Ethan saw that one of them was Henry, whose eyes were cast downward. They shuffled forward, tightly surrounded by the heavy guard. Ethan was taller than most men, and he stood near the direct line from the jail door to the gallows platform. As the men passed him, he called out, “Henry!” His brother paused, looked at him, and smiled. One of the militiamen prodded him and said, “Keep moving.” This quiet exchange seemed to enervate the crowd, and a murmur of voices began to grow much louder. Then one man shouted “Freedom!” and soon there was a steady chant of “Free-dom, Free-dom, Free-dom.” Ethan joined in as loudly as he could, and, for a few moments, his frustration waned and he had a transient feeling of achievement.

Once before, as a teenager in Philadelphia, Ethan had witnessed an official hanging, but under totally different circumstances. The condemned man had been convicted of murder, and the spectators were there to see justice done or just to enjoy a spectacle. This time, it seemed that almost everyone was there to condemn the injustice, and their very presence was a protest. Except for those guarding the prisoners and participating in the execution, he could see only a few whom he suspected of being opposed to the Regulator movement. They were better dressed than most, and included some well-known merchants and large landowners. Perhaps for their own security, they stood in a group together, on the edge of the crowd.

The procession by this time had reached the gallows, and the three men climbed the steps and took their places, abreast, facing the crowd and the center of the square. It was obvious that they were trying their best to appear impassive, but with only limited success. The strain on their faces was obvious, as each of them searched the crowd for their friends and relatives. Three hangmen placed black hoods over their heads and then adjusted nooses around their necks. The throng was momentarily quiet and then involuntarily moved toward the gallows. Some tried to begin a chant of “No—no—no,” but it soon faded away. There was total silence when the trapdoors were released, and the men were hanged.

Ethan remembered the terrible sentence that the judge had read out in court, and wondered briefly if the convicted men would be drawn, quartered, and beheaded. With growing relief and some embarrassment for his thoughts, he realized that the words were part of an ancient condemnation designed to strike fear in those who heard it.