The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1886-08-31
A LITTLE PROGRAMME.


After exhausting The other sights in
the little South Carolina town we went
over to the Jail to see q murderer who
was to be hanged one week from that
day. He was q white man about forty
years of age, and he had killed his
wife with an az because they differed
in opinion. IL wife will insist upon
differing with her husband she must he
prepared for the worst. Husbands
will suffer long and give no sign, but
there is such thing as driving them
to desperation.
When we entered the corridor the
sheriff was engaged in soaping the
hangman's rope. Ii was a new one,
and he was in a hurry to render it
smooth and pliable and have the job
off his hands. He took the rope along
in his hand as we entered the cell of
the condemned. and after formal in
PRODUCTION the gentleman who was so
soon to 90 on an excursion reached for
the rope, carefully inspected il, and
observed: bill, you are doing a slick
job on that"
III
IF can he p you in any way just
all out. / might as well be soaping
the rope AZ sitting here doing nothing"
We sat down for q smoke and a talk.
Some chaps in his situation would have
been so stuck up that you would have
felt your littlenesS in thsir presence.
but this one made an earnest effort 10
put us at our ease. He exhibited con-
siderable interest in the project to get
him out of the way, and his CONVERSE
ton proved that he had given the mat
ter considerable thought
ever see man hanged?' he in
quired of me, in kindly voice.
yes"
''How did he take it?''
''He seemed discouraged from the
very start"
Eyes. some go that way. | have
mapped out a little programme to be
followed, and I'd like to ask your
opinion of it. Here it is:
Rise at 8 O'clock m. on the event
full morning.
"Put on a clean shirt and my Sunday
suit, so as to appear respectable.
breakfast at o'clock.
Receive friends from 7:30 TO $50.
From $50 to 10 indulge in final
preparations and take leave of Bill and
the boys.
'At 10 o'clock proceed to the gal
lows, giving Bill as little trouble as
possible.
MAKE a speech about half an hour
in length. warning all young men to
abstain from marriage and all wives to
Dbey their husbands.
Probably some singing.
Take my place on the trap and Bill
swings me off.
Curtain
told him that / had seldom seen q
more carefully prepared programme.
and that if he stuck to il he could not
fail 10 come out with flying colOrS.
His photography was defective in GER
tain instances. He realized this and
asked me to amend it, and when we
had gone over the programme with
pencil he returned his heartfelt thanks.
There were one or two little things
that annoyed him. For instance, ne
had never made study of oratory, and
there was danger of him breaking
down in the middle of his speech.
Then. too, his voice was not in good
trim, and the spectators on the back
se;ss might feel put out because they
could not catch his words. He would
be thankful for suggestions from 3
newspaper man.
told him not to try TO make q hit
on oratOry, but 10 tell plain story and
prop i'm the gestures where he thought
they would count. The crowd would
excuse his voice, knowing that he had
been shut up for the last six months
His countenance cleared up at once.
and he insisted that he was my debtor.
There was another thing. He had two
brothers and one sister They had
thrown out hints that they would be on
hand TO see him swung off. Within a
day or two he had began to doubt the
propriety of such action. He didn't
want TO disappoint them. but would it
be Just the proper caper for them to
show up on such an occasion? | re-
piled that he had better leave the mat
ter for them TO decide. Some people
enjoy seeing brother hanged; others
wouldn't 90 a rod TO witness such q
spectacle. Ii really made no difference
to the condemned, anyhow. as he would
be hanged all the same.
That's SO, that's so" unused the
prisoner. Il guess I'll leave 'em TO
follow their own bent. Say, how soon
10 YOU leave?''
Tomorrow.
mo! And then you won't be here at
the hanging?"
Il GAG be, though | regret it.
Now, that's too bad! Can't you
stop over 10 oblige me? I'd like to
have YOU see the affair come off.
| excused myself on various grounds.
and as we rose to go he held out his
hand and said:
well. if you can't you can't, of
course. though m real sorry. I'm glad
you called, and if you should con-
clude to change your mind and take