Too Mean For Hanging

Burilctt la Brookly n E gle. The meanest man in all tui.-T land of Unitod America, went down from Lincoln, Nubraska. into Kansas tbo other day. Mind you, ho wasn't a Nebraskan; he was an in ter-stato immigrant coming from somewhero Eastof the Mississippi. At Wyoming there is a merchant who carries his stock in a basket, and ho is fatuous all that land ovor for his popcorn. He carne on the car with his wares, and this mean man who was traveiing with hia wife, lhtle cliild of perhaps three years, and his father-inlaw, askod the price of popcorn. "Five cents a package." That wastoomuch. He didn't want any. After the merchant left the car tLo mean man said: "I want somo o' that 'ore popcorn, but 1 kin git it cheaper'n that." Presently he went out on the platform and said to the dealer in the fruit that cheers but not inehic-briates : ' '3ay, mister. I waiit Bome of that popoorn, but I hain't got on'y three cents. Now, if you kin lemme have a paper of it fur three cents, all riglit, but I ain't givo no more fur it, because I hain't got only that much money." Well; after some dickering, the merchant finally let him have a paper of popcorn for three cents, and tho mean man caiuo in the car, sat down with his wife and little child and began raunching his popcorn. Never a crunib did ho offer to anybody. He was just enjoying it. He said: "1 had enongh money to buy nis wholo basketful) but I knowed I could get somo for less'n tive cents." As he munched, his fathcr-'n-lawr and wife seemed to ucderstand tbat thoy wero not in on that treat, but the child begau to reach upits little dimpled hands, and in the sweotest childish nccents beg lor some popcorD. Save to hold the package out of the reach of the pleading little hands, the mean man paid not the slightest attention to tho baby, but kept on oating. Presently the mother spoke to him, and said the child wantod some of the corn. "Wel), replied her husband, "f th3 child is any hungrier'n Í am an' wants Ibis popcorn moro'n I do, he'd out to have it!" But he kept od oating it himself, and never a giaiu did tho child get. Pretty scoo tho Jitte fellow began to cry for tht corn. This may havo annoyed the father, because ho soon arose, put tho popcorn up in the raok, out of the chiid's reach, and went into an other car. While he was gone the child continued to cry and reacli after tho banquet, and the mother took the popcorn down and gave somo to tho little one. While this was going on the mean man carne back. Furious? You never saw anything like it. He snatchcd tho popcorn away from the child and poured torrents of abuso upon hig wife for daring to toucb. hÏ3 popcorn; Then ho put it back into the rack and at intervals e;ot up and ato some of it until it was all gone. Now in a case of this kind - and tho abovo is a truthftil narrativo of an Actual Gccurrence- is not lynch law justifiable? Is sot that kind of man more valuablo and useful as a fertilizar thtm anything elseP Isn't ho a curse to societyas long as he lives? And might he nol provo a blessing to the medical student and barren land when ha diesP Then why not kill him and 111 ako a blessing of him? The world has no use for a mean man. A drunkard, a liar, aswear'er, a thief, a tramp, a Bwindler, a murderer, may have some sphere of usefulness in this world, but a mean man, puro and simple - (iod wastod mud when He made him.