Des Moines courier. ([Ottumwa] Iowa) 1848-1854, 1853-08-25

utes Jagged away. He even begged the
sheriff, my brother said the DR.. pomp.
ously, to delay final proceedings for an
hour. Of course the request was mad
missable, and the turkeys were ordered
TO expedite his movements. Sill the
unhappy man seemed TO abate with his
ineradicable confidence in reprieve. II
the door opened he started abruptly from
his seat, and cried-'Well has i. comet
In all my melancholy experience" said
the doctor, folding back his hands relg.
iously, as he spoke-in all the painful
scenes iE my professional attend ance, no
extremity OF terror on the part of con.
demned man, struck me so mournfully
as the infatuated hope with which Thos.
Street put away from himself the sober
certainty of his fate.
The deathbell tolled sadly overhead;
and in spite OF stout resistance, at two
minutes before twelve, the prisoner was
brought forward on the scaffold. Even
then his eyes strained up the London
road, and lie declared firmly that she
saw horseman galloping over the cres.
Of Leighton Hill," an eminence of abou,
mile and half from where we stood.
He went further, that he heard the tramp
ing OF the hoois, and that it must be
reprieve, because the horse had lost a
shoe, and no man would gallop horse
in that condition, except on an errand of
life and DEATH"
$50 great was his confidence that even
my brother hest.ated. He delayed the
execution some ten minutes, but no re-
prieve appeared. The executioner was
ordered to proceed. and Thos. Stree, a.
bandoned hope. He shook hands with
the other officials first and then held out
his hand 10 me.
"Doctor;" said he, 81 shake hands
with you now, because al! hope is over;
bat you are the cause of my standing
where | must soon fall"
"Iiow so, my dear sir," / asked
What under heaven have to say to
your coming back to Cheltenham--,o
your stealing the clothes!"
81 aid not steal the Clothes" reitera-
ted Street, and that will be known when
too late; but it is well for you that shall
be hung; it was game for your life or
mine, and you have won. | came back
to kill you!''
"To kill me!' exclaimed, my God,
sir! wha! reason have you TO wish to in.
jure me! never even saw you till you
were arrested for sheep stealing this time
twelve months"
"Precise!y!" said Street; "you remem.
Der, then, ,ha. pretended insanity as
bar to punishment. You were called to
give an opinion and visited me in nv
cell. You asked me questions, and
finally struck me with a cane on the
shoulder, and declared ,ha, | was no
more mad than YOU were Yourself. You
were right, | was not mad, but | never
Jorgaue that bloV! and, worse than the
blow. the laughing sneer which curled
your lip as you spoke! vowed re-
yenge, and the hope of i, became The OBJ.
ject of my life. conducted myself
well in the hulks, and at last took advan.
tage OF the opportunity of escape afford
ed by my jallors carelessness. | came
back to Chellenham to take your life
TO return the blow with inferest-to see
how your features looked when they
could neither smile nor sneer!''
"Really, sir, you possess a vivid re.
collection, answered. II rs impossible
that could have struck you, it is con-
trary to my rank, TO my experience, to
my breeding"
CONTRARY to whatever i, may be, you
did strike me--not hard; a mere touch,
in fact; but never forgave it; die with
one regret; it is that the blow must re.
main an unsettled account between US.
! was never struck before; | was never
criminal, till the starvation of my moth.
er led me to take the sheep; never stole
the clothes for which am about to die,
and IT were reprieved this moment,
you should repen, that blow with your
latest sigh"
"Well, sir" continued DR.. Homer,
after such declaration could not be ex-
pected to feel any violent rsgre, at the
execution of so determined an enemy.
| even explained to my brother. the sher.
I'll, that he incurred serious penalties by
any longer negleciing to fulfill the SEN
tence.
"Slreet was blindfolded, pinioned,
placed on the drop, and at signal from
the sheriff, (it was now thirteen minutes
after twelvc.) the bolt was Withdrawn
and Thomas Street dangled in the air.
"Just then cry was heard from the
far end of the market place. II was in.
disiin Ct at first bu. gradually gathered
clearness.
"A reprieve! a reprieve! reprieve!
shouted the populace. "Cut him down;
cut him down; why don't you cut him
down!'
"rhe sheriff was about to use his
knife on the rope.
my dear brother" l said, take care
what you do. This is common trick
on such occasions, and one which may
cause YOU the loss of your liberty if you
are duped by it. You cannot hang a
man twice, and if any OF Streets nc
completes, by this cry, induce you to
cut him down. he will escape for certain,
but the law condemns the sheriff to take