Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1883-09-23
The Contributions From Our Most
Reliable Citizens Limited to
Column of Solid Minion.
Personal Experiences Boiled Down
to the Last Point Of InteIlipi-
biIity to Meet the Limit.
VeraciOus Variations that the Pub.
lie Would Not Willingly Let Die
for the Sake of Five Cents.

week TO the cold facts reporter OF the SUS-
DAY REGISTER, that sheriffs are averse to
hanging criminals. This is q mistake. No
first class sheriff feels that his official life
has been success until he has hung some
body. As a lawyer recognizes that he has.
not discharged his-Ehole duty to his, pro-
sfessiof until he has written law bookf
a doctor admits his shortcomings until he
publishes q paper in the medical reports;
as a minister looks on life as a bowling
waste until he ge's to preach bsccalau-
reate sermon, andas an editor mourns un-
I'll he sees his issue quoted in the Adyer-
tisers Guide away above his vile cotempor-
aries, so the truly good sheriff never looks
upon his career as creditaole, or points
with pride TO his record until he has
DisIocated the Spinal Vertebr9
OF at least one of his fellow citizens. This
is the reason why am so humble and i'm.
portending. And yet, | once came within
a trite OF attaining this crowning triumph
OF official existence. Let me illustrate TO
you how ones cup OF happiness may be
dashed from his lips at the very moment,
perhaps, that il is brimming over with the
roth Of felicity.
When first came into office there was a
man in Jail by the name OF Fluharty. He
had been convicted OF arson in the burning
Of an inhabited dwelling in the night time,
and the jury under the statute gave him
his choice Of hanging or imprisonment for
life. Fluharty had strong notion to &C.
cept the latter alternative, and | had TO
talk TO him like Dutch uncle to get the
dta of further living out Of his head. |
pointed out TO him all the evils OF exist
erce told him that
Life IL n Fleeing Circus
for mans illusion given, and that he could
be much more comfortable under the dai
sizes than he would be struggling round IN
this vain aud transitory world. Finally,
after an awful lot Of work, got him TO
say he would rather be hung, and Judge
Melvin, who was a particular friend OF
mine, TO accommodate me, sentenced him
TO be executed on Friday OF the next week.
So far, so good. Everything looked ia.
vorable and thought had sure thing OF
it. But Fluhsrty had no sand. He heard
the carpenters hammering on the frame IN
the back yard of the Jail. and he began TO
weaken. told him it was new barn ]
was having built, but he said was liar,
and a night or two afterward, when he
caught me measuring him with tape line
while he was asleep, he went all to pieces
and said he was going TO apply for par,
don. i told him il was too late, and trI ed
to reason the case with him, but he was
As Obstinate as hnie.
couldn't do a thing with him. Talk
had no effect on him, and when | went to
serenade him and sang the Sweet Bye add
Bye" and 81 would not Live Always, and
other songs calculated 10 put him IN
tore his head and swOre he would have
me impeached, Finally, only four days
before the appointed time, he hired COun.
seller Jim Rodgers TO 90 to Charleston and
ask for pardon or Teprleye. and then /
was ina fix. Fluharty knew had no busl-
ness TO hang him until twelve o'clock Fri
day, and he expected Rodgers would BE-
back at twenty minutes after eleven on
that day. However, | had the clock put
forward half hour, and thought hv hav.
ing everything ready | could work Fla OIL
while jim was stopping to lake drink on
his way up from the depot.
Friday morning the trigger on the scat
fold was working beautifully, and at twelve
by the clock | went up and told Fla We
were waiting on him. He asked me II my
watch was not fast and wanted to get into
a long argument with me about irish and
American time, but | saw what he was
after, and
PuIIed Him Ont by the Leg,
Then when he got on the trap he said he
had a right 10 make a speech, and had TO
let him commence, but | told him 10 cut it
short and not to have any repetitions in il.
Well, sir, you can hardly appreciate the
low, scheming disposition OF that man Flu
harty. He commenced away back Ia the
dark sges, when the Fluhartys, as he said,
were the Kings OF Ireland, and OF all the
;r-n'cvant trash that ever l heard man
80 80 worst told him about a
..E.ts his remarks had nothing TO do
re matter in hasd, but he paid no
. attention 10 me than though | had
been a wooden man. heard the train
coming and the clock strike twelve, and al
though hate to interrupt a man whiIe he
is making public address, the situation
got so desperate that
HIT the Trigger Kick
and poor old Fluharty, in the middle Of
his family genealogy, weHt sliding through
the middle of the hole in the floor, and
be never brought up until he took out
over seven feet OF slack in a first class
halter"
"Did it kill him."
Not much. The miserable knot slipped
round under his ear and he swung as com
Portable as a side Of bscOn hanging on q
string | was just getting ready 10 climb
down the rope and see il | could not choke
him by standing on his shoulders, when
Rodgers came galloping up with the
pardon"
"And Flubart got clear off,
Yes, clear off. He is working out on
the Elm Grove Road now, and | never see
him that don't think of those expressive
lines OF Whittier's, OF all sad words OF
tongue or pen, the ssIdest are these: 1t
ru;gI' hare JgC1 ~