The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1879-04-24
Faithful Unto Death.

A touching story is narrated in con-
nection with the execution of Walter
Watson at Highland, Ind, for the mur-
der of Ezra Compton. The parties had
quarreled about the charge of twenty
live cents for some soap made by Comp
ton, who was storekeeper. The wife
of Watson, to whom he had been but a
year married. endeavored to restrain
him from the quarrel, but her entreaties
failed. A week before the execution
Mrs. Watson visited the governor with
her babe in her arms, and made strong
personal appeal for mercy, but that Off
cial declined to interfere because the
sentence had been confirmed by the Su-
preme Court. The faithful wife was
daily visitor to her husbands cell, and
joined him in fervent prayers for for
giveness, During the last night most of
the time she sat on his knee, breathing
words of love and encouragement, or at
his feet, caressing his hands. He was
truly penitent and expressed himself as
having made peace with God. As the
time approached for the execution she
was for moment overcome and fell on
her husbands neck in uncomfortable
| anguish, but suddenly she raised her
flaxen head and assisted in arraying him
for his doom. She had contributed
necktie and pair of slippers and put
them on him with fierce determination
that overmastered her agony. She
combed his hair, and seeing all was
ready, said she would go with him. All
present demonstrated with her, in which
the minister joined. Her reply was
rebuke that few women would have ven
tured. 81 should not have expected
this from minister. When was mar
ried promised to cleave to my husband
for better or for worse. promised this
to minister, and | am going to keep my
word rs far as God will let me-" On
reaching the gallows the pair soonto be
sundered mounted the steps hand in
hand. They were seated side by side
over the fatal trap. She again took his
hand and sobbed with her little head
resting upon his shoulder, while the
minister made the closing prayers.
Meanwhile the culprit sat in his chair,
unmoved. A heart-broken wife was Sob
bing on his bosom, strong men sobbed,
but the man about to be hanged seemed
an ,uninterested spectator of the alb
sorbing scene of which he was the cen
tral figure For fully five minutes he
sat there without the least perceptible
twitch of a muscle. There was no bra
vado in this composure; it was rather
the calmness of resignation. At the
close of the religious exercises the two
stood up, and for the last time she en-
braced her husband, kissed him passion
ately, and with Goodbye, Walter" ."
stepped back and fell into the arms of
the good Christian ladies who were there
to receive her. The last words of the
unhappy man were fervent prayer for
mercy and for heavenly aid to his poor
wife. AT the sheriff's house she saw the
remains of her husband in his coffin, and,
kissing his lips and arranging the hair,
turned away with look of woe and
said: can cry no more; | have no
more tears. God have mercy on me and
my little babyr'
An hour later the coffin was in an
East-bound train, accompanied by the
wife. At Richlnd, bleak station seven
miles from this point, it was deposited
on the barren ground, and as the train
moved on only one other person besides
the widow was in charge. The face that
broken-hearted woman turned up to the
occupants of the passing train, most of
whom had seen the hanging, will haunt
many in their dreams. s.-Baltimore Ameri-
can.