Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1873-04-24
A Lesson from the GalloWs.
BY DIR. s. IRENEUs PRIME.

| death on the gallOWS IN thls city. His
story is sad one, full Of interest and warn
ing to parents and children. He was a
child Of Christian parents, Sunday school
boy, and his education at boarding school
in the country was enough TO qualify him
for success and usefulness.
He is spoken of by those who knew him
well as a boy of good disposition, uncom-
monty mild and amiable Fond of the
society of young fellows, and of gay and
| fr0licksome turn, he was easily led into bad
| company He was put into business, but
! he would not stick to it, being led away
| by his associates who were idle and profit
| gate He became wild, reckless and law
| less He refused to submit to parental
| authority, and found congenial companion
| ship in a lower grade of people than he
| had been accustomed to meet in his faith
er's house
| 1t is not proper to invade the sacred pre-
cincts Of the domestic circle, and inquire
| into the circumstances that led to a fatal
mistake in parental treatment of way
ward son. | will allude to nothing which
has not been publicly stated in the news
| papers, and never denied.
His wild and eXtrayagant habits led to
his being cast off by his father, who,
when ne could no longer restrain him
| from his evil courses, refused him the pro-
lection of his home, and left him to the
chances of life, in the dangerous vortex of
this great city. His downward course was
more rapid for it is with men as with
things, that falling bodies sink with uni
tormly accelerated velocity When this
| boy began to drink intoxicating LIQUORS
with his companions is not known. But
when he became so reduced in his circum
| a = n a Epa ina a
on street car, he had formed such bad
habits that he did not hold it long. He
was out of business, even as a car conduc-
| tor, when riding in one of the cars, and in
| tanned with rum, he insulted women and
| murdered their innocent protector [ need
| not reclte the facts so often repeated: how
| he was rcbukcd for his insult: how he
| brOOded over the rebuke muttcrcd ven
| geance, selected fitting weapon, with the
use OF which he was familiar and smOte
his unsuspecting victim in the dark,
on the head, and slew him. For
this murder he was tried and con
victed. The case was carried up
| through all the courts, and the lust sen
tcncc maintained by the wiSest and best
! judicial minds. The Governor of the
| State, in whom resides the power to par
| don or To commute the sentence of death
TO that Of imprisonment, WAS then appeal
| ed to, and a pressure was brought to bear
upon him such as no Governor ever before
experienced. Friends who had forsaken
the young man when he might have been,
| perhaps, restrained and saved, now strove
to deliver themselves from the disgrace of
his shameful death, and all that cloquencc,
ingenuity, and money could do, was done
| to rescue him. Intense sympathy was eX-
| 81 \ No ,ft, "a.
| for the young man and his afflicted friends.
His wife true to him, who had been so
false to her and their children, was amutc
appeal 10 the heart Of the whole commit
nifty. But the majesty Of justice was
greater than all. There was no possible
| ground on which to base a successful plea
for the poor wretched youth, condemned
to die. OF the scenes that followed when
| the last hope was quenched | will not
write. 1t was cruel to dcludc him with
the vain expectation that he might be
| saved through the mercy of the Governor,
for it made the anguish of the last week
| of his life only the more bitter when dcs-
| pair followed the blight of that hope.
/ But there are lessons for parents and
children in this terrible tragedy. The ruin
OF this young man was due to the intiu-
ence of bad company. Intoxicating drink
and parental untaithtulncsS. Young pcO-
| pie are greatly exposed in city and country
to the corrupting influences of evil associ-
atcs, and they are TO be guarded from the
| danger by judiciOus counsel, by decided
authority, and by making home attractive.
1t is not every parent who has wisdom and
tact to guide well household. But when
children show a tendency to seek associa-
tions among the wild and dissolutc, par
| ents ought to rouse themselves to make
some compensation for what they have
already lost, by failing to entertain and
instruct their'children at home The faith
er tired with business, comes home to
rest and thinks it enough that he has
worked all day for his family. But young
people will be amused. They will meet In
every city and village there are ways and
means of furnishing rational and delightful
amusements to young people, which they
relish none the less for being taught the
| laws Of God at the tircside To minglc
| wisely and well the sobriety and power of
religious culture, with the fun and frolic
Of cheerful family and social life, may not
| be an easy art, but the failure to do it has
sent many and many a boy to the bad.
| There is nothing in the Bible, the Greed,
or the CatechiSm to discourage amuSc-
ment in its season, and if young people
cannot have it with the company or con
sent Of their parents, they will have it on
the sly, and to do anything on the sly, is
to be in league with the devil.
Just as I was emerging from my teens
was invited to join party Of young PEG
pie for an evening sleigh Not being
in perfect health, feared my father would
object and concealed my intention; and
when the evening came, left the house
quietly to join the party. | had gone but
a few steps before his trumpet voice called
to me rs | was Fastening down the street
and | returned with fear that my evening
pleasure was over.
"Where are you going?" he asked me.
Mindful of the Ratchet and cherry tree
said, ITO meet number of the young folks
and 90 on a sleigh-ride'
Have You money enough to pay your
share of the eXpenses?'
Il have some, but perhaps | had better
| have little more to make a sure thing OF
it, And he handed me the money, which
| thanked him for, and hurried away
again, thousand times more thankful tOl
such father than for the money or the
sleigh-rde. told the story to the com
pany at supper, and they voted him ;
model parent.
In the case of this young man who dice
for murder last Friday, the fatal mistake
of the father was casting off the son leav
ing him to himself; giving him up retus
l, Il IL, Ill