The Warner weekly sun. (Warner, Brown Co., Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1885, 1884-04-04
SAVED ON THE GALLOWS.
a Good Minister Prayin Against Time
The Days When Theft Was a Capital
Crime In Canada.

a Good Minister Prayin Against Time
The Days When Theft Was a Capital
Crime In Canada.
Erie, Pa Letter to Philadelphia Times.
The following brief news item APP
peared in o local paper on Thursday:
Richard Carr, an old Canadian octogenarian,
who had lived on this side of the lake for many
years, died on Monday last and was taken To-
Ontario for interment He was once sentenced
to be hanged
1t was seen by DR.. M ]. Clark, of
this city, and the doctor furnished the
following account of Cars escape from
the g. lows:
81 had no idea that Carr was living
on this side of the lake, or that he was
living at all. Not having heard any
thing of him for thirty years / supposed
him long since dead. His arrest, con
v~iction, sentence and escape are events
closely connected with my family and
my childhood, my uncle, Rev. John
Ryerson, being the clergyman who at
tended Carr to the scaffold and who
prayed against time for the purpose of
cheating the hangman. He succeeded,
and this is how it all happened: / was
a child at the time, and it happened at
Vittoria, a Canadian village just across
the lake, about fifty-fve years ago.
Who did Carr kill? No one. He was q
quiet and inoffensiye young man, and
so was Smith, condemned TO die with
him. The affair formed the theme for
many atrocious ballads by ~villainous
village poets, just as the execution OF
the three Thayers In Buffalo did. / see
by the papers that nowadays a cold
blooded murderer frequently escapes
the attention of her most excellent
Majesty's hangman through some fine
point of law; but in the good old days
no poor wretch, whose suffering family
prompted him to steal sheep or oxen,
escaped. They we're swung off prompt
ly if not artistically.
Zone day, / remember well, the vii
Iage was thrown into great excitement
by the discovery of q crime for which
the penalty was death. The whole vii
lage Of Vittoria was in IN uproar. Some
one had stolen an OK. A dilligent
search resulted in the discovery of the
hide, and suspicion fell upon Carr, who
was known to be poor, and in whose
house the odor of cooked meat still hung.
The village Dogberry and shallow Dig
nitaries, that were next to deities in my
eyes then, succeeded in extorting a con-
fessiion of guilt from Carr and another
poor fellow named Smith. The culprits
were brought to trial, and a jury OF
twelve fellow-men found no difficulty
in consigning both to the scaffold, after
the learned judge had expatiated for
hours upon the ennrmity OF the crime
against God and man.
Sentence of death was passed upon
Carr and Smith and they would proba-
bly, have been executed the next day,
but I suppose the Sheriff thought it
would be regarded as ungentlemanly
md unfriendly if he did not arrange the
time SO that his distant constituency
could get in to witness the sight. Trav-
81 was slow in those days ofno railroads.
Among those who were Mortified and
shocked at the approaching execution
we're my uncle, the spiritual adviser OF
the poor fellows, and DIR. John Roll,
whose memory still clings to she village.
The Rev. John Ryerson was brother to
DR.. Egerton Ryerson, ID. d., Superin-
tendent of Education in the Province of
Ontario, who died two years ago, the
Houses Of Pertinent ~adjourning to at
tend the funeral. DR.. Rolf was more
excited than any other of Smith and
Cars sympathizers and he determined
TO ride to Toronto and intercede with
the Governor, who
think, was Sir John Col.
born. Before departing on his hazard
ons errand of mercy, DIR. Rolf was
cIoseted with my uncle, Rev. John Ry-
erson. The latter subsequently told
me that he had agreed to delay the
banging all he could by making the
closing prayer as long as his strength
and power Of utterance would permit,
provided that Rolf had not returned.
Good DIR. Rolf calculated upon getting
back a few hours before the time set for
the execution. He set out IN the swift
est horse TO he had in the village, but
The people had little faith in his ability
To make the journey in time and less
faith in the Governors inclination to in
terfcre. The days flew on and the peo-
pie iocked in from the surrounding
country, Uncle John did all he could
to somfort the doomed men and lead
them to i realization Of q greater mer-
~ than mans, but they refused 10 be
comforted. The fatal morn came,
but without any tidings Of pr. Rolf
The hour arrived and the lei wers
led ont to lie. Private hangipgs hao
aot come into fashion then. 1t wal