Short Story - The Hanging Day - Grant Eagar

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The Hanging Day

It was a beautiful spring morning in Dodge City, a sleepy town in western Kansas. Sarah Sanchez, a young woman with long coal-black hair and ice-blue eyes, stood alongside two men. In front of them were gallows built out of scraps of old barn wood and whatever else the town could cobble together.

She moved her hands to get circulation back into them. Deputy Broom had tied Sarah's wrists tightly.  She frowned, seeing a lady go to the gallows was a rare and wondrous occurrence. Broom, a large redheaded deputy whose shirt did not cover his belly, had even hinted he would let her escape for the right offer, but she was not tempted. This, however, had given her an idea, and she suggested the same to the well-boned Sheriff Parker, but was declined.

There was a crowd of several hundred onlookers wearing their finest frocks with festive hats and parasols. Children ran through the crowd with streamers and pinwheels, being chased by dogs. Broom, the deputy, gestured to the crowd.  “Ladies and gentlemen, let us begin the proceedings. Please back away from the gallows. We’ll not tolerate anyone interfering with a lawful hanging.”

The crowd ignored him, jostling for a prime viewing location. Two old women began fighting over a front row spot, and the deputy had to separate them. The sheriff raised his hands and yelled, “Quiet! Now there will be no drinking nor fighting until after the hanging.” This was met with loud boos from the crowd. “Calm down, or there’ll be no public hanging; we’ll send you all home.” This quieted the crowd. “Now let me read the judgments against the plaintiffs!” He explored his coat pockets and pulled out several crumpled sheets of parchment. He straightened the papers, then climbed onto the gallows. He felt in his shirt pocket and retrieved a pair of spectacles.  He glanced at the prisoners, “When I call your name, step forward while I read the judge’s decision. Akondo Silver-Chief, please step forward.” When no one stepped forward, a tall boy with braids in his early twenties was shoved forward by the deputy. He sprawled onto the ground, and the deputy brusquely pulled him to his feet.

Sarah said, “Show him some respect; there is no need to treat someone so.”

Broom snorted. “Why does it matter? He’ll be dangling from a rope soon enough.”

Parker cleared his throat. “That will be enough; it would not hurt to show the felons some compassion before we put them in the noose.  Now, Akondo, you’ve been found guilty of horse thieving. Unfortunately, when the owner of the animal, Johnathan Granger, pursued you, he fell from his horse, broke his neck, and died two days later. He left behind a widow and two young ones. You have been found guilty of his death. You are also guilty of resisting arrest and assaulting my deputy. The judge sentenced you to be hanged until you are dead. Go ahead and step back.

After Akondo had stepped back, Parker pulled out the next sheet of paper. “Jacob Jacoby, please step forward. When you were caught cheating at cards by Simeon Brown, you claimed he reached for his gun, so you shot him. He did not have a gun, so you are therefore guilty of his death. You are also guilty of stealing the tithing from the poor box, lying, claim jumping, bigamy, public intoxication, and kicking a dog.  The judge sentenced you to hang until you have drawn your last breath.”

After Jacob stepped back, the deputy gave Sarah a shove and said, “This is what we have been waiting for, Misses, it’s your turn.”

The crowd began chanting, “Hang her! Hang her!”

She stepped forward and looked at the sheriff. He cleared his throat. “You are the reason the crowd is here. Now, everyone, quiet down or there will be no hanging.” The crowd quieted.

Sarah turned to the crowd. “Don’t stop on my account.”

The sheriff said, “Sarah, that is not going to save you.” He glanced down at a manuscript, “Sarah Anne Sanchez, you’ve been convicted of poisoning your husband, Mister John Angus Sanchez, as well as bribery, and soliciting prostitution. You’ve been sentenced to hang.”

  She said, “I hadn’t meant to kill John; the rat poison bottle said a tablespoon could kill a man, so I thought a teaspoon would just make him ill.” She offered a sheepish look, “Well... it sounded right when I planned it. Is it my fault he had such a weak constitution? Since he had been unfaithful ... again, I figured this would be my way of showing my displeasure. He was a lecherous swine; God rest his soul.”

