a tale of tails, tenacity, and tedium, as told by me, usually barefoot and bellowing

Wednesday, May 6, 2015

Hell On The Border

Judge Isaac C. Parker was the famous hanging judge of Arkansas from 1875 to 1896.  Of the 160 (156 men and four women) he sentenced to death by hanging, seventy-six were actually hanged during his time on the bench. These are the gallows and how they look today.
The Hanging Judge

The gallows called to outlaws
as they walked before the judge
He took no quarter
did what he did and judged.
With quicksilver
judgement
 his wooden gavel banged
It was quite irregular
to not be hanged.
If you didn't meet the gallows
to wear the hanged man's tie
You might become invisible
If you really tried.
Not bad for twenty-seven years
Three hundred forty-four capitol cases
Only seventy-six were hanged
creeping tears weren't uncommon 
on the bad guys' faces

For Delores's Wednesday's Words

15 comments:

Bethany Carson said...

Ah, I've watched a few Westerns that depicted hanging judges...life was tough!

Anonymous said...

That gives you the shivers.

Linda Kay said...

Yikes! That would make someone think before committing a crime and fear ending up in this judge's chambers!

MadSnapper said...

the hanging judge was in a lot of the thousands of Western novels I read in my younger years. first time viewing of the gallows.. i wonder how many were guilty of those 160

TexWisGirl said...

yikes.

Farm Girl said...

Wow, that is shocking!

Far Side of Fifty said...

WE need more hanging judges I just heard on the news this morning that some Sate was going to declare that your 4TH DUI was a Felony...duh...what has our country come to:(

21 Wits said...

Oh my! Yikes for sure!

Susan Kane said...

Well written, using the words to portray those times.

Lowcarb team member said...

It was in the Clint Eastwood film 'Hang Em High'that I remember the Hanging Judge.

All the best Jan

Lux G. said...

OMG! So graphic in my head.

Arkansas Patti said...

Did not know he was an Arkansan. That is rather impressive gallows.

LindaG said...

Another really good one, Gail.
Have a blessed weekend! ♥

LilliStJohn said...

I want to see more hanging judges. Criminal Justice Systems everywhere just plain SUCK. No real punishments, murderers and rapists get "out of jail", most with a slap on the wrist. WE had a real nasty criminal thing happen in Canada a few years back, where a sister and her boyfriend (both loonie, drinkin and drugs) tortured, raped and repeatedly did this and killed other girls, including this girls little sister??? Some years later, the killer girl is living in Bermuda, married and has a couple of kids, living under another name. He , the murderer keeps trying to get out of prison. I could have easily hung them both. They filmed all the torture - evidence was plain to see and the killer girl goes free?????? Give me that tough hanging judge any day and we could clean up both countries really fast and clear out them prisons really fast too. There'd be no waiting line in the gallows for years and years.

Lynne said...

I think YIKES might say it all . . .

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