WYOMING: The Return of Big Nose George

The citizens of Rawlins, Wyo. (pop. 8,634) had no end of trouble after they decided, one night back in 1880, to lynch a bandit named George Parrott. It was easy enough to get him out of jail. "Big Nose George," intent on escape, had thoughtfully filed off his leg irons and knocked the jailer cold with them, thus had left himself undefended. But he was a hard man to hang.

The lynching party stood him up on a box, roped him to a telegraph pole and told him to jump. He refused. They kicked...

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