The Sheriff said, “That will be enough.”  

She stepped back and glanced at the crowd, who were chanting, “Hang her!”

She scowled and spoke up, “That is getting annoying. I felt the charge of prostitution was a bit harsh. I just asked the sheriff if he would look the other way concerning the poisoning thing. I’d be willing to offer him some of my time; how is that prostitution? I could make him some bread or mend his socks. I didn't say anything about having sex with him. Now everyone thinks I’m a tramp. And right here in front of all my neighbors.”

A lady in the crowd said, “That sounds a lot like prostitution to me.”

“I said that is enough!” repeated Sheriff Parker.  

The crowd continued to laugh and jeer at her. Even though the community was highly religious, it had never been tolerant. She regarded the throng, should they be tolerant of me poisoning my husband? The pious folk sure did enjoy a good hanging.

The sheriff asked, “Do any of you have final words or confessions? I’m sure clearing the air will be good for the soul.”

Akondo, the Cheyenne boy, stepped forward and sang a song of mourning with his head held high; several dozen Cheyenne in the audience sang along with him. When he finished, he bowed his head and stepped back.

Jacob, a short redheaded man in his thirties, said, “I’ve a few things I’d like to get off my chest. I’ll have you know I had intimate relations with Molly, the minister’s wife, five different times. I enjoyed Jenny, the mayor’s wife, four times, and Anne, the sheriff’s wife, seven times! I call her Sweet Anne. One of these is true; I’ll leave it to you to figure out which one.” There were screams of protest from the women mentioned, and the minister’s middle-aged wife fainted dead away.

Sarah said, “Jacob, you’re despicable. You have never been with a woman without first having to pay her.”

He sneered and gestured at Sarah, “I had relations with this fine lady twelve times; she could not get enough of me.” At this, Sarah kicked him in the groin, and he collapsed onto the ground. After a minute, the deputy helped him back to his feet, “The miserable witch wounded me. Sheriff Parker, you can’t hang me like this. Please give me time to heal.”

Parker pulled a pencil out of his pocket and wrote on the paper. “Jacob, I’m adding defaming the character of honorable women to your offenses.”

Sarah asked, “And me?”

“Okay, I’ll add assaulting a gentleman to your list, and I’ll remove the prostitution bit.”

She gave him the thumbs up, the best she was able. "That sounds much better."

The minister came forward bible in hand. “I’m sorry to have to remind you degenerate souls of your eternal fate. Let me read a scripture in Mathew: ‘And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.’ God have mercy on your blackened souls. As you burn in hell, may you recollect all your dark deeds, feel sorrow for the evil you have done, and have the desire to change. Now let us pray- 

Sarah interrupted, “Reverend Thatcher. Could you put a good word in for me? I was in the church choir, and I even sang a solo. I haven’t missed a sermon in three years.”

Thatcher asked, “What did your husband say when he learned he’d been poisoned?”

“Okay, he wasn’t very happy, he cursed me good before he gave up the ghost, but I don’t deserve to hang.” Thatcher raised an eyebrow. “At least not first.”

The minister raised his hand for silence, then offered a long and fervent prayer on behalf of the unfortunate hell-bound souls, and then climbed off the stand. After the minister was gone, Jacob said, “Hang the witch, hang the witch first, I want to see her drop before I go. It’ll be great sport.”

The sheriff glanced at his wife, and she shook her head. He said, “We all know who is going first.”

Jacob was led up to the gallows by the deputy. “Sheriff, you have no sense of humor. You know I was just joking about having sex with your wife.”  He gestured at Sarah. “She propositioned you. If your wife should be mad at anyone, it should be her.” The Sheriff’s wife glared at Jacob, then offered him a toothy smile. A noose was put over his head. He yelled, “Ye haw! I’m on my way to hell, I’ll see y'all there!” The deputy pulled a lever, and the floor fell from below Jacob. He thrashed and kicked, then finally hung still, swinging back and forth. This was accompanied by wild cheering and applause from the crowd. Sarah gasped and closed her eyes, then opened them and regarded him and felt ill. Did he deserve this for mistakenly killing an unarmed man? Well, he might not have been mistaken. There were also the charges of bigamy, stealing, and kicking a dog that could not be overlooked. Even though Jacob was a degenerate, it was painful to see him go. She, however, did deserve this fate; she had killed John. She thought of her husband, and despite the doctor's best efforts, John finally passed after two hours of suffering. She regretted killing him, but the deed was done, and the penalty must be paid.

