When the four Indians were led upon
the scaffold to meet their doom, each of them were asked, through
an interpreter, whether or not he wished to say anything before
being hung, but they all shook their heads with the exception of
Captain Jack, who informed them that he had something to say.
He said: "I would like for my brother to take my place and let me
live so I can take care of my wife and little girl."
The carrier for the Inter-Ocean was the first to get his dispatch,
the Examiner the second, I receiving mine just as the last Indian
was hung, and now for the race to see who gets there first. It was
eleven o'clock when we started. We all traveled together for the
first twenty miles, where I left the wagon road and took the trail
for Ashland. Now I had sixty miles to ride over a trail and they
had eighty miles over a wagon road. At this junction where the
trail left the wagon road I bade the other couriers good-day,
telling them that in case they beat me they must treat to the
oysters when we met at Jacksonville, and I sped away and lost no
time in getting from there to Cold Springs, where I found my other
horse picketed out as I had ordered. I dismounted, threw my saddle
on the other horse, which was apparently feeling fine, mounted him
and was off again, leaving the other horse picketed at the same
place, so my man could get him on his return.
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