Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1871-05-26

ibis man of magical MUD sought to push
the impending horror from him by stale
devices, AID occupied himself by tie old
puzzle of arranging figures SO that added
ttey would make fifteen either way. He
llade several failures at this, bnt finally
succeeded with this example
{ :; !:
With these trifes the moments were
wasted. The clock in the paflor of Sheriff
Martin striking in the morning. the con
demned, who was at the moment waking
ucrVOusly up aud down the corridor.
which was used IS cell for HE benefit,
suddenly stopped ami listened intently.
Evidently he had not ben sble to cou |. t
tho strokes, for he turned TO his keepers
and asked tie hour Being told that it
was o'clock, he said, with moro Of true
feeling in his tone than had been before
noticed, "My time is getting short" aud
turned TO his dictionaries again, bat his
prfoccupation with them was more evi-
IDENTIFY q sham than before. At o'clock
N the morning he was removed from the
cell, where he had lived so many months,
to a room on the second floor, where he
would be out Of the way OF the last prepa
rations for the execution which would
soon commence. He easily OWNED the
change, but made no remark uI on it, and
stepped lightly aud firmly from the cor
ridor which be knew he would never enter
again except to pass through it on his way
to his doom; ard be seemed really inter
ested IL his new quarters. For time he
was alone with the two watchers, but even
in this privacy be kept up the CHASTITY
farce Of jOcosty, walking up and down the
loom, kicking out his feet, saying, not
once, but often, ''Look outfits horse
viii kick" Presently Patrolman Sears,
of the Binghamptoa police, entered the
room upon an GRAND. and Ruloff
approached him in the most friend
" manner, and after shaking hands
took the officers belt and club from
him. Brandishing the latter, he said with
d laugh, I've notion to whack you over
the head with it, but the laugh was one
Sears will remember, with pain, as it
seemed to him like the wall of hyena
baited to its death. After the officer went
out, this man of british callousness hap
pened to see a copy of the Book OF Mar
ty1s lying on the table, and picking it up
he turned over the leaves for few min
utes with some interest, but his conaum-
ing vanity cropped out again when he laid
down the book with the remark: 'You
see I'm not the first of the martyrs" At
ter his ascent to the rooms where the last
three hours Of bis life were spent, philclo-
gy, as a labor real or pretended, departed
sort to lexicons, and jotted down no more
OF those vsg aries with which he has sm4z
ed the ignorant and amused the learned
world. Whatever he might ba doing, it
WAS plain that every moment was now in
tense!y employed by u desperate struggle
to maintain that control of himself which
he had established. Orce his attendants
had seen his knees shake, and great drops
of the sweat of agony start out upon his
forehead, and he appeared himself to be
conscious of and frightened by these symp-
toms of coming collapse. But he was to
crowd these awful moments with exhibi
tions OF what is called, in the homely
energetic words of the people ne wronged,
lis 'cussednt s." He had eaten no break
fast, but had not declined large bowl of
coffee which was loft with him, and from
which he drank small quantity at short
Intervals, thus keeping up his physical
strength.
Sheriff Roots, of Tompkins, in whose
hands the prisoner has been N ore trac.able
than in those Of any one else. at about
10 o'clock entered his room, and, telling
him it was time to drcss himself to 60
out, rendered his a. sistance. Rulloff de
ciined it, saying that he could arrange it
himself, and proceeded 10 prepare his
toilet, with no more appearance of tremor
than he would have shown If he had bee n
preparing himself for q festival. First
taking off his garments, he put On the
new shirt which had been provided him,
and the new black pantaloons also a.
hand. Ii : arranged his necktie with more
care aud his hair with more ncatness than
his custom had been, and in q few mo
ments was ready, except as to his feet. A
new pair OF boots had been furnished him,
and they being tight, his first attempt to
pull them on was failure He then lay
down upon the bed and held his feet high
above his head. The wondering attend
ant asking what he was doing that for, he
answered that it was to let the swelling
out of his feet, and that he was often
compelled to do it.
The crowd having been arranged III the
yard by Chief Flynn, of the Binghampton
police, and all being in readiness at III
Sheriff Martin, with his assistants, enter
ed the room of Rulof and told him that
the time had come. The prisoner declared
that he was ready, and not only did moi
finch from the moose and strap, but in
clined his head for the one and arranged
his arms for the other. The moose beinc
placed closely about his neck, his arms
we're pinioned tightly DO his side, but the
lower arms being left free, he immediatel,
obeyed the dictates of habit by thrustina
his hands into his pantaloons pockets
Walking slightly bent forward in his natu
raj posture, he stood at the door of Iii
room. farming to those present he said
LET US shake hands here, for / shall d.
nothing of that kind down stairs" 81
went through the ceremony with all, ant
after 1t was over thrust his hands into hi
pockets again. Then turning TO Sheriff
Martin; You won't have any clergyme1
believing down there, will you, Sheriff :?
and Martin assuring him his wishes in thi
respect would be observed. he said in
perfectly natural voice, Lets CO." Walk
ing between two deputy sherifs. but on