged to go out to take charge of the domestic arrangements at his ranch, was also discovered with her throat cut. Whatever was the cause of the double murder was only a matter of surmise, but surmise is generally enough for Judge Lynch. He doesn’t waste much time upon quibbles. The matter was argued out in this way :

“ Anybody seen any Indians about ? ” came from a young soldier who stood in a group near Bill Chunk’s store.

“ ’Taint no Injun's,” came from a long-haired hunter,who was seated on a slump mending the cinch of ids saddle with buck-skin thongs. “ Why, Uncle Bill ?’’ came from several voices

“ Injuns don’t knife unless its for hair. ’Sides that, ef they’d bin around, 1 reckon that thar jaeal ud bin a blazin’. How did Ibis yet news come, anyhow ? ” No one seemed to know. The report just appeared to spring up without there being any responsible author fur it. It started as a rumour, and the story gradually developed until the whole post knew of it, and was consequently excited.

“Here comes Jake Breen,” said one of the group, “ he seems to know as much about it as anybody.” When Jake came up he said he did not know any more than tho rest. Some one had brought in the report, and he had just heard folks talking about it. He sgrted with Uncle Bill that it was not Indians, and with many oaths he explained his theory. “ You see, Pray took a Greaser woman out there to look after his ranch. Most Mexican women have lovers of their own colour. Everybody knows Mexicans arc jealous and revengeful. I hey mostly uses a knife while a white man uses a shooting iron. The report says that both were killed with a knife, which shows that it was done by a Mexican who was jealous of Pray, and the only Mexican we know of about the place is the herder he had looking after his sheep. It looks as if he was the guilty party.’’ 11 That’s so,” said several, “ the Mexican must have done it.”

“ Then what’s the use waiting around here ? The Greaser ain’t going to come here and ask us to hang him. Hemny be around the ranch yet, if he ain’t skipped to Mexico. We’ve got to hang a Greaser mighty quick, if we want to do justice in this matter,” said Jake, and the most of those there assembled appeared to agree with him.

Jake was a desperado of the first water, and was necessarily an authority in these matters. “ Whar’s the coyote ez brought tho news ?” said Uncle Bill.

Again there was no one to answer. “ I reckon we’d better go an see of they’re dead, afore wo hang anybody. We’d best go to the ranch, an’ take a look at the late lamented afore we undertake .to do anything else. We can take a judge along for convenience, in case we need him. I’m goin’ to the ranch,” and Uncle Bill picked up a saddle that lay on the ground near him and started for a pony staked out on the prairie, a hundred yards off.

This move of Uncle Bill’s appeared to meet with favour in the crowd, and by the time he was on his pony and started towards Turkey Creek he had a party of 25 at his back, among whom was Jake Breen.

It was not a long ride to Fray’s ranch, and the ponies went on a trot. The way led principally over a rolling prairie, with an occasional motte of live oak, or a chapparal thicket to relieve the monotony.

When they had come within a mile of the ranch some one in the cavalcade calk'd out that there was a herd of sheep off to the northward. The company halted and looked in Hie direction, and sure enough on the other side of a slight di-pn ssion in the prairie was a herd of sheep quietly grazing, but evidently making their way slowly in the direction of Fray’s ranch, as a man was apparently urging them on, while a dog was keeping them from straggling.

•• That's Fray’s Greaser now,” said Breen ; “ 1 know him by his having that dog with him. We’d better get him while we have a chance,” and he turned his pony’s head in that direction,

“ Say, Squire,” said Uncle Bill, turning to a bright, intelligent-looking young man riding near him, who got his title by being n lawyer : “’pears like you’d best go along an’ see ’ the Mex don’t escape from the hands e’ *•“ and a sly twinkle came into ’ jest.ee, added : “ Seems like a nn v ‘ “ ,s “ s le the way he drives them b«ty dospnt feller, other fellers mehbo c- -«*eep. a “ J “ ka al > the I’ll take keer o’ » him,lle r, S ht alone ’ So the vo*' " uis cav y ar(l *" t i -o- *” anc lawyer ami five others followed JaKe w , • • . * thP ’ .een in a dash over the prairie to capture . ivlexican, while the rest of the calvacade rode on to the ranch. Fray’s jackal, or hut, was a rude affair, constructed as many of them are in that country by planting live oak pickets, ten feet long, in an upright position, side by side, to form the walls, and making a roof of prairie grass thatch. The cracks were stopped with mud, and there was no opening except the door, which furnished all the light and ventilation needed, besides that which came through the numerous crevices in the rude structure. It was situated in a grove of trees on the banks of the creek.

When the parly rode up they found the door of the cabin closed, and not a sign or sound of life anywhere around.

