The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1880-04-03

> ness, but in eXtenuation of the hor-
$ rible crime, that he did it to protect
= Mrs. Williams from the assaults of her
husband; that she was innocent OF
any crime except to assist him in
secreting the body. He appealed to
the people in terms the most vehement
and piteous, and requested them to
show him that pity which he thought
ought to be extended to him, and re-
lease him from such a horrible and dis
graceful death.
AT the close of his appeal a scene
occurred that never occurred before,
and presume will never occur again
a scene not put down on the bill. The
Sheriff stepped forward and announc-
ed that at the request of the prisoner
he would give him one more chance,
and had concluded to put it to a vote
of the people assembled whether he
should hang Robinson or not, and put
the question thus:
I'LL " IlO lIG III law VI Vi hanging
Robinson will step over to the right
side; those who are opposed to hang
ing Robinson, will stay on the left
side"
Such a cOmmotion has not been seen
"since the woods were burned Some,
and indeed majority, had come to
see hanging, and their curiosity
must be satisfied. Parties immedi-
ately sprang up, and such marshal
ing Of the sovereigns no special cleo
ton had ever seen. A small squad of
of spectators a short way of, sitting
on the courthouse steps, seemed to be
immensely amused at so singular a
scene, and cried out aloud for tellers to
count the vote. But soon a severe
stiffness pervaded the crowd, when the
Sheriff, who seemed at last to have
come to his senses "and took in the
having been relieved from
the miraculous magnetic influence
under which he had been laboring,
(and which is here alluded to, to prove
the theory advanced in the introduce
ton of this sketch) kindly and SYM
(for the Sheriff had a
great deal of the milk of human
kindness i'll his bosom, informed the
prisoner that his days on earth We're
that the last grain of sand
was about to run through the hour
glass that in few more moments he
would be a deniZen of another world.
Then, and not till then did Robinson
'ea ize that his doom was fixed The
minister at his side was requested to
pray for the unfortunate man Rev.
J. H. Laney, With the condemned,
lnelt upon the srattold, and as the
good mans prayers were uttered, it
eemed that a special gift Of Prov
dence was poured upon his head, his
leart and tongue; it has never been
he privilege, in the long experience
f your writer, to have heard such
arvid and powerful prayer uttered.
'hc surroundings, hecondemned man
bout to enter and try the realities of
II unknown world without repent
nee and the burthen of a great crime
pom him, seeking pardon from Him
'ho had said to the thief on the cross.
This day shalt thou be with me in
aradise." The scene, 50 solemn, it
all, and during the invoca-
on to the Most High by the minis.
II, there pervaded a painful silence
The prayer closed, the cap drawn
yer his face, the trap fell, but one
Iiver, and he "a
Thing
or which the raven ,hould'hap his funeral wing"
The remains were placed in the
fin, no friends or relatives to claim
lem, without history, without
Dme, he lies buried on the banks of
e Bogue Chitto, where the murmur-
g wavelets as they flow over its
'bb}y bed, mourn a requiem over the
t. of the murderer. FELIN.