The Gallows of Innocence

The small boys came early to the hanging. Billy’s ma said they shouldn’t be there, they was too young but that wasn’t going to stop ‘em. They were able to get real close due to getting there so early.

“I think that’s going to be the way I die,” Billy said as he stared at the noose.

“Why’s that?” Johnny asked. He and Billy had been friends since they met in the schoolhouse on the first day of first grade. For the last six years, Billy had always been looking at things an’ prophesying about them.

“I jess has a feeling about it when I looks up there.”

“Your ma taught you right. You wouldn’t kill no one.”

“Yea, you’re right,” Billy said but he couldn’t escape the sense of dread he had looking at the rope.

“Eat some of this,” Johnny said as he offered him some fresh beef jerky his ma had made. He never left home without some.

Over the next hour the gallows became surrounded by folks from all ’round Hanley. Whole families arrived with picnic lunches and the atmosphere was merry as the adults mingled and the kids played. You’d never have guessed they were there for a hanging.

When the prisoner, a young man name Smitty Jones, was brought from the jail a cheer went up from the crowd, including Billy and Johnny. The deputy and sheriff stood him up under the noose and waited for the preacher and hangman to arrive.

Smitty had been charged with raping Farmer Anderson’s daughter, though he swore he was innocent. The victim had shown up long enough to tearfully point him out from the stand. The judge sentenced Smitty to death by hanging after a brief trial. Even as they put the noose around his neck he still swore his innocence.

The crowd grew silent as the preacher blessed Smitty’s soul then stepped away. At high noon the hangman dropped the trap door and Smitty fell. The snapping of his neck could be heard reverberating off the buildings and he died instantly.

Billy rubbed his neck and swallowed hard as he vowed to never do wrong so he could avoid that fate.

* * *

Billy looked down from the gallows and saw two small boys, neither of them older than he’d been at his first hanging. They looked back and jeered at him. The town folks had all turned out to see him hanged. They were eating picnics and behaving like they was at the state fair. It sickened him to remember how he’d behaved at his first hanging a decade ago.

Just like Smitty, Billy was standing on the gallows insisting he was an innocent man. He could barely bring himself to kill a fly. There was no way he could’ve killed a man, especially not Johnny’s little brother Andy.

He’d been arrested after some stranger came forward as an eyewitness and said Billy had done it. At the trial the eyewitness gave the courtroom a highly detailed account of how Andy and Billy had argued then Billy pulled a gun and shot his friend’s brother.

The judge didn’t care one bit that Billy hadn’t even been in town that day-he’d been on the river fishing but not one person had seen him. The judge didn’t believe Billy didn’t own a revolver and no one would stand up to say he was innocent, not even Johnny. After the brief trial, the judge sentenced him to death by hanging.

Billy’s mother had sent a telegraph to the governor and asked him to pardon her son. The hanging was supposed to be the day before but heavy rains had postponed it. They hoped it would be time enough to get word back from the governor but 11:45 a.m. passed and no pardon arrived.

His mother tearfully watched as they escorted him out of the jail cell to the gallows. She followed behind them begging them to not do this to her son, proclaiming his innocence. They ignored her pleas and placed him on the platform below the noose.

Smitty and Billy weren’t the only innocent men to have died by the noose. In the decade between the two men, a few dozen men had proclaimed their innocence and were ignored. Billy didn’t know if they really was or not but it was enough for him to dub it the Gallows of Innocence.

Johnny stood on the outskirts of the crowd, staring at his best friend. Billy spotted him and yelled, “I didn’t done do it Johnny. You know I couldn’t a done it. Johnny! Please tell ‘em I couldn’t a done it!”

Johnny made his way to the platform. “You always did say you was going to die by the noose. I guess you was right,” Johnny said then silently turned and walked away.

“Johnny!” Billy cried out. “Please! Believe me, I didn’t do it!”

Billy felt tears sting at his eyes as his best friend’s words. He died inside as he stared at the back of Johnny’s head. There was nothing more to live for. The hangman put the noose around his neck then the preacher came towards him and crowd grew silent as he blessed Billy’s soul. The preacher stepped back, nodding his head.

High noon arrived and the hangman opened the trap door and Billy fell. The gasp from the crowd was the last thing he heard as his neck snapped. Another victim of the Gallows of Innocence.


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