“ Hello, house !” called Uncle Bill. “ Thar don’t seem to be nobody here,” he added, and then dismounting he walked up to the door and gave it a push. It opened inwardly, scraping up the dirt floor as it did so, for it hung loose on its strap hinges “ Well, I’ll be denied !” exclaimed the old man as his eyes became accustomed to the dim light in the cabin ; “ ef it ain t so, ler a fact. And then the ot hers crowded up to look in and see what Uncle Bill bad seen ; the body of the woman on the floor, near the rear of the room, with her throat cut, and the body of Willie Bray near the door, lying in a pool of blood, which had evidently flowed from a wound in his side. •• Don’t crowd that thar door, men, 1 want tor see,” said the old man, as he caught hold of Bray’s bund. “ That gal’s gone, but this here boy seems to be kinder warm yit. Give a hand, a couple o’ you ’uns, an’ let’s see what a Icetle fresh air ’ll do.”

They look him up gently and boro him (so a grass} place in the shade of some trees. Here they laid him tenderly down upon a bed of blankets, and after moistening the lips with liqour they began examining the wound. They had just reached this stage of the proceedings when there was a diversion. It came from the party who had gone off to capture the Mexican. They rode along, the unfortunate Greaser being tied to the lariat attached to the saddle bow of one of the men. He was run-

ning along uttering protestations, his f«ce

actually pale with terror. “No sabe, senors ; no enteuder, Senor Caballeros.” "Here ha is!” called Jake Breen, as the company came to a halt and dismounted. “ We've got the scoundrel.” And then they all crowded up to where the wounded, and apparently dead, man lay upon the blankets. As the last party came up they approached the feet of the wounded man. The Sheriff led the Mexican up, the others making room for them.

“ Stand back, men, an’ let us have air. This yer corpse seems ter bo revivin’ some ; ” and Uncle Bill put his arm under Bray’s shoulders to raise them up.

And just then a strange thing happened. The wounded man opened his eyes and stared round in a dazed sort of way. Then fixing his gaze straight before him and raisiug himself up with his arm outstretched, pointing his finger toward the trembling Mexican, he said in an almost indistinct, hesitating whisper :

“ You— you— killed—her,” and then he si emecl to gasp for breath, but he made another effort and added : “ Jake Breen,” and then would hare dropped from exhaustion if the strong arm of Uncle Bill had not been at band to ease him gently down. When the name was mentioned it astonished the men as much as if they had heard thunder from a clear sky. The ones on the outer edge of the circle had not heard the name at all, but had seen the action, and supposed that Pray was pointing to the Mexican, and not to the burly figure of Breen, which loomed up behind that unhappy individual. They, therefore, naturally crowded up closer, and their scowling faces boded no good for the descendant of the Aztecs.

Those who were close enough to hear the whisper were so astonished for a moment that they could not grasp the situation. There were two mm who did, however, understand what it meant, and when the one,Uncle Bill, looked up to speak, the other, Jake Breen, had allowed himself to be crowded out of tho circle and was already on his horse. “He says it was ,lake Breen ; stop the coyote,” called Uncle Bill, and those near to him sprang to their feet, for some of them had been down on one knee, some on both, so as to watch the wounded man. Those who understood finally got out of the crowd,and by their repeating, “ He says it’s Jake Breen,” got the others to understand.

But those few moments of delay were enough. When Breen saw the finger pointed toward him ho knew too well what it meant. He had supposed Pray was dead, and now. when ho faced the supposed corpse, ‘.he eyes were open aud the lips moved to speak. He had had too much experience in Judge Lynch’s court to await further developments. Fie permitted the other anxious spectators to crowd him out, and he quietly and quickly got into the saddle of the lawyer’s horse, which was not only tho nearest to him, but the best one in the lot. It was near the corner of Ihe hut that he mounted, and when the others realised the situation he was already started on his way to the southward. It only took a few moments to a dozen riders following on the trail, headed by tho lawyer on Jake Breen’s horse. “ Say, you ’uns !” called Uncle Bill, to those who had not yet started, “ tain’t no use fer us to jiue in thet thar chase. One had better ride down to Uvalde, an’ tell the folks, an one had better go to Clark for a doctor from the post an’ an ambulance. The rest can stay here till mornin’ an’ hear from the other fellers. Thet sun ain’t a half hour high, an’ w’eu she drops yer know hit ends tho chase unless they’re mighty dost on ter him, ez thar ain’t no moon.” What the old man meant was that there could be no chase after sunset. There is no twilight in Texas, and when the sun sets one passes directly from daylight to dark. Onu might make his way by starlight, but he couldn’t follow a trail in the shadows. The sun rose the next morning in a clear sky, and soon afterwards the pursuing party were up to the ranch. “ Did you get yer boss, ’Squire P” inquired Uncle Bill. “ Yes.” “ Whar’d you find him ?” “ Down by Elm Water Hole.” “ Did you find Jake P” “ Yes.” “ Did you bring him alone P” “No: we just left him there among t> ~jO trees. “ Wuil ; , then --r? ll : i,g rlr p^ t d o ff so pleasant l.ke, and the doctor kin be moved. I reckon we our' , , „at Jest ez wel! back to Clark.