The Land Claim — page 116: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

112 THE LAND-CLAIM. Having communicated this useful information, Jim left rather hurriedly for the river, his boyish comrade lingering far behind, as if not anxious to join company again. The mob now turned their attention to the reviving Carnes. A few were in favor of handing him over to the law; others, and by far the greatest number, advocated making short work of justice. What was the use, they asked, of putting the matter off? Such a desperate villain could not be: kept long in confinement; the sooner he was out of the way the better. Pacificatory speeches only inflamed their rage, and hastened the doom of Carnes. “Tt is a shame,” said a physician, who had forced himself into the ring, “to worry any human creature in this condition. Look at his arm! look at his back! You shall not hang a man as helpless as this one, if I can prevent it.” “ Oh, he’ll die all the easier,” was the answer. “Are you white men or Indians?’ asked the physician, scornfully. “We are AVENGERS!” shouted the most hardy of the mob. Some one who was on the side of mercy snatched the rope, and made off with it through the crowd. “Well, if he won’t hang he can drown. Water will feel good to him now, I reckon.” No sooner was the word given, than Carnes was seized upon by a dozen stout “avengers,” and borne through the assemblage toward the river. As soon as he was out of the way of interference, he was set upon his feet and compelled to walk, surrounded by his executioners, to the ferry, Here shortly ended the appalling scene. Hurried into a small boat, manned by two rowers, with two to hoist him overboard, the miserable man was taken to the middle of the river, and then thrown out, to struggle vainly with the deadly current. With the last frantic cry of the drowning man mingled a shout of triumph from the Iowa shore. It was Jim, who had witnessed the end of his hated confederate from the other side. comicloooks.comn