After Jacob had been cut down and his body laid into a pine box coffin, Sarah was led up onto the scaffolding and the noose slipped over her head. She offered a silent prayer, God, I know I deserve a good hanging, but it wasn’t my intention to kill John, just make him as miserable as I felt. I truly am sorry, well, mostly. There is a small amount of wicked joy in my heart. Please help me feel true remorse for the evil I have done.

Before the deputy could cinch up the rope, the town warning bell rang, and off in the distance, there could be seen two hundred Cheyenne warriors on horseback racing towards them. The sheriff said, “Shit! We should’ve hung Akondo first; it appears his kin are here to intervene. Everyone, run for cover! He didn’t need to say this; the town’s folk had already scattered.

The deputy kicked at the drop lever before running off, and the floor only partially collapsed. Sarah had one foot on the edge and the other dangling in space. God, is this your best effort to keep me alive? Well, you’re not doing a very good job of it. Finally, the trap door gave way, and Sarah was hanging in space with one toe on the edge of the opening and the other kicking out in space with her arms tied behind her. Fortunately for her, the noose had not been cinched up. I’m sorry, God, maybe this is a good time to apologize. I could use some help here.

When the Cheyenne entered the town, there was no one outside, just the two prisoners. The chief came forward and cuffed his son upside the head, then cut the ropes that held his son’s hands. Sarah offered in a strangled voice, “You can’t leave me like this! Take me with you.  I would make a fine squaw. I love the Cheyenne. At the very least, cut me loose.” The chief spoke angrily to Akondo in his native tongue, and she interrupted them, “Could you please cut me down first, then give your son the what for?”

Akondo turned to her. “We cannot help you; you must make your path. We do not get involved in white man's affairs. Tell the Sheriff we’re leaving two horses to be given to Johnathan’s widow. I will also help her put the crops in and harvest them in the fall. May good fortune guide you." The Cheyenne then mounted their horses, and Akondo added, “I suggest having the sheriff repeat your charges.”

“What good will that do?”

He shrugged. “It may surprise you.” He then rode off.

"You can’t leave me like this! A pox on you!" After several tries, she caught the edge of the opening with her other foot. Standing up straight, she lifted a leg and pulled a slipknot, and the rope was released. She fell headlong through the opening in the floor into the mud. Sarah gasped for air. Finally free! Thank you, thank you. God, I’m sorry about complaining. Now that I’m still alive, please help keep me this way. 

She lay there for a while and finally sat up and noticed the sheriff squatting, looking down at her. "Young lady, you have more lives than a cat." He climbed into the pit, helped her to her feet, and led her back onto the stand. 

What Akondo said came back to her. "Sheriff, before you hang me again, could you please read my sentence one more time?"

"Sarah, you just want to delay the inevitable." He turned to where the deputy was hiding. "Broom! They’re gone now, come out from underneath the porch and help me finish the hanging."

The deputy crawled out from under the porch, climbed the gallows, and reset the trap floor. Sarah offered the Sheriff a bright smile. "Please, Sir, could you read it one more time? It’ll only take a minute. I think it would reestablish the mood since we were interrupted. The townspeople are returning.  I know they would appreciate it.” 

The Sheriff scowled and reached into his pocket and fished out the parchment. He read, "Sarah Anne Sanchez, you’ve been convicted of poisoning your husband, Mister John Angus Sanchez, as well as assaulting a gentleman. You have been sentenced to hang.” He turned to her, “We have heard this before. Why the need to repeat it?”

