The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1884-07-12

CONDEMNED to DEATH" Ever since
the Judge spoke the awful words in the
nush of the crowded courtroom they
have. been ringing in his ears. His
nerves had been strained to their ut
most tension when the words were
spoken, and they seem to have been
burned into his brain. When he closed
his eyes the sentence stood out red,
where all else was black. When he
| forgot himself for moment he come
back with a start to sense of bitter
recollection, as something seemed to
whisper in his ear: CONDEMNED to
death" At first the time of execution
appeared mercifully far off, but day
after day passed like the steady drop
ping of water, and each fair summer
morning that woke the world to the en-
joyment of life and beauty, merely for
him tiDged the stone walls with gray
and gave more fearful significance to
the words that haunted him-''Con-
demned to DEATH
He wakes in the middle of the silent
night and sits bolt upright with the
overwhelming pressure of some unde-
Unable fear upon him. He asks him
self: "What is it?'' "Where am .I?"
He must have had horrible dream.
He must wake himself He will laugh
at this when sleep has completely left
him. But as he arouses himself he sees
the terrible letters like phosphorescent
handwriting on the wall of his cell, and
he falls back aghast as if struck by an
| unseen hand. Whichever way he turns
the words Condemned to death" con-
front him. With groan he sinks on his
hard bed. The grim reality is more
fearful than the dreadful dream. He
tries to forget-to sleep, if possible.
The distant bells, which tell to others
the hour of the night, toll out to him:
CONDEMNED TO death, condemned to
death''
At last the very rythm of the words
in his ear brings on troubled slumber.
But what must be the dreams of a
wretch sent to sleep with such q hide
Gus lullaby? He dreams, perhaps, of
the man in the room of ever-closing
walls that at last crush him to death.
He sees himself in a narrow passage,
from which there is no escape. An iron
grating shoves him toward the other
end. As he nears it he sees in his path
way an open grave. He grasps the iron
frame work that is sending him re-
morselessly on. He puts forth his
strength, but it avails him nothing.
Tho next move will be the last. He
filings himself against the wall and
shrieks for help. The grave fades from
his sight and he finds himself grasping
the iron bars of his cell. He draws
a breath of intense relief, but the next
instant begins the dread refrain:
CONDEMNED to death"
He has his wild and fruitless dreams
of escape and then the madness of self
destruction makes him for the moment
insane. There are the hours of unutter-
able despair when he sits on his bed
with his head bowed and his fingers
tangled in his hair. He listens with a
dull, mechanical agony to the foot
steps of the death watch on the stone
floor outside, and they seem to slowly
creak the words: ITO death, to death,
to deathn'
AT times it is impossible for him to
believe that he, who is sound in health
and limbs, robust and full of vigor, with
not an ailment that he knows of, man
in the prime OF life, with energy,
strength, well-all that goes to make
life worth living-that he is Gagged here,
helpless like a rat in a trap, waiting
till at signal he will be quiyering,
inert mass. Then he faces his cell and
raves and curses all mankind. The
knowledge of the uselessness of this
forces itself upon him and he becomes
calm again. His thoughts turn to the
ore and only channel that can give re-
lief There is but one ray of light that
enters the cell of the condemned
Religion. He has doubtless given little
regard to it in former life, but now he
realizes that 1t alone can dull the
CHASTITY significance OF the dismal echo
in his ears, Condemned! condemned
to death. ''-Detr0U Free Press.