Wichita eagle., 1888-04-05

the sky, extending long ghostIy arms down.
ward, and their gloom and density seemed
supernatural The soldiers took US out, our
hands bound behind US, into quadrangle at
the back Of their barracks. The scene Is
sharply impressed upon my mind. A palisade
of two sides of square, made OF wooden
planks ran round the quadrangle. Behind
this palisade and pressed up close against 1t
was mob of men and women-the people OF
the homecoming TO see the execution But
their faces were sympathetic: an unmlstak-
able look of mingled grief and rage, not IN
mixed with desperation-for they were
downtrodden foik-shone in the hundreds OF
eyes turned toward u.s. / was the only woman
among the condemned. Ny uncle was there,
and poor "Fon," looking bewildered, and one
or two other prisoners. On the third and
fourth sides Of the quadrangle was high
wall, and in a certain place was a niche
partly inclosing the trunk of a tree, cut on at
the top An iron ring was driven into the
trunk midway, evidently for the purpose Of
securing condemned persons for execution.
guessed il would be used for that now. In
the center Of the square piece Of ground stood
q file of soldiers, armed with carbines, and an
officer with drawn sabre. The palisade was
guarded by a row of soldiers somewhat
sparsely distributed, certainly not more than
q dozen in all A Catholic priest in black
cassock walked beside me. and as we were
conducted into the Enclosure be turned to me
and offered religious consolation. declined
| his mnistrations, but asked him anxiously if
| he knew which Of US was to die first.
You he replied: ''the officer IN charge of
you said you desired it, and he has been able
to accede 10 your request"
Even then felt singular joy at hearing
this, though had no longer any expectation
of release. Death was, l thought, far too
near at hand for that. Just then soldier
approached US and led me bareheaded TO the
tree trunk, where he placed me with my
back against it and made fast my hands be-
| hind me with rope to the iron ring. No
| bandage was put over my eyes / stood thus,
facing the file of soldiers in the middle Of
the quadrangle, and noticed that the officer
with the drawn sabre placed himself at the
extremity of the line composed of six men.
In that supreme moment also noticed that
their uniform was bright with steel accoutre-
ments. Their helmets were of steel, and
their carbines, as they raised them and
pointed them at me, ready cooked, slittering
IN the sunlight with the same FURNISHED
metal There was an instants stiffness and
hush while the men took aim: then saw the
officer raise his barred sabre as signal TO fire.
II flashed in the air; then, with sudden
ness impossible to convey, the whole quad
rangle blazed with an awful light-a light so
vivid, 50 intense, so binding, 50 indescrib-
able, that everything was blotted out and
devoured by it. 1t crossed my brain with
instantaneous conviction that this amazing
glare was the physical effect Of being shot,
and that the bullets had pierced my brain or
heart and caused this frightful sense of all
Pervading flame Vaguely I remembered
having read or been told that such was the
result produced on the nervous system of a
victim to death from firearms.
1T is over" | said; that was the bullets
But presently there forced itself On my
dazed senses sound-a confusion of sounds
darkness succeeding the white fash-then
steadying itself into gloomy daylight; a tu-
mutt; a heap of stricken, tumbled men lying
stone still before me; a fearful horror upon
every living face, and then = it all
burst on me with distinct conviction The
storm which had been gathering all the
morning had eliminated in its blacklist and
most electric point Immediately overhead
The file of soldiers appointed to shoot me
stood exactly under it. Sparkling with
bright steel on head and breast and carbineS
they stood shoulder to shoulder, a complete
lightning conductor, and at the end of the
chain they formed, their officer, at the criti-
cal moment, raised his shining, naked blade
toward the sky. Instantaneously heaven
opened, and the lightning fell, attracted by
the FURNISHED steel. From blade to carbine,
from helmet to breastplate it ran, shifting
every man dead as be stood. They fell like
a row Of ninepins, blackened in face and
hand in instant in the twinkling of an eve.
Dead The electric fame licked the life out
Of seven men in that second; not one moved
a muscle or a finger again. Then followed a
wild scene. The crowd, stupefied for q min
ute by the thunderboit and the horror of the
devastation it had wrought, recovered sense,
and with mighty shout hurled itself against
the palisade, burst it, leaped over it and
swarmed into the quadrangle, easily over
towering the unnerved guards. was sur
rounded, eager hands unbound mine, arms
were thrown about me: the people roared
and wept, and triumphed. and fell about me
on their knees praising heaven. think rain
fell, my face was wet with drops, and my
hair-but | knew no more, for / swooned
and lay unconscious in the arms of the
crowd Ny rescue had indeed come, and
from the very heaveuS!-Dr. Anna Kings
ford il Lucifer