Summary of the Outcast of Poker Flat

In the story of "Outcast of Poker Flat," by Bret Harte, there are four shady characters that had been excommunicated from the town of Poker Flats. The main character, Mr. John Oakhurst, was a gambler. The town was willing to make a public example of anyone that they didn't trust, because the town had experienced several robberies. They wanted to hang Oakhurst because, "'It's agin justice', said Jim Wheeler, 'to let this yer young man …

…one, but I think that the author wanted it to be this way. It is kind of a slow motion view of everything that is going through Peyton's head from the moment the sergeant steps off the plank to the instant he feels the "stunning blow upon the back of his neck". I like the way that the author tricked the reader into thinking that the man escaped, I was really surprised by the ending