New-York tribune., 1871-03-27


has done its work in all that while on us-his
descendants There ia, il IA true, certain
snbIimity in the story OF mistaken Iic, anu
the despair and courage with which he looked
back into it and forward into the horrors Oh
death; but the whole tragedy fades IKE
fable back into the obscurity OF past ages
Now-o-days, when practical, healthful common
sense and Christs love, through HIS people
b,ro taken the world in charge, there Is ho
-,o,, u,ir1 amonq us "a tortured prisoners or
.,od deadly serpcnts to coil around ncip-
less men ana rn '"" po''o" VIM
society looks smiling on.
One of our exchanges brings to ua story
this morning so common and hackheyeu tna'
,vo have TO push ourselves away from 1t, as II
were 10 catch It's real meaning. A Washing
tom rcDortrr eors to see Grady, the muideitr
of Mrs.. Faulkner, day or two before MS
execution. He finds ga young man, Slehder iI'
"Grame; good looking, in fact handSome' VII"
"larQe black eyes, lu.trous and searching
"piteously appealing, as though every nc"
" face were 10 lie searched for some chance OF
"escape. The only aperture to MS cen "hlch
"admits the light of day is faced by the scar
"fold. For days he has not been able to look
" ont or draw breath Of fresh air without
"sccinc the engine Of his destruction. ibis
"morping the rope was tested by dihef-
cent weights in bis presence ana u'a'
"of two other men. on trial for Their
elves, and when The trap fell with the
"usnal dull thud, an audible Gr0an WAS
"hcard from the windows" The reporter as
doubtless a dozen others Of his kind had done
before, puts a few friendly pleasant questions
"Yon see that scaliolJ out there9 You know
"it was built for your The prisoner mods.
81 saw it built; | am going out to 1t, TOO.
"Nor without fear and tremblngT demands
thc rcnorter. notebook III hand. Grady MADE
q vain attempt to thrust bis manaclcd hands
through the grating. "No; I'll go ont there
"just as well to-day as tomorrow" The re-
porter applied his probe little deeper
Nothing, he knows, is so rclished by his read
ors as the details OF q prisoners death agony
fle cIammy sweat on his brow, his cries for
mercy. He inquiries "if Grady sees that
"woman yonder7 how can he bear TO look at
"a woman does MT he know that all women
care his enemies how will he face his We
finn in the other world y At this, the man
turns on him desperately "LOok here" he
SAYS. 81 want to get out on That scailold be-
" fore Friday. | told my father and sister so
"to-day. Every time | see them l feel that
want to de" "Nobody to blame but your
4" self, eh?o sums up the reporter Yes, ono
4" other says the man, deliberately. some
times it was n friend and again an enemy
" It's name is whisky. | can meet Mrs. fa''lk-
" ner without cOmpunctiOn. / can't say did
" the deed, nor will deny it. | did not know
What | did. | was under the influence Oh
"Iiouor." $50 you want to die 2" inquiries the
representative of the Christian press, which
has the education of Christian people in
charge, conscientiously wishing that they
should be fully informed of the temper oil
their victim. "The sooner the better; am
" tired OF this,' the young man replied.
The reporter left him, staring with his large
black eyes at the gaows; thinking perhaps
| that little while ago lie was boy, with all
chances before him; looking back into life
defeated by a means which Christian people
license and forward into the death which
| Christian people have awarded him. The
heather LodbrOg trustee. IL q vengeance here
after. What wonder that the wretch Grady
and his kind, if they have any blurred concep-
ton of Christ's infinite love, should hope for
instice in some world where that lovo has
other interpreters than heref