The Columbus journal., 1884-11-19
Condemned to Death.

ssCondenIncd to DEATH Ever since
the Judge spoke the awful words IN the
hush of the crowded court room they
have been ringing in his ears. His
nerves had been strained To their ut
most tension when the words We're
spoken, and they seem 10 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 a sense Of bitter
recollection. as something seemed to
whisper in his ear: ''Condemned to
death" At first the time OF execution
appeared mercifullv 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 tingcd the stone walls with gray
and gave a 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-
Enable fear upon him. He asks him
self: '.What is it?" ''Where am II"
! He must have had a horrible dream.
lie 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 Il 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 4 troubled slumber.
But what must be the dreams of a
wretch sent to sleep with such q hide
ous lullaby? He dreams, perhaps, OF
the man i'm the of cver-cloSlnS
walls that at last crush him to death.
He e e himself in 4 narrow passage,
from which there is no escape. An lrOr
grating shovcs 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
m~orsclcSsly on. He puts forth hi
strength. but it avails him nothing
The next move will be the last. liz
filings himself against the wall ant
shrieks for help. The grave fades from
his sight and he finds himself graspin:
the iron bars OF his cell. He draw
a breath of intense relief, but the mex
instant begins the dread refrain:
Condemned to death"
He has his wild and fruitless dream:
of escape and then the madness of self
destruction makes him for the momcn
insane. There are the hours of unutter
able despair when he sits on his be
with his head bowed and his finger
TANGLED in his hair. He listens with
) dull, mechanical agony to the foot
, steps of the death-watch on the stOn
floor outside, and they seem to slow!
= creak the words: ''To death, to death
, to death"
: At times it is impossible for him t
I believe that lie, who is sound in healt
and limbs, robust and full of vigor. wit
not an ailment that he knows OF. n ma
t in the prime Of life. with energy
1 strength. we'll all that goes to max
r life worth living-that he is Gagged here
/ HELPLESS like a rat in 4 trap, waitin,
till at a signal he will be n quivering
e inert mass. Then he faces his cell an
D raves and curses all mankind. Th
knowledge of the uselessness OF tn
a forces itself upon him and he become
r calm again. His thoughts turn to tn
e oce and only channel that can give r.
lief. There is but one ray of light tn
enters the cell of the condemned,
o Religion. He has doubtless given lit
regard to it in former life, but now /
realizes that it alone can dull tt
CHASTITY significance of the dismal ech
in his ears, 'Condemned! condemne
to ."-DetrOH Free Press.