She smirked. "It did not say to hang me until I was dead, just to hang me. I have already been hung. I admit it was not a great hanging, but a hanging nonetheless." 

The sheriff frowned and cursed several times. "I should have caught that. Now, what am I supposed to do?"

The judge who was out in the crowd came forward. “Sorry, Parker, that was an oversight on my part. Even though it did not say to hang her until she was dead, that was implied. I’d say go ahead and hang her again.”

“Your honor, I think you realized it was just a misunderstanding, and you were hoping that I would survive. Think of this as serendipity. I have been given another chance at life; do you want to take that away from me?” 

The crowd began chanting again, “Hang her!”

The Judge snorted, “You’re not helping your cause; the only misunderstanding is how much poison you gave your husband.” He sighed, "Miss Sanchez, I must admit you are correct, you have been hung after a fashion, so you are now free to go." He turned to the clerk, “Let it be known that justice has been served and Miss Sanchez has been dutifully hanged.” This news was accompanied by boos and hisses from the crowd.

A little girl in a blue paisley dress came forward and said, "Judge, I missed the first hanging; everyone was blocking the view. Could you go ahead and hang her anyway?"

"Janie?! Shame on you, I was your Sunday school teacher, is that the thanks I get?" asked Sarah.

Parker said, "I'm sorry, folks, but she has been hung. The show is over. Now calm down and go home." He then untied her hands.

Sarah yelled to the crowd. “It has been reported that my home has been ransacked and pilfered. Since I have survived, I ask that you return my things today. If not, I will be making complaints and taking you to court.” There was much grumbling, “Lucy, that includes you; that is my Sunday dress, and Peter, that is John’s hat. Jason, that is John’s suit.”

She then turned to the sheriff. "Oh, Sheriff, by the way, the Cheyenne left two horses tied up over yonder to account for the horse the boy stole. They have also agreed to help Johnathan’s widow out with the farm. I guess they now think they're square."

The Sheriff shrugged, walked up to the two dappled ponies, and untied the horses. "These are not bad horses, I guess they’ll have to do." He then led the horses away.

 

#

   

Marilee, an auburn-haired woman in her early forties who oversaw the church choir, approached Sarah, pulled out a handkerchief, and began rubbing off the dirt from Sarah’s face. She frowned. “You’re a mess, falling face-first into the dirt; you are worse than a child. Just because you escaped justice does not mean you’re coming back to the choir. We can get along well enough without you. Annabelle is talking about rejoining, and Sheila’s voice has returned, so we now have our solo. We do not need the likes of you.”

Sarah winced at the scrubbing and pushed Marilee away. “Enough already, you’re going to rub off my skin. The Judge said I have been dutifully hung, so justice has been served. Regarding the church choir, Annabelle sings like a love-sick cat, and there is no harmony between the rest of you.” She sighed and offered a wan smile, “I’m sorry, I do love to sing, I wish you and the choir the best.”

“You know we need you. Are you going somewhere?”

“You heard the chant ‘hang her.’ Would you want to live someplace where they treated you like that? Couldn’t any of you stand up for me?”

“You were not being mistreated. You poisoned your husband. We’re God-fearing people, allow us to vent a little, you know, we all respect you. We were just caught up in the excitement of seeing you hang.”

Sarah squeezed Merilee’s arm. “There is little comfort in those words; I’ll take what I can get.  I should be in a forgiving frame of mind since I was spared. I was shown mercy, so I should extend a little. It would not hurt to return to the choir, though I will expect my solo part again.”

“You're in no position to make demands. You're still hell bound after all.”   

Sarah pulled back her collar and showed the rope burn. "As you can see, I have been hung, justice has been served."

Merilee frowned, reached over, and rubbed Sarah's neck. "This is nothing, it will be gone within a week. I will not judge, though; like you said, justice has been served . . . well, man’s justice, I’m sure God still has something to say about it.” She then smirked and strode away.

Sarah watched Merilee march down the boardwalk and disappear into the hardware store. She’s just happy she has something to hang over my head. They don’t know how to treat a criminal.  And of course, there is the crazy factor; they know I do have my limits.

The End