The story of Johnstown : its early settlement, rise ... - JohnstownCafe

OK !'/:,'< Ol'T OF C/r.lOS. 26:;
expiration of a half hour the rnpp'^ wt-re cut. the bodies lowered, carried to a pile of rocks and
dumped into a hole
' Five rolibers altosether uere shot this afternoon, and two of iheni killed outright. The
h'nLhin_;s so far number fr^ni sistten ti_i
t\veiit\
If whcilK' tictitious, how did sucli rcjiorts urii^iiiatL' ": Take this as an
iUustratioii. < )a Satui(Li\ afuTiinun a tnistwnithN' resilient of Feeder street
ran up to a knot ot mm. one ol whom was myseh. sa\in.g :
An officer has just shot a man up at the corner'"
Hastenintj to thie spot, in the liehef that one instance of real killing' would
be ferreted out at last - -twentx' reported durini; tht.' da\' hail jiroxetl canards
we fc)uiid a crowd.. A ne£,'rci was Kan.; in the L;utti-r on Adams stret.-t. halfdrunk
ami stunneil from a blow deli\'ered b\- a sturdy citi/Cen. who had seen the
scamp sttalin.L; a lot ot clo'diin..;. Somebc>d\ called out that the African \\"as
killed and the story traveletl v.ith the speed of a win,L;ed Merctuy.
One case of partial haichin^ did occur. A foreii,'ner detected leaviiiL; a
deserted house with \aluable property was seized by a few citizens, wlio
fastened a cord around his neck and jerked him into the air. The\' let him
hang a short time, then cut him down and he was allowed to ,l;o. The man was
so badlv scared that his own mother would not lia\'e recoijnized him 111 the
coweriiiL; whelp who shook like an aspen leaf. One man, cauL;ht in the act of
robliini; th.e bod\- of an old woman, protested that he -;ot nothing; and -was released.
He disappeared, and it was found atterwari.1 that he had taken ^IOo
from the corpse.
.\ half-breed net,'ro was doinc; a thrivinij Inisiness in collectini; clothm,;.
jewelr\' and even furniture. The citizens stopped him \ ery suddenly, tiireatening
to h'nch him. In two instances narrow escapes from the rope were
made.
The people of Johnstown were not walking arsenals, killing folks at sight.
or \'igilantes e.xecuting 1\ nch law imliscriminateh". Tlie\- neither thirsteil for
gore nor went gunning for material to start new gravevards.
Se\eral loafers.
tr\ing to l>reak into trunks and safes, were shot in the arms or legs, a punishment
richly merited. A prominent gentleman disccjvered twu men and a
woman cutting the finger from a Lleail woman to get her rings. Mis ritle
cracked twice in (prick succession, .md the right arm of each man dropped.
shattered b_\' a bullet. The woman was not harinetl. but so badl\ frightent. d that
she would not rob corpses again. The disjuisitioii on the part of man\ toreigners
to raid the houses and do an all-around thieving business was nipped
before it bore so much fruit as its projectors must lia\ e reckoned ujion. \et
there was a great deal of wiltul. deliberate stealing troin the li\-ing and the
dead on Saturday. The Chi'-f of I'olice liad lost his wife, t.iiiuly ami home.
and was prostrated. One member ot the force was hiiig in the morgue .
others
were hunting the bodies of their missing children ; some of the councilmen had
perished, and municipal authority was y^aralx .;ed.