Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1880-03-10
How the Immortal IN. j. Re
fused to Martyr

Gov. Tom. Young tells good story
of how j. NJ the long-haired nomad
of theoriziug propensltles recently
assumed the pressure and then crawl
ed out from under 1t.
The day before the hanging OF Der
gin. the Governor was sitting in his
office, busy with some papers pertain
ing to the case, when a loud, vigorous
knock shook the door, and before an
invitation to enter could be given, IN
came the philosopher, and, marching
boldly up to the Executive, whom he
addressed by bis christian name in a
familiar manner, be threw himself into
a chair, and said:
Tom, I've come here 10 martyr
How SOP queried the Governor.
i assume the entire pressure, re-
sumed j. NJ Throw 1t all on me.
Let Bergin 90, and have me shut up
in his place. That'll fetch them-they
can't hold out-must come right square
down and accept the truth. Ipt just
the opportunity I've been searching for
all these years, aud L can't let her slip.
Bergin's a common man. I ain't-let
him 90, and take my blood for atone>
ment. l want 10 martyr-you catch
the idea-that's enough. Here am.
Nothing would give me more pleas"
ure,' said the Governor, but are you in
earnest? Do you really meanit?'
DO l mean it You know me well
enough, Tom Young, to know that I'm
always in earnest. Call i'll your
menlals and have me bound at once
Bring on your chains, and send word to
the reporters. Pile the pressure all on
me every bit of i'll assume it ALL
All right said the Governor, with
an impressive voice /; you shall be ac-
commodated. Get ready to die to-
morrow II o'clock
"A messenger was sent out to bring
in the Judge to prepare the necessary
papers for making the desired change
in the proceedings. In few minutes
a justice of the peace, who had been
posted, was brought and introduced 10
j. NJ and endeavored with we'll
simulated emotion to dissuade him from
his rash act, but the Immortal
wouldn't bulge a peg from his firm re-
solve. He had come to martyr, and
he'd do it, if 1t killed him-that's the
kind Of philosopher he was.
So with groans and sighs aud wa
tery eyes the Judge went on and filled
out the document. Everything was
now ready and the tormalities all COM
pleted except the signature Of j. NJ to
the paper. BY this time the old fellow
was pretty well convinced that the pro-
ceeding meant business IN earnest. and
he became yisibly nervous and i'll at
ease.
Sign your name said the officer
sternly,j 'and then you can go at once
to your quarters in the dungeon, and a
clergyman sent to you.'
i want it distinctly UNDERSTOOD re-
marked the martyr, rising, 1 do not
want to be hung-I want to be shot.
You shall be, remarked the Cover
nor, tomorrow
Hold On now, Governor. said the
now thoroughly frightened philosopher,
with blanched check; that is hurrylng
the cattle little too much-I didn't
think you'd be so brash. Before l sign
that paper want a respite for thirty
days, to washup and get ready
You can't have it. The time set for
the obsequies cannot be postponed,
sad the Governor.
Then Iii be darned ifI martyr at
all. and Bcrgin can Gil his own ap-
pontment. I won't be snapped off
this way without time to get my last
words ready, and write out a few in
terylews for the press. That would
not do the cause a particle OF good, and
I'm working for the cause. [ dld't ex+
pect to make cent out OF this thing
myself, and so throw up and back
down. You can tear them papers up
| want sign them at ALL
And the philosopher bolted from the
room, and left the city with more pre-
cipitaion than he had eyer done before