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That makes sense, so I suppose the explanation might be that these bystanders were also outsiders, but, as turned out, presumably too late, they merely were in
by pmjordan 7y ago
That makes sense, so I suppose the explanation might be that these bystanders were also outsiders, but, as turned out, presumably too late, they merely were in the wrong place at the wrong time as you say and guilty by proximity.
My initial reading was that they were known to be bystanders at the time of execution, which seemed a bit extreme even in that context. But you're right, it's equally possible to read their being bystanders as posthumous exoneration, which is much more likely.
(FWIW, I've been to Montana, and as a middle-class European, it certainly felt by far the most foreign of the 15 or so states I've visited in the US.)
- steveklabnik 7y agoAh yes, my assumption was that it was later determined that they were bystanders, not that it was known at the time.
- ewhanley 7y agoFWIW, I grew up in Roundup (and am shocked to see it on HN). I remember the hanging tree being put up downtown sometime in late 80s or early 90s to (I suppose) add some Wild West decor. It’s entirely possible the whole hanging cattle rustlers and bystanders tale is apocryphal or loosely based on actual events. That’s not to say such things didn’t happen in the days of open range cattle ranching.