Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1884-04-30
SAVED BY A PRAYER.


Was Made-A Curious Yet True Story.
The following news item appeared IL
local paper recently, says an Erie, Pa,
correspondent of the Cleveland Leader:
'sRichard Carr, an old Canadian
octogenarian who has 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"
DR.. j. M. CLARK, of this city, fur
nished the following thrilling account OF
Carr's escape from the gallows:
ST had no idea that Carr was living
on this side of the lake, or that he was
living at all. His arrest, conviction,
sentence and escape are events closely
connected with my family and my child
hood, my uncle. Rev. John Ryerson,
being the clergyman who attended Carr
to the scaffold, and who prayed against
time for the purpose of cheating the
hangman. was child at the time,
and it happened at Vittoria, Canadian
village Just across the lake, about forty
five years ago. Who did Carr kill? No
one. He was quiet, inoffensiye young
man, and so was his accomplice, Smith,
condemned to die with him. / see by
the papers that nowadays that cold
blooded murderer frequently escapes the
attentions of Her Most Excellent Ma
iesty's hangmen, through some fine
points of the law, but in the good old
DAYS. no poor wretch, whose suffering
family prompted him to steal sheep
or oxen, escaped. One day. / remem-
Der it well, the village of Vittoria was
thrown into great excitement by the
discovery of fearful crime-a crime
for which the penalty was an ignomlni-
Gus death upon the gallows tree. Some
hardened wretch, being seduced and
instigated by the dewitt was hunger
had, with force of arms, stolen an OK.
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 then
succeeded in extorting confession of
guilt from Carr and another fellow
named Smith. The culprits were
brought to trial, and i1ry of twelve
men found no difficulty in consigning
them to the scafold.
ssSentence of death was passed upon
Carr and Smith, and they would prob
ably have been executed the next day,
but I suppose the sheriff thought it
would be regarded as ungentlemanly
and unfriendly If he did not arrange the
time so that his distant constituency
could get in towitness the sight. Among
those who were Mortified and shocked at
the approaching execution were my I'M
Gle, the spiritual adviser of the poor
fellow, and DR.. John Rolf, whose mem
ory still clings to the village"
The Rev. John Ryerson was brother
to DR.. Egerton Ryerson, D. D., super
intendent of education in Ontario, and
who died two years ago; the houses of
Parliament adjourned to attend the fu-
neral.
ssDr. Rolf was more excited than any
of Smiths and Carr's sympathizers, and
he determined to ride to Toronto and in
tercede with the governor, who I think
was Sir John Colborn. Before depart
ing on his hazardous errand of mercy
DIR. Rolf was closeted with my uncle,
Rev. John Ryerson. The latter subse-
quently told me that he had agreed to
postpone the hanging all he could by
making the closing prayer as long as his
strength and power of utterance would
permit, provided that Rolf had not re-
turned. Good DIR. Rolf calculated on
getting back few hours before the time
set for the execution. He set out on
the swiftest horse to be had in the vii
lage, but the people had little faith in
and less faith In the governors inclina-
ton to interfere. The days flew on, and
the people hocked in from the sur
rounding country. The fatal morning
came, but without any tidings of DIR. Rolf.
hor1r onI tho mon Wow
led out to die. It was considered good
and wholesome for the common people
to witness the awful and just punish.
ment of the horse, sheep and cattle
stealer. The gallows was erected out in
the open air, and in full view of all. i
was a rude structure, upon which the
village carpenter may not have expend
ed more than two hours labor.
ssSlnith and Carr were placed in posi-
ton, and when the hangman's little pre-
liminaries were over, the sheriff was In
formed that all was ready for the par
sons final blessing or prayer. The
Rev. Ryerson got down on his knees
and began the longest and most remark
able prayer on record. His voice wa
low, purposely, for he wished to husband
his strength. He prayed for abou
twenty minutes without creating remark
for long prayers were not so distastefu
then as now. But when he entered upol
the second half-hour great restlessnes
was manifested. The sun poured down
upon the uncovered heads, and man.
did not hesitate to say aloud that the,
were getting too much of good thing
The sheriff was impatient and the hang
man looked weary. Even the poo
wretches waiting death showed signs O
annoyance, for uncle had net told then
of his compact with DR.. Rolf. The muir
murs rose higher and higher, but uncl
prayed on without ceasing. An hou
passed and he was still on his knees
There was now no relevancy in his ap
peal. He merely uttered words and dis
connected phrases to consume time. Tn
muscles of his throat contracted. hi
tongue was dry and cIave to his mouth
and his voice was husky, but he praye
on, the words falling without meanin
SIMON his haarara He told me later tbs