Orange County observer. [volume] (Hillsborough, N.C.) 1880-1918, 1890-04-26


the corridor and bravely faced the jury !
while the deputies bound his arms and |
slipped the cord Of the cap over his head.
He was ready, but just when the word 70
move to the yard was given, he turned
longing glance toward the main entrance,
as if he hoped to see his wife appear there
suddenly.
Slowly the procession moved, the
prisoner leaning on the arm Of the clergy
man, his back toward the main entrance,
his temples throbbing many beats be
tween the footballs Of his eyecutioners,
who stepped heavily and IN time with
him, AS if to deaden to him the sound of
his own feet, which shufi1ed in spite of
him, the nails IN the heels Of his boots
raspine on the stone floor
And then came shrieking through the
corridor the whistle Of a locomotive
strident scream on scream rising higher
each second and indicating that the en-
gine was approaching at terrible speed
The heart Of every man in the Jail leaped
The prisoner stood still and his lips
moved as if N silent thanksgiving, for to
him the shrill sounds were trumpeting
his freedom. The Sheriff rushed to the
lail entrance, commotlon rose among
the visitors who had grown cold in the
snow, and they began to crowd into the
Jail The deputies momertarily forgot
the prisoner, while they contended with
the impatient and excited spectators,
| forcing them back to the yard.
The conductor Of the gravel itrain was
| startled when the whistle penetrated his
ears with its cry for a clear track, and he
! was glad that he had reached with his
train the safety Of the siding at the
county seat when he saw the engine leap.
ing toward the town on a steep dovr
grade.
The deputy stationed at the telegraph
Office ran out on the track to learn tht
meaning of the terrible shrHking. The
operator ran with him, and the crowd
around the Jail stampeded toward th'
station. The whistle ceased its screams
and man was seen standing between
the cab and the tender, as the engine
with undated speed forged toward the
station.
The crowd stood stillin silence as tn
man lowered himself on the step TO tn
cab
Heavens be is going to jump, sal'
the deputy, and the crowd fell pell-mel
back out of the way, but every on
heard the man cry.
take this to the Sheriff. ,
- He waved his hand in which h
clutched something yellow
"a mans life depends on it." b
? shouted again
] Then he jumped and rolled to the fee
Of the deputy, who wrenched an enve
ope from the grasp of his twitching fir
gers. Without pausing to sec whethe
the man was alive or dead, the crowd ra
after the deputy, and no one locke
around when the engine crashed into h
dump and was totSlly wrecked
