After the execution of the five men on the 14th of January, the Vigilantes considered that their work was nearly ended. They had freed the country of highwaymen and murderers to a great extent, and they determined13 that in the absence of the regular civil authority they would establish a People’s Court where all offenders14 should be tried by judge and jury. This was the nearest approach to social order that the circumstances permitted, and, though strict legal authority was wanting, yet the people were firmly determined to maintain its efficiency, and to enforce its decrees. It may here be mentioned that the overt15 act which was the last round on the fatal ladder leading to the scaffold on which Slade perished, was the tearing in pieces and stamping upon a writ16 of this court, followed by his arrest of the Judge Alex. Davis, by authority of a presented Derringer, and with his own hands.
J. A. Slade was himself, we have been informed, a Vigilante; he openly boasted of it, and said he knew all that they knew. He was never accused, or even suspected, of either murder or robbery, committed in this Territory (the latter crime was never laid to his charge, in any place); but that he had killed several men in other localities was notorious, and his bad reputation in this respect was a most powerful argument in determining his fate, when he was finally arrested for the offence above mentioned. On returning from Milk River he became more and more addicted17 to drinking, until at last it was a common feat18 for him and his friends to “take the town.” He and a couple of his dependents might often be seen on one horse, galloping19 through the streets, shouting and yelling, firing revolvers, etc. On many occasions he would ride his horse into stores, break up bars, toss the scales out of doors and use most insulting language to parties present. Just previous to the day of his arrest, he had given a fearful beating to one of his followers20; but such was his influence over them that the man wept bitterly at the gallows21, and begged for his life with all his power. It had become quite common, when Slade was on a spree, for the shop-keepers and citizens to close the stores and put out all the lights; being fearful of some outrage22 at his hands. For his wanton destruction of goods and furniture, he was always ready to pay, when sober, if he had money; but there were not a few who regarded payment as small satisfaction for the outrage, and these men were his personal enemies.
From time to time Slade received warnings from men that he well knew would not deceive him, of the certain end of his conduct. There was not a moment, for weeks previous to his arrest, in which the public did not expect to hear of some bloody23 outrage. The dread24 of his very name, and the presence of the armed band of hangers-on who followed him alone prevented a resistance which must certainly have ended in the instant murder or mutilation of the opposing party.
Slade was frequently arrested by order of the court whose organization we have described, and had treated it with respect by paying one or two fines and promising25 to pay the rest when he had money; but in the transaction that occurred at this crisis, he forgot even this caution, and goaded26 by passion and the hatred27 of restraint, he sprang into the embrace of death.
Slade had been drunk and “cutting up” all night. He and his companions had made the town a perfect hell. In the morning, J. M. Fox, the sheriff, met him, arrested him, took him into court and commenced reading a warrant that he had for his arrest, by way of arraignment28. He became uncontrollably furious, and seizing the writ, he tore it up, threw it on the ground and stamped upon it.
The clicking of the locks of his companions’ revolvers was instantly heard, and a crisis was expected. The sheriff did not attempt his retention29; but being at least as prudent30 as he was valiant31, he succumbed32, leaving Slade the master of the situation and the conqueror33 and ruler of the courts, law and law-makers. This was a declaration of war, and was so accepted. The Vigilance Committee now felt that the question of social order and the preponderance of the law-abiding citizens had then and there to be decided34. They knew the character of Slade, and they were well aware that they must submit to his rule without murmur35, or else that he must be dealt with in such fashion as would prevent his being able to wreak36 his vengeance37 on the committee, who could never have hoped to live in the Territory secure from outrage or death, and who could never leave it without encountering his friend, whom his victory would have emboldened38 and stimulated39 to a pitch that would have rendered them reckless of consequences. The day previous he had ridden into Dorris’s store, and on being requested to leave, he drew his revolver and threatened to kill the gentleman who spoke40 to him. Another saloon he had led his horse into, and buying a bottle of wine, he tried to make the animal drink it. This was not considered an uncommon41 performance, as he had often entered saloons and commenced firing at the lamps, causing a wild stampede.
