TEXAS FIFTY YEARS AGO

Waikato Times, Volume 2620, Issue XXXII, 27 April 1889, Page 1 (Supplement)

TEXAS FIFTY YEARS AGO

Tkxas iu 1837 had no troal*, and had just fut loose from Mexico, and there were but. three modes of punishment, small whipping, lfirjre whipping, and branding for minor crimes, For murder, horse stealing and forgery it was death. I was a horse soldier iu General Houston's army, and recall one instance of horse stealing, where the guilty party was permitted to escape. It was in Montgomery County iu 1837. Tho man was tried, found sruilty, and put. upon the horse he had stolen, his leys tied under the horse, and he was led out. to the edge of tho timber by some twenty or more of the ' court' all mounted and armed. Arriving at the end of the timbers, all dismounted, except tho prisoner, and setting their rifles agnin>f the M'ie of a log, commenced looking around for a suitable gallows tree. One of the party dUcoverud, some 1500 yard* out in the prairie, such a tree with a large limb growing at riulit angles to t.'io trunk, some twenty feet from tho ground. He remarked that the Lord had planted it there to hang our liorae thief ou. Asrreed, and the whole party walked, leaving guns and horses behind, leading the condemned mail stiil tied to the horse. If. was found hard to climb the tree. The discoverer of it asked for a ' boost.' Being a large, fat man, it took all that could tret around him to give the boost, but they did it, and he climed the limb. One end of the rope was round the prisoner's neck ; to get tho other end fast to the limb was the task set for the man up tho tree. After several throws he caught the rope, but the limb was so large that i't could not bo easily brought round to hand, and unless the end was caught under the rope could not be tied. The big man. Wing on his breast, holding th« main part of the roue in one hand, with llie other hand to throw nnder the limb, hut every time failed to catch the end. The committeemen below all had their eyes on !.im, looking up. The prisoner at tho other end of the rope was struck by an idea. There was life and liberty iti it. He drove his heelß against the horse's sides. Luckily lie had stolen a good fast horse—and like a flash away went horse and rider, and in the alarm of tho outcry the fat man up the tree missed his hold and fell to the ground, badly hurt., of course. The fugitive went ilyiuir over the prairie, the rope steaming behind his neck. The vigilance pa'ty's trims and horses were 30(1 yards off. After tho excitement was over, a meeting of the court was held to reconsider the matter of Na'uve having planted that particular tree to hang that particular man upon, anil ir, was uuauin:cudy carried that it had not.