Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1888-06-15

"Let the prisoner he removed, and let Q
man ride full speed to the empty house on the
hillside, where the Englishman with the red
beard used to live, one hour this side of Wax
kerstroom, and bring back with him the
clergyman he will find waiting there, that
the prisoner may lie offered his ministrations.
Also let two men be set to dig the prisoners
grave in tho burial place at tho back of the
house."
The guards laid their hands upon the old
mans shoulders. and he turned and went with
them without a word. Bessie watched him
60, through her crack in the wall, till the
dear old head with its fringe Of white hairs
40 hant fraara wore m Inncar .visih'
and then, at last, Eer faculties, behumbed and
exhausted by the horrors she was passing
through, gave out, and she fell forward in a
faint there upon the sacks
Meanwhile Muller was writing the death
warrant on sheet Of his pocket book. At the
foot he left a space for his own sigma
ture, but he did not sign it for reasons of
his own. What he did 10 was to pass it
round to he ccuntersigncd by all who had
formed the court in this mock trial, his OBJ
Jet being to duplicate every man there pres
emit in the judicial murder by the direct and
incontrovertible evidence Of his sign manual.
|
are not quite SO simple as not TO see through a
move like this, and thereon followed a very
instructive little scene. They had, to man.
been willing enough to give their ser.
dict for the old mans execution, but
they were by no means ready to record it in
black and white. As soon as ever they nm
derstood the object Of their feared and re.
spected commandment general desire mani
tested itself to make themselves respectively
and collectively scarce. Suddenly they found
that they had business outside, and something
like general attempt at bolt ensued. Sew
eral Of them had already tumbled of their
sxtemporized jury box, and, headed by the
redoubtable Hans, wcre approaching the en-
trance to the wagon house, when Frank Null
Ter perceived their design and roarki out in Q
voice Of thunder:
SStop! Not man leaves this place till the
warrant is signed"
Instantly the men halted and began to look
innocent and converse
AHans Coetzee, come here and sign," said
Muller again, whereupon that unfortunate
advanced with as good grace a. he could
muster, murmuring to himself curses, not
loud but deep, upon the head Of athat devil
Of q man, Frank Muller.r
However, there was no help for it, 80, with
q sickly smile, he put his namc to the fatal
document in big, shaky letters. Then Muller
called another man, who instantly tried to get
out OF it on tho ground that his education had
been neglected and that he could not write,
an excuse that availcd him little, for Frank
Muller quietly wrote his name for him. leav-
ing space for his mark After that there
was 10 more trouble, and in five minutes the
entire back OF the warrant was covered with
the scrawling signatures Of the various men,
bers Of the court.
One by one the men went, till at last Null
Ter was left alone, seated there ON the saw
bench, his head sunk upon his breast, holding
the warrant in ono hand, whilc with the other
he stroked lis golden beard Presently he
stopped stroking h:s beard and sat for soma
minutes perfectly still, 50 still that be
might have been carved In stone By this
time the afternoon sun had got behind the
hill and tho deep wagon house was full O.
shadow that seemed to gather round
him and invest him with . somber.
mysterious grandeur. He looked like q king
Of evil, for evil has her princes as well %
good, and stamps them with her imperial seal
OF power, and crowns THEM with diadem Of
her own; among these Frank Muller was
surely great A little smile of triumph played
upon his beauti:uI. cruel face, little light
danced within his cold eyes and ran down the
yellow beard. At that moment be might
have sat for portrait Of his master, the
devil
Presently hc awoke from his reverie. II
have her." he said to himself; II have her in
wise! She cannot escape me; she cannot
let the old man diel Those ours have sarvesl
my purpose well; thoy arc as easy to play on
as fiddle, and l am good player Yes,
and now We arc getting to the end of the
tune"