Spoon River Anthology, Part 41 summary
Part 41 of 246 · 1 min to read the part
In The Town Marshal, the speaker describes how the Prohibitionists choose him to enforce a saloon ban because they want a frightening officer with a violent past. He strikes Jack McGuire before McGuire kills him, then claims to reveal the full story to a juror in a dream, frustrating efforts to secure a hanging.
What happens
- The Prohibitionists appoint the speaker town marshal after voters remove the saloons.
- The marshal explains that he kills a Swede during his drinking days, before joining the church.
- The Prohibitionists want a fearsome officer who hates saloons and drinkers, and they give him a loaded cane.
- The marshal strikes Jack McGuire with the cane before McGuire draws a gun and kills him.
- The marshal says he appears in a juror’s dream and reveals the full story; he considers fourteen years enough punishment.
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What to notice
The marshal accepts a limited punishment for his killer rather than the hanging the Prohibitionists seek. His judgment follows his admission that he strikes McGuire first.
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