Delaware gazette and state journal., 1884-01-31
A REPORTER In THE JAIL
TANKS WITH CuSrICIS BEHIND
THE BARS.
PifIabie Condition ofthe Condemned
Men- Ehc Elder List Brooding over
His surroundings and BemoantDg
His sons Doom.

his sons Doom.
Prison iif~ and fare, coupled with tleir
ptisble grief are telling severely upon
til two Lists, now confined In the New
Castle all under sentence for the killing
vi George B. Taylor. The prisoners
home is on the upper corridor in cell
about midway in the long tier. 1t SUR
nished with two straw beds, which lie on
the floor, small table, Oh hairs and a,few
small articles Of furniture. The. baroness
of the walls is relieved by few prints
cut from illustrated papers, and row of
hooks upon which some clothing OF the
prisoners hang. The narrow apartment
is kept neat and clean and few extra
comforts have been added to it by friends
Of its occupants. Just outside the wicker
door is green chair upon which the con-
demned mems wives sit, when. they pay a
visit to the prisoners.
bright, blue eyed son of the younger
List of summers shares the few comforts
of the room with his father and grand
father and refuses to leave them. His
blanched pallid face shows that prison
life ill. agrees with him and his tear
stained cheeks indicate that he joins
his father and grandfather III their hope
less grief. He realizes the terrible fate
which awaits his parent and consoles him
as best he can with his childish talk and
devotion. The little fellow was given
permission to spend Christmas Day with
his parents and has ever since protested
against going home, without his father.
He declares that since his father has left
them it does not seem like home in Will
miDgton, and he feels sure that after
time they will let 'father come home"
to his mother and brothers and sisters,
The boy seems not to miss his youthful
playmates or their games and will prob
ably stay with his father until the near
approach Of the fulfliment of tie courts
sentence.
Lewis List the elder is haggard and
deathly pale. He bfoods over his terrible
surroundings, and weeps piteously and
almost constantly. His health, he states,
ia bad, and continues to grow worse. The
atmosphere of the jail stiles him, and his
slee p is ftful, and does not give him
rest. Speaking of his condition to an
GAZETTE AND JOURNAL representative, he
stated, Friday, that he gradually felt his
mind Weakening, and thought the grief
and anguish would soon drive him mad.
He does not bemoan his own lot SO much
as his sons fate, and has made
up his mind that there is no
escape from the courts sentence Of
ending his days in the Jail.
With this end in view he has determined
to reconcile himself as best he can and to
pray that his sons life may be spared.
His feeble wife visits him every week and
her calls are the only comforts he enjoys.
She sits at the wicker door and with her
husband and son cenverses sadly and
shares their grief, Her age and lack of
fuuds, however, her husband tears, will
cause her visits to be less frequent, but
that she may go to him she will sell her
household fixtures piece by piece in order
TO obtain money to pay her car fare.
Lewis F. List, the son, complains that
his heart affection and the warm jail
almost stide him, and at times he is
severely ill. Since the sentence OF the
court was passed upon him he has never
been out OF his cell. For Is minutes in
the fresh air he states he would give
everything he has. For exercise he PAGES the
small cell, walking for hours at tins.
He is at work making little articles for
his wife and children which he wishes to
leave them when he is gone. A pretty
marble cross and several objects in wood
have already been completed,
He speaks uuressrvedly OF the killing,
at times breaking down with grief.
Referring to the shooting, he maintains
that it was done in self-defense. He
contends that after the fight in the
street, when Taylor got up off him and
ran, he drew his pistol and fired pur-
posely wide of the fleeing man. II he
had wished too he could have killed
Taylor the first shot or again when he
ran around the corner. The prisoner
then states that he ran back
10 Ford's house thinking it
was his own, aud not until
he had reached the dining room did he
discOver the mistake. Then seeing his
error he ran to the front door where he
stood afraid to 60 out lest Taylor would
attack him. The latter came up the
street, discovered his hiding and was in
the act of throwing oobble stone at him,
when the fatal shot was fired. The grief
OF the prisoner during the recital of the
killing WAS most intense. Since their
imprisonment the condemned men have
been visited by two members OF Friends
Meeting, with whom they have held
some conversation of spiritual nature.
This wife of the young man comes to
the all TO see her husband when she ia
able ard has an opportunity. She has
six chiidrsp, the youngest of which was
born OF New Years night. Che ia PEN
nilvss aud dependent upon the charity Of
her Deishb0rs and others who have con-
tr'buted to her and the little ones
support.