Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1889-05-17

MAY II. 1St
earnestly for time Colbert offered fervaut
prayer for him. and sang Take the name Of
Jesus with you"
About 7:So O'Clock the prisoner ate his break
fast-a boiled mackerel, with bacon. fried pota-
toes, fried onions, bread. and coffee-but ate
sparingly. The officials think that this apparent
failure OF appetite was due to a late lunch last
night.
THE PRISONERS DREAM
During the morning the condemned man
handed the minister a paper, dated April II,
stating that he had dream Of q white man
coming to him with q paper, and who asked
Taking God as my helper. never will come
back to prison again for a crime, and will never
do anything to merit il, for God will help me-"
and then the man wrote the number ia on his
forehead and said: Go, and be a good boy"
THE PRISONERS GOODNESS.
1t was remarked by some of the guards last
night that if the prisoner remained up all night
he would likely break down, but this morning
he appeared to be as robust and collected as
usual. and was apparently the most cool and
cheerful prisoner in the building. 1t was re-
marked by some of the veteran guards that his
GOODNESS had never been surpassed by any pri-
soner under similar circumstances, and thew
would, if their force was short. have no hest
fancy in allowing him to carry the rope and
take his place on the platform unattended.
THE DEADLY ROPE
At 9:l5 o'clock a mysterious looking bag was
sent by one of the prison employees to the gal
lows, and shortly afterward three Of the off,
GERS followed it. The bag contained the rope
in which the moose had been made. The OBJ
ject of the bag was to keep the prisoner from
seeing the fatal rope. With the aid of a step
ladder the MANILA cord was soon run through
the beam and hanging without any twist the
weight of two men, each heavier than the
prisoner. was placed upon it and the verdict
being lit will hold an OK" it was left ready for
use.
The prisoner, after singing one or two
hymns, assisted by Rev. Mr.. Wells, went with
the latter and Rev. Mr.. Roberts to his cell.
THE COFFIN.
At 10 O'Clock the wagon of Mr.. J. r. Wright,
the undertaken, was driven to the door, and in
a few minutes the coffin was borne in through
the rotunda, down the hallway to the rear of
scaffold, where it was placed out of sight of
the crowd. to remain till needed
Although the tickets of admission recited
that the execution was to be between u and 2
O'Clock, as early as $50 o'clock some of the
cards were presented, but they were not hon
ored till about IL o'clock.
WORKING FOR TEMPERANCE.
The prisoner, shortly after 10 o'clock, wrote
his name on the back of number of cards
containing temperance pledge for signature
for distribution among the prisoners. While
thus engaged he ascertained that there were
about two hours more for him to live, and re-.
marked to Rev. Roberts: Time goes slow; very
slow for me. My mother is watching the clock,
and know that she thinks it fast" and he then
requested the minister to go with him to the
scaffold
At 10:45 o'clock, accompanied BY Messrs.
Wells and Fitzhugh Colbert again went to the
cell OF Hawkins, where he talked prayed and
sang, using the hymn Home of the Soul"
Then they went to the cells of Briggs. Subers,
and other prisoners. About 1:15 O'Clock, with
Rev. Wells, the condemned man walked up and
down the corridor and sang 'Beulah Land"
after which they went in his cell for devotional
exercises.
THE SCENE ABOUT THE RoTUNDA OF THE JAIL.
began to be extremely lively at l13O o'clock
Persons who had the privilege of admission to
the Jail had been assembling in the front office.
They were admitted to the rotunda at IL 80
and there were sixty or seventy peo-
pie admitted. They gathered around the
cage Ca {es .o In front IT.; Of the entrance
Some pressed their faces against the glass door
of the northeast court, where the scaffold stood
The court looked gloomy and bare. There was
a long stretch of chilly-looking brick flooring.
down which the condemned man and his at
PENDANTS would have to walk to the gallows.
THE CURIOSITY OF THE CROWD
that pressed about the grated opening of the
corridor in which Colbert was confined was
satisfied by seeing the prisoner and Rev. Mr..
Wells walk up and down the corridor and stop
at the cells Of the prisoners. The minister was
attired in somber black with coat of conven-
tional ministerial cut. with long frock. Col
bert was attired in dark suit too with a black
sack coat. He stopped to speak to Haw-
kins, convicted recently of wife murder,
with Fred Barber, the man convicted of the
murder OF Agnes Watson. with Briggs and
other occupants of murderer's row. Colbert
was calm and self-possessed and seemed almost
joyful. He pleaded with his fellow prisoners.
just before II O'Clock Gen. Croker. the war;
den, went into the corridor and had a brief
conversation with Colbert He took Colbert
to the large cell at the end of the corridor,
where the prisoner remained with the minis
tiers engaged in prayer and religious talk until
the hour OF the execution approached. Mean
while
OUTSIDE THE JAIL
large crowd was gathering. On the bluff or
hillside, opposite the Jail door, a number of
colored women and children assembled, and
watched with interest all that they could see
but that was little more than the occasional ar
rival VI some person invited 10 witness the eX-
ecutlon. They, however, remained there pa
tiently, and asked questions of every one who
looked as if he might know anything of what
was going on inside. The police were stationed
about the building at different points to pre-
vent persons from climbing up to the window
lodges or making break into the Jail.
FORMING IN LINE.
At 1925 the crowd in the rotunda was cleared
away from the line leading diagonally across
the rotunda from the entrance of Colbert's cor
rider to the door of the courtyard in which the
scaffold stood. The crowd formed two or three
deep along this line, all having their faces
turned sideways toward the entrance of the
corridor. All that could be heard was the
voice of Colbert in the cell far down the corri-
dor, lifted in song.
Reading the Death Warrant.
A number of the Jail officers then assembled
in the cage at the end of the corridor, standing
just inside the door. Presently Gen. Croker,
the warden, arrived with an oficial-looking
paper in his hand. One of the officers went
down the long corridor to Colbert's cell, and
Immediately Colbert, attended by the three
clergymen-Rev. Messrs. Wells, Roberts, and
Fitzhugh-cams walking along the corridor
and met the warden in the cage. Colbert was
attired ready for the scaffold. His black alpaca
sack coat was buttoned almost up to his chin
He wore a wide turn-down collar and a dark
blue cravat with white figure in it.
Colbert carried in his right hand little
pocket hymn book, having his thumb placed in
the book at the page where he wanted to read
when the time came. Colbert was halted in
front of the warden and in full view of the
49,