Page:History of Oregon Newspapers.pdf/472

Rh village on Rogue river, on the 2d of May, under the following circumstances: A young man named J. C. Piatt, slightly under the influence of liquor, challenged any person to run a footrace with him. Several bystanders selected a man of the name of Robert Maynard, who went by the name of Brown, to accept the challenge. Piatt said he was no kind of a man, and that he would not run with him; that he could beat him at anything—fighting or anything else; and that if he ran, he wanted to run against a man. Brown said he was insulted, and that he would shoot Piatt. He borrowed a revolver, and afterwards meeting Piatt in the street, told him that he had insulted him. Piatt denied having done so, but said that if Brown was disposed to "take it up," he could do so, at the same time taking off his coat for a fight. Hard words passed between them; Piatt said Brown was a liar and a thief; Brown forbade him repeating it; the language was repeated, whereupon Brown drew his revolver and shot him through the left breast. Piatt exclaimed, "the damn scoundrel has shot me—arrest him," and fell. He lived but three minutes. Brown was taken into custody, and on the following Tuesday tried. A judge and prosecuting attorney were appointed, and a jury summoned, and a fair trial given him.

He was defended by D. B. Brenan, of Portland. An auctioneer, known by the name of "Tom Hyer," acted as prosecuting attorney. The trial lasted twelve hours, when the jury retired and after deliberating an hour and a half, returned a verdict of guilty of murder in the first degree. Brown was heavily ironed, and a guard of eight men placed around him. It was moved that he be allowed three weeks to "make his peace with God." The crowd rejected this motion by a large majority. It was then moved that he be allowed three days to prepare for the change, which motion prevailed. Accordingly on Saturday the 8th, he was taken on a cart about one mile from town, where a gallows had been erected, and hanged.

He has been sometime in Oregon, and we learn spent the past winter at Marysville. He talked freely upon the gallows; said he was not sorry for what he had done, on his own account, but he was sorry to afflict his parents and brothers and sisters. He said he should be hung and buried in that grave, (pointing to a grave near by, which had been dug), and that the traveler would point to it and say there lies a man who would not be insulted. He bid the crowd "good-by," and was swung off. He stated that his relatives lived in Illinois. He was twenty-one years of age.