How Mr.Epbraim Tollg Was Hung.

Tuapeka Times, Volume VI, Issue 269, 27 March 1873, Page 9

How Mr.Epbraim Tollg Was Hung.

From "Harper's Weekly." Not many years ago the Sheriff of River County, Mississippi, invited me to attend an execution. The invitation was given verbally, and I give it here :—": — " Come over and see me strangulate that rascal, Eph Tolly, for arson and setting Old Odum's house on fire." Accordingly on the day appointed, 11 Uncle Bob," an eccentric old genius, and myself rode over to the place of. execution. The Sheriff of River County was the ugliest, funniest little fellow in the district. He stood about five feet in his shoes, and was quite as broad as he was long, and had a face to frighten a catamount. Bustling about, big with the importance of his position, he waddled up, and offered his hand, saying to me — " I'm precious glad you've cum. These fellows here ain't give me no peace since sunrise nxin' me when I was goiug to begin. It's none of their business. I'd invited you to see the hanging, for I knew you'd like the spor*-, and wasn't going to begin till your arrival, if I had to put off the execution." Mounting the steps of the courthouse, he sang out tremulously — " Oh yes 1 oh yes ? oh yes ! I'm now going to proceed to carry out the sentence of the law on Eph Tolly, which has to be hung for arson and setting a man's house afire. "Whar's Bill Siramonds, my depity?" " He's over at Jim Bead's, playing seven up with Banty Corrigan, and bealia of him like sikes," answered a little pot-bellied, yellow-faced specimen of a dirt-eater. "He wants me to take his place." " You take his place ! You take !" indignantly interrupted the Sheriff. " Darn you, you'd look better taking Eph Tolly's place ! Call Bill." After some delay, Bill Simmonds appeare 1, and Mr. Sheriff, taking a piece of clothes-line, about four feet long, out of his pocket, tossed it to him, and said — c ! Mr. Deputy, go and fetch Tolly out here." Up to this time I had been vainly looking to find some preparations for the fatal scene ; but the only thin?; visible was an enclosure about forty feet square, five feet high, made of rails, and iv the fashion of a fence, and i-e-spiubling a suspicious pig-pen more thnn anything else. In the centre of the enclosure stood a polo, forked at the top ; and lying beside it was another pole, about twelve feet long, peeled of its bark. " Mr. Sheriff," said I, " are not these proceedings rather irregular 1 The law siys an execution must take place within an enclosure ; and — " '! Well, ain't that an enclosure % The law dosn't say tluit I am to build a stone wall, does it?" "Where is the gallows?' I - then ventured to ask. "Squire," said the shei-iff with impressive dignity, " squire, don't you fret your gizard. I know my biziness, and you'll oblidge me by attending to yourn. I ain't been Sheriff of River County for goin 22 years for nothing." Enter Bill Simmonds and Tolly." He had tied the bit of clothes-line round the culprit's neck, and was leading him along as you would lead a horse to water. Tolly was as tall in stature as the sheriff, very stoutly built, and had a "sulky, don't-care-a-rap sort of look on his stolid face . He nodded familiarl} r to all hands, spoke to two or three of the party, and asked me for a chew of tobacco. I carry two kinds — one for myself, and the other for tobacco beggars ; but thinking it a shame to send a man into eternity with a wad of nigger head in his mouth, I pulled out my o*vn honeydew, and handed it over. That- was the last- 1 s iw of it. Tolly deposited an enormons quid in his cheek, and coolly handed the rest to the little pot-bellied dirteater, and ib went from one to the other as long as it lasted. Lor 1 , to think that a mau with one leg in the grave should be capable of such ingratitude. The sheriff now read a document to lolly, informing him that he was to be hung by the neck, &c, winding up with the addition, " And now, Tolly, you're a precious skunk, ain't you. to set a gentlemanls house a-fire and be guilty of arson 1 Come along here," and he took the lope from the deputy's hand, and let Tolly, who followed like a lamb to the slaughter, into the enclosure. Old Bob whispered ta me, " Frank, give the poor devil a drink." But the fate of my honeydew steeled my heart againsjb this appeal.. Arrived at the fatal pole, the shoriff ordered the doomed man to " set down thar," which he did; the end of tho rope was then tied around the peeled saplingon the ground. "ISTow, Tolly, get up "—and "Tolly, with apparent stolid indifference, slowly rose to his feet. The sheriff then put_ one end of the sapling into the fork of the upright, and, pulling out his watch, handed it to Simmonds, saying, a Now, depity, y*ni time him, while I hold him up." Judge of my horror when I saw this old devil thus coolly prepare to choke the wretch" to death, with no more compunction than if drowning a bliarl puppy. I begged uncle Bob to interfere, but he declined to do so. " All ready 1 Now, Bill Simmonds, you time exzactly ; mind you, five minutes — not a minute more or less." With this he mounted»a low stump, aud with- a herculean effort i-aised the

small end of the sapling at arm's length over his head. The tension of the rope just raised Tolly to his tip-toes, and didn't seem to iuconveni3nce him much. But the sheriff — you should have seen him ! At the end of about the second minute he was purple in the face. " Bill Sitnmonds," he gasped, " how long has he been hanging — ain't time ;u P ?» "Two minits." " Hang it ! " panted the sheriff. I ventured to suggest to the sheriff that he was pioceeding in an unlawful manner. " Who asked you for your lip 1 " he retorted. "Iknowwat the law says. It says after a gentleman's been hanging a certain time — and I think five minutes is the time — he's got a right to live if he can stand it ; and I think he ought to." " Time's up," shouted the deputy ; and the sheriff flung the pole from him with a force that jerked the pendent Tolly sprawling on the ground. He picked himself up, and the sheriff untied the clothes line from his neck ; and then, ramming Tolly's hat over his eyes, he thus addressed him :—": — " Now, Eph Tolly, you've escaped hanging by a quibble of the law ; but if you know what's good for you, you'll leave the country mighty sudden ;" — saying which, he applied to Tolley a tremendous kick of pegged boots, ejaculating, " I'll teach you to commit arson and set a man's house afire. And if 1 ketch you in these diggin's again, I'll have to shoot you, you villain." With one final .kick, he turned him loose, and invited all to liquor.