Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1886-05-19

the Chief Executive could avert death.
| knew all had been done by my friends
that could be done and without avail.
STILL could not think / was 10 die SO
soon. Such reflections, retrospcctions,
self-arguings, came to me daily as
the time drew near appointed for my
execution.
Finally IL came. Shall | ever forget
that November morning in '63? They
had told me would be taken out al
nine o'clock in the morning, would 10
allowed an officers room in the bar
racks, where my parents, sister and
brothers would meet me and spend my
last few hours with me. When taken
out they had to seat me i'm the outer
guard room quarter of an hour, until
my eyes became accustomed TO the
piercing glare of sunshine. Then they
took me to the room where i found
father, mother, sisters, brothers and a
minister. 1t was the quarters of an
officer of the post, and very comforta-
bly, furnished. just outside-we could
see them through the window-stood
a special detail of twelve men, selected
as the unwilling executors of the sem
fenced man. Telling me should have
until the last minute before three
O'Clock, but then would have TO go, the
Colonel locked the door and left me
with my friends.
They had secured this privilege of
spending these last few hours with me
i knew to comfort and console, per-
haps to strengthen me for the fearful
ordeal through which l had to pass.
But had to comfort and console them.
My father was broken down. 1t must
be horrid strain on fathers feelings
to sit and look at his son, in the prime
of manhood, and count off the few in
tcrvening minutes of that boys remain
ing life. Brothers and sisters could
only gaze at me in speechlcss misery,
appalled, by the gloomy shadow OF
death that was then casting about me.
/ had to become consider, and strained
every nerve, called forth every power
to smile. l would not permit the
trembling man of God to offer prayers,
knowing his words would fall upon
those loving ears as death walls, as
clods falling on my coffin. l drew
them, by every thing Interesting could
think of, to contemplate any thing but
my impending doom. As I would
about succeed the clock on the mantel
would strike, or footstep on the stair
outside, or some movement of the gar
rison, would recall them with q sigh to
the horrid present.
The little clock on the mantel seemed
to mo in these intervals to tick loudly
as the clatter of a mill. 1t struck the
half hours as we'll as the full stroke;
m 70 xx,ht
would buzz and the tiny hammer strike
every five minutes. Ten! half-past!
Eleven! and half! Twelve! Half!
One! Heavens! how il licked of the
seconds, galloped the minutes, and
startled our panied ears with those
flceting half-hours! We were seated
around the room, close to each other as
we could get. Father on one side,
mother on tho other of me, a hand
claspcd by each, as the little monitor
on the mantel broke the gathering still
ness with its metal voice crying the
half hour gone!
just then a step sounded without,
hand touched the knob, the key turned
i'm the lock, the door was thrown open
and the Colonel stood looking in upon
up. Instinctively jumped to my feet.
as father and mother sprang to my
side, hand each upon my shoulder.
How rapidly thought does its Office in
such emergencies! My first thought
was their dining hour approaches, and
these officers wish to get through this
unpleasant duty before dinner.
For minutc-it seemed eternity,
and that the little clock had ceased to
tell off timc-we stood, the Colonel
and myself, silent, gazing sternly at
each other. He evidently expected me
to speak. But 1 did not, would not.
At length he slowly drew from his
pocket a slip of paper, and saying,
Captain, / have just received this
telegram, read, while we gazed upon
him in strained, listening eagerness:
The execution of the sentence in the case
of Captain William +. Gordon is postponed
until further orders. BY order of
THE PRESIDENT.
Not one of us spoke.
''You can stay with your friends till
three. Then you go back to your
CELL" he said, closed the door and left
us hurricdly.
Father drew long, trembling Sigh
and sank slowly TO the floor, where
mother had already fallen. Their sup
port gone, the sudden, unlooked-for
lifting vs. the cloud of death, the rush
relief from the horrid nightmare,
caused n quick revulsion of feeling
that made me limp as rag, weak as u
dying babe. And ], too, sank between
my parents
The minister said something did
not hear, brothers and sisters kuelt
around us, and l heard the preacher
pouring out prayer of gratitude that
the dark shadow of death had passed
by, leaving the light of life. My sem
tence of death was committed to i'm
prisonment and labor during the war.
But it was lifc!--W +. Gordon, IN
SOnibcrJl R,,On0c