Semi-weekly interior journal. [volume] (Stanford, Ky.) 1881-1905, 1883-07-24
A sfmlRshBLE EXECUTION.

window OF the courthouse, says the
New York Star, and swept in sheets
across the jail-yard. Court was adj.
journed for the day, the clerks had
gone home, and band Of officials
gathered in the grand jury.room for q
half hour Of chat. But the flow Of
conversation was less free and jovial
than common. Apparently the de-
pressing aspect Of things without had
affected the spirits Of the county mag
mates. The usually smiling face Of the
sheriff wore sad expression, and the
jolly Surrogate gazed mournfully out
upon the cherries, muddy street. Up
on the benign visage Of the County
Judge was a melancholy look, as if in
his official capacity he had sentenced
himself as a private individual 10 suf
fer the extreme penalty Of the law.
Tilted back in big arm chair, the
foreman OF the grand jury thought
fully cleaned his finger nails. A long
silence was broken by the sheriff, who
observed. as a sudden gust Of wind
dashed the rain noisily against the
glass:
"What a day for hanging
"Wretched T. replied the Surrogate,
carefully turning the leaves Of the Pc.
nal Code. al wouldn't be hanged
on day like this for any considera
ton"
IA fellow would catch his death OF
cold" put in the foreman of the grand
jury. "What put the subject Of hang.
ing in your head. sheriff ?"
ooh. was just thinking Of poor
fellow who expiated murder in Iowa
ten years ago on just such day rs
this"
Another Of your Western yarns,
eb. sheriff. said the Surrogate, with
a yawn. "why will man always
draw a long bow when he tells what
happened to him out Westl"
"This is gospel truth" retorted the
sheriff, quickly, "and its nothing that
happened TO me, or should not be
here to tell it, Moreover, Mr.. Sur,
rogate, never exaggerate."
"Oh, no." was the sarcastic re-
joinder.
"Never mind him, said the fore.
man Of the grand jury, "go on with
your story"
The sheriff seated himself on q
green covered table and began
swell, as said, this happened ten
years ago, way out in Iowa. A fel.
low killed his brother law aud was
sentenced to death. The hanging was
public, the gallows being erected on
the open prairie little distance be.
hind the Jail. was sworn in as spe
cial deputy. Holy Moses, how it did
rain on that day. The water came
down in chunks with sufficient force
10 tear an umbrella TO tatters in If.
teen minutes"
"Sherif, sheriff, murmured the
County Judge in tone of gentle re-
proach.
"Oh, it's fact. The condemned
man was carried TO the place of exc
cution in an open cart. Another
deputy and | rode with him. A
hanging was too rare treat TO be
missed by people out there, no matter
what the weather was. Shivering
and wet, large crowd stood in the
coarse, saturated grass about the scat
fold. We placed our man under the
cross piece and fastened the rope about
his neck. Everything was ready ex-
cept the last prayer and letting the
trap fall. The sheriff asked the pris.
oner Il he had anything to say. ayes
said the man. He made long speech,
declaring his innocence, abusing the
Judge. and that kind Of thing. Sud
denly he stopped in the middle of
sentence. All this time, you must
remember, the rain was falling in cat
aracts. Seeing the doomed man ST.
lent, the sheriff tipped wink to the
clergyman, who, being Baptist, did
not mind the rain. The Reverend
gentleman began to pray. We all
bent our heads, although no one was
pious enough to take his hat of. just
as Brother Hardshell was winding up
his petition, We heard cry Of aston
ishmcnt from the crowd. / looked
up, and what do you think SAW"
The prisoner escapingS" asked the
Surrogate.
"No. sir, he was hanging two feet
from the platform"
"WhatG" cried the sheriff 3 audi.
tors, together.