A leading member of the committee met Slade, and informed him in the quiet, earnest manner of one who feels the importance of what he is saying: “Slade, get your horse at once, and go home, or there will be——to pay.” Slade started and took a long look, with his dark and piercing eyes, at the gentleman. “What do you mean?” said he. “You have no right to ask me what I mean,” was the quiet reply, “get your horse at once, and remember what I tell you.” After a short pause he promised to do so, and actually got into the saddle; but, being still intoxicated42, he began calling aloud to one after another of his friends, and at last seemed to have forgotten the warning he had received and became again uproarious, shouting the name of a well-known courtezan in company with those of two men whom he considered heads of the committee, as a sort of challenge; perhaps, however, as a simple act of bravado43. It seems probable that the intimation of personal danger he had received had not been forgotten entirely44; though fatally for him, he took a foolish way of showing his remembrance of it. He sought out Alexander Davis, the Judge of the Court, and drawing a cocked Derringer, he presented it at his head, and told him that he should hold him as a hostage for his own safety. As the judge stood perfectly45 quiet, and offered no resistance to his captor, no further outrage followed on this score. Previous to this, on account of the critical state of affairs, the committee had met, and at last resolved to arrest him. His execution had not been agreed upon, and, at that time, would have been negatived, most assuredly. A messenger rode down to Nevada to inform the leading men of what was on hand, as it was desirable to show that there was a feeling of unanimity46 on the subject, all along the gulch47.
The miners turned out almost en masse, leaving their work and forming in solid column about six hundred strong, armed to the teeth, they marched up to Virginia. The leader of the body well knew the temper of his men on the subject. He spurred on ahead of them, and hastily calling a meeting of the executive, he told them plainly that the miners meant “business,” and that, if they came up, they would not stand in the street to be shot down by Slade’s friends; but that they would take him and hang him. The meeting was small, as the Virginia men were loath48 to act at all. This momentous49 announcement of the feeling of the Lower Town was made to a cluster of men, who were deliberation behind a wagon50, at the rear of a store on Main street.
The committee were most unwilling51 to proceed to extremities52. All the duty they had ever performed seemed as nothing to the task before them; but they had to decide, and that quickly. It was finally agreed that if the whole body of the miners were of the opinion that he should be hanged, that the committee left it in their hands to deal with him. Off, at hot speed, rode the leader of the Nevada men to join his command.
Slade had found out what was intended, and the news sobered him instantly. He went into P. S. Pfouts’ store, where Davis was, and apologized for his conduct, saying that he would take it all back.
The head of the column now wheeled into Wallace street and marched up at quick time. Halting in front of the store, the executive officer of the committee stepped forward and arrested Slade, who was at once informed of his doom53, and inquiry54 was made as to whether he had any business to settle. Several parties spoke to him on the subject; but to all such inquiries55 he turned a deaf ear, being entirely absorbed in the terrifying reflections on his own awful position. He never ceased his entreaties56 for life, and to see his dear wife. The unfortunate lady referred to, between whom and Slade there existed a warm affection, was at this time living at their ranch57 on the Madison. She was possessed58 of considerable personal attractions; tall, well-formed, of graceful59 carriage, pleasing manners, and was, withal, an accomplished60 horsewoman.
A messenger from Slade rode at full speed to inform her of her husband’s arrest. In an instant she was in the saddle, and with all the energy that love and despair could lend to an ardent61 temperament62 and a strong physique, she urged her fleet charger over the twelve miles of rough and rocky ground that intervened between her and the object of her passionate63 devotion.
Meanwhile a party of volunteers had made the necessary preparations for the execution, in the valley traversed by the branch. Beneath the site of Pfouts and Russell’s stone building there was a corral, the gate-posts of which were strong and high. Across the top was laid a beam, to which the rope was fastened, and a dry-goods box served for the platform. To this place Slade was marched, surrounded by a guard, composing the best armed and most numerous force that has ever appeared in Montana Territory.
The doomed64 man had so exhausted65 himself by tears, prayers and lamentations, that he had scarcely strength left to stand under the fatal beam. He repeatedly exclaimed, “My God! my God! must I die? Oh, my dear wife!”
On the return of the fatigue66 party, they encountered some friends of Slade, staunch and reliable citizens and members of the committee, but who were personally attached to the condemned67. On hearing of his sentence, one of them, a stout-hearted man, pulled out his handkerchief and walked away, weeping like a child. Slade still begged to see his wife, most piteously, and it seemed hard to deny his request; but the bloody consequences that were sure to follow the inevitable68 attempt at a rescue, that her presence and entreaties would have certainly incited69, forbade the granting of his request. Several gentlemen were sent for to see him, in his last moments, one of whom (Judge Davis) made a short address to the people; but in such low tones as to be inaudible, save to a few in his immediate70 vicinity. One of his friends, after exhausting his powers of entreaty71, threw off his coat and declared that the prisoner could not be hanged until he himself was killed. A hundred guns were instantly leveled at him; whereupon he turned and fled; but, being brought back, he was compelled to resume his coat, and to give a promise of future peaceable demeanor72.
Scarcely a leading man in Virginia could be found, though numbers of the citizens joined the ranks of the guard when the arrest was made. All lamented73 the stern necessity which dictated74 the execution.
Everything being ready, the command was given, “Men, do your duty,” and the box being instantly slipped from beneath his feet, he died almost instantaneously.
The body was cut down and carried to the Virginia Hotel, where, in a darkened room, it was scarcely laid out, when the unfortunate and bereaved75 companion of the deceased arrived, at headlong speed, to find that all was over, and that she was a widow. Her grief and heart-piercing cries were terrible evidences of the depth of her attachment76 for her lost husband, and a considerable period elapsed before she could regain77 the command of her excited feelings.
There is something about the desperado-nature that is wholly unaccountable—at least it looks unaccountable. It is this. The true desperado is gifted with splendid courage, and yet he will take the most infamous78 advantage of his enemy; armed and free, he will stand up before a host and fight until he is shot all to pieces, and yet when he is under the gallows and helpless he will cry and plead like a child. Words are cheap, and it is easy to call Slade a coward (all executed men who do not “die game” are promptly79 called cowards by unreflecting people), and when we read of Slade that he “had so exhausted himself by tears, prayers and lamentations, that he had scarcely strength left to stand under the fatal beam,” the disgraceful word suggests itself in a moment—yet in frequently defying and inviting80 the vengeance of banded Rocky Mountain cut-throats by shooting down their comrades and leaders, and never offering to hide or fly, Slade showed that he was a man of peerless bravery. No coward would dare that. Many a notorious coward, many a chicken-livered poltroon81, coarse, brutal82, degraded, has made his dying speech without a quaver in his voice and been swung into eternity83 with what looked liked the calmest fortitude84, and so we are justified85 in believing, from the low intellect of such a creature, that it was not moral courage that enabled him to do it. Then, if moral courage is not the requisite86 quality, what could it have been that this stout-hearted Slade lacked?—this bloody, desperate, kindly-mannered, urbane87 gentleman, who never hesitated to warn his most ruffianly enemies that he would kill them whenever or wherever he came across them next! I think it is a conundrum88 worth investigating.
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1
afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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specimen
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| n.样本，标本 | |
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inefficient
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| adj.效率低的，无效的 | |
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accurately
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| adv.准确地，精确地 | |
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picturesque
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| adj.美丽如画的，（语言）生动的，绘声绘色的 | |
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hospitable
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| adj.好客的；宽容的；有利的，适宜的 | |
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courteous
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| adj.彬彬有礼的，客气的 | |
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incarnate
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| adj.化身的，人体化的，肉色的 | |
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almighty
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| adj.全能的，万能的；很大的，很强的 | |
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simplicity
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| n.简单，简易；朴素；直率，单纯 | |
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vigor
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| n.活力，精力，元气 | |
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narrative
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| n.叙述，故事；adj.叙事的，故事体的 | |
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determined
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| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
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offenders
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| n.冒犯者( offender的名词复数 )；犯规者；罪犯；妨害…的人（或事物） | |
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overt
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| adj.公开的，明显的，公然的 | |
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writ
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| n.命令状，书面命令 | |
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addicted
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| adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的 | |
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feat
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| n.功绩；武艺，技艺；adj.灵巧的，漂亮的，合适的 | |
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galloping
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| adj. 飞驰的, 急性的 动词gallop的现在分词形式 | |
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followers
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| 追随者( follower的名词复数 )； 用户； 契据的附面； 从动件 | |
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gallows
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| n.绞刑架，绞台 | |
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outrage
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| n.暴行，侮辱，愤怒；vt.凌辱，激怒 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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dread
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| vt.担忧，忧虑；惧怕，不敢；n.担忧，畏惧 | |
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promising
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| adj.有希望的，有前途的 | |
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goaded
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| v.刺激( goad的过去式和过去分词 )；激励；（用尖棒）驱赶；驱使（或怂恿、刺激）某人 | |
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hatred
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| n.憎恶，憎恨，仇恨 | |
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arraignment
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| n.提问，传讯，责难 | |
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retention
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| n.保留，保持，保持力，记忆力 | |
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prudent
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| adj.谨慎的，有远见的，精打细算的 | |
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valiant
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| adj.勇敢的，英勇的；n.勇士，勇敢的人 | |
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succumbed
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| 不再抵抗（诱惑、疾病、攻击等）( succumb的过去式和过去分词 )； 屈从； 被压垮； 死 | |
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conqueror
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| n.征服者，胜利者 | |
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decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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murmur
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| n.低语，低声的怨言；v.低语，低声而言 | |
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wreak
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| v.发泄；报复 | |
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vengeance
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| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
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emboldened
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| v.鼓励，使有胆量( embolden的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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stimulated
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| a.刺激的 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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uncommon
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| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
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intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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bravado
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| n.虚张声势，故作勇敢，逞能 | |
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entirely
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| ad.全部地，完整地；完全地，彻底地 | |
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perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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unanimity
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| n.全体一致，一致同意 | |
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gulch
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| n.深谷，峡谷 | |
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48
loath
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| adj.不愿意的；勉强的 | |
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momentous
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| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
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wagon
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| n.四轮马车，手推车，面包车；无盖运货列车 | |
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51
unwilling
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| adj.不情愿的 | |
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extremities
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| n.端点( extremity的名词复数 )；尽头；手和足；极窘迫的境地 | |
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53
doom
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| n.厄运，劫数；v.注定，命定 | |
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54
inquiry
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| n.打听，询问，调查，查问 | |
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inquiries
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| n.调查( inquiry的名词复数 )；疑问；探究；打听 | |
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entreaties
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| n.恳求，乞求( entreaty的名词复数 ) | |
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ranch
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| n.大牧场，大农场 | |
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possessed
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| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
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graceful
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| adj.优美的，优雅的；得体的 | |
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accomplished
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| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
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ardent
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，强烈的，烈性的 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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passionate
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| adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的 | |
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doomed
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| 命定的 | |
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exhausted
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| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
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fatigue
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| n.疲劳，劳累 | |
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condemned
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| adj. 被责难的, 被宣告有罪的 动词condemn的过去式和过去分词 | |
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inevitable
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| adj.不可避免的，必然发生的 | |
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incited
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| 刺激，激励，煽动( incite的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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entreaty
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| n.恳求，哀求 | |
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demeanor
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| n.行为；风度 | |
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lamented
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| adj.被哀悼的，令人遗憾的v.（为…）哀悼，痛哭，悲伤( lament的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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dictated
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| v.大声讲或读( dictate的过去式和过去分词 )；口授；支配；摆布 | |
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75
bereaved
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| adj.刚刚丧失亲人的v.使失去（希望、生命等）( bereave的过去式和过去分词)；（尤指死亡）使丧失（亲人、朋友等）；使孤寂；抢走（财物） | |
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attachment
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| n.附属物，附件；依恋；依附 | |
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regain
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| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
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infamous
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| adj.声名狼藉的，臭名昭著的，邪恶的 | |
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promptly
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| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
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inviting
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| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
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81
poltroon
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| n.胆怯者；懦夫 | |
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82
brutal
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| adj.残忍的，野蛮的，不讲理的 | |
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83
eternity
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| n.不朽，来世；永恒，无穷 | |
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84
fortitude
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| n.坚忍不拔；刚毅 | |
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85
justified
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| a.正当的，有理的 | |
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86
requisite
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| adj.需要的，必不可少的；n.必需品 | |
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87
urbane
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| adj.温文尔雅的，懂礼的 | |
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conundrum
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| n.谜语；难题 | |
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