The weekly clarion., 1879-04-16

she said All the ATTENDANTS remonStra
ted with her One of the ministers re
marked, softly, Mrs Watson, this vii
never do"
Quick as fash she turned on him
replying; Il should not have expected
this from a minister When ! was mar
ried | promised TO cleave omy husband
for better or for worse | promised
this TO a minister, and | am going
TO keep my word as far as God will lei
me-"
Such was her determination that all
opposition instantly gave way. Precise
ly at II o'clock Sheriff Dallas led the
way TO the jail-vard, where the scatfold
had been erected. About one hundred
witnesses were there assembled Hold
| ing her husbands hand, the little wo-
man bravely ascended the scaffold amid
a stiffness that was absolutely painful
Two chairs were placed
OVER THE FATAL TRAP.
One was assigned to Watson, the other
to his wife. She tenderly took his hand
caressed it, and then fell sobbing on his
shoulder. Then Rev Mr. Wainscott be-
gan to read a carefully prepared prayer
from manuscript. Nodoubt the reverend
gentleman meant we'll, perhaps not dar-
ing To trust himself to make an i'm
promtu supplication under the circum-
stances; but in view of so much that
was terribly real and tragic this studied
effort appeared in the highest degree
malapropos. Closing the prayer, he
said: Brother Watson, be calm and
trust in God"
Meanwhile the culprit sat in his chair
as unmoved as the sphinx A heart
broken wife was sobbing on his bosom;
prayers were ascending, asking mercy
for his soul strong men sobbed like
children, but the man about to meet the
terrible doom of strangulation. alone
seemed an uninterested specutator of the
absorbing scenes of which he was the
central figure. For fully five minutes
he sat there without the least percepti-
bic twitch Of a muscle. There was no
bravado in his composure; i9was rather
the calmness of resignation.
Then the Sheriff said "Stand up,
Walter Watson"
His wife rose with him. She threw
herself on his breast, and said
pCOA-blT@, hAL1IIh,
kissed him passionateIy on the lips.
turned her white face, full of bitterness
and reproach, on the multitude, stepped
back and fell into the arms of good
Christian ladies, who stood near to re-
ceive her, and was led away The ordeal
was terrible one for the doomed man.
For an instant his face relaxed as his
wife pronounced the last goodbye. A
tremor passed over his frame, but in
another moment he was himself again,
and stood as unmoved as block of
stone, while the Sheriff read the death
warrant. Following this, Rev. Mr..
Wainscott remarked: walter, have
done the best | could for you. Nav the
Lord have mercy on your soul Fare
we'll" The Sheriff and his deputies then
approached with long strip of cloth.
His hands and feet were firmly tied, the
fatal moose was passed over his head,
adjusted to his neck, and then a white
cap drawn over his face Now, for the
first time since ascending the scaffold,
his lips became unsealed. A fervent
prayer Is IL cred underneath the cap.
"God have mercy on my soul. Jesus
save me- God help my poor wife"
The minister steps up, places his hand
on his shoulder, and says: "Walter,
this is your last moment" The next
instant there is a thud, and the murder
er of Ezra Compton hangs at the end of
rope, with a broken neck There
were but few twitchings of the body.
In thirteen minutes the doctors pro-
nounced him dead. No parade was
made of the corpse. 1t was placed in
neat coffin and carried into the hall of
the Sheriff's residence. There, with
only the Sheriff, his family and the
Times reporter present,
THE WIDOW
was asked to view it. She had been
weeping bitterly. Now she suddenly
dried her eyes, approached the coffin
with firm step, looked longingly at
the face, appearing very natural in death,
kissed the lips, eyes and brow, arranged
the hair and necktie with a tender hand,
and then said, very quietly: "Now,
please close the coffin and let none see
my Walter again"
Her request was complied with. She
turned away with look of unutterable
woe, and said, in a voice full of strange
meaning: 81 can cry no more. | have
no more tears. Good have mercy on
me and my little baby"