The northern tribune. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1847-1855, 1848-04-05
AN EXECUTION.


man who has been hanged and is now alive.
The writer confesses that he was guilty of the
act for which he suifered-forgery, and states
the particulars of his arrest, committal to
Newgate for trial, and his conviction of the
crime at the Old Baily Sessions for 1885,
He then proceeds to describe what were his
sensations after receiving the awful sentence
of death. After painting, in touching colors
whom he was strongly attached, he thus pro-
ceeds with his narrative
she departed, it seemed as if my business in
this world was at an end. could have wish
ed, then and there, to have died on the spot !;
1 had done my last act, and drank my last
draught in life. But, as the twilight drew in,
my cell was cold and damp, and the evening
was dark and gloomy and I had no fire, nor
any candle, although it was in the month of
January, nor much covering to warm me, and
by degrees my spirits weakened, and my heart
sunk at the desolate Indebtedness of every
thing around me; and gradually-for what I
write now shall be the truth-the thoughts of
Elizabeth, and what would be her fate, began
to give way before sense of my own situa-
ton. This was the first tirne-I cannot tell
the reason why-that my mind had ever fixed
itself upon the trial that had, within few
hours, to go through; and, as reflected on it,
terror spread over me almost in an instant,
as though it were that my sentence was Just
pronounced, and that had not known, really
and seriously, that I was to die before had
eaten nothing for twenty -four hours. There
was food, which religious gentleman who
visited me had sent from his own table, but
could not taste it, and when looked at it,
strange fancies came over me. 1t was dainty
food, not such as was served to prisoners in
the Jail. 1t was sent to me because 1 was to
die tomorrow! and thought of the beasts
of the field, and the fowls of the air, that
were pampered for slaughter. felt that my
own sensations were not as they ought to be
at this time and believed that for awhile,I
was insane. A sort of dull, humming noise,
that could not get rid of, like the buzzing of
bees. sounded in my ears. And though it
was dark, sparks of light seemed to dance be-
fore my eyes, and could recollect nothing.
l tried to say my prayers, but could only
recollect word here and there, and then it
seemed to me as if these were blasphemies
that was uttering don't know what they
were-I cannot tell what said; and then on
a sudden, felt as though all this terror was
useless, and that would not stay there to die; ;
and I jumped up, and wrenched at the bars of
my cell window with a force that tent them,
for felt as if I had the strength of a lion.-
And felt all over the lock of my door, and
tried the door with my shoulder-though I
knew it was plated with iron, and heavier
than that of church; and 1 CROPPED about
the very walls, and into the corners of my
dungeon-though I knew very we'll, if had
my senses, that it was all of solid stone
three feet thick; and that, if could have
passed through crevice smaller than abe eye
of needle I had no chance of escaping
And, in the midst of all this exertion, faint
ness came over me as though had swallowed
poison and l had just power to reel to the
bed-place, where sank down, as think, in a
swoon; but this did not last-for my head
swan round and the cell seemed to turn with
me, and 1 ACKNOWLEDGMENT sleeping and
waking-that i5 was midnight, and that
Elizabeth had come back as she promised, and
that they refused to admit her. And thought
it showed heavily, and that the streets were
all covered with it as if with white sheet,
and that saw her dead-lying in the fallen
snow-and in the darkness-at the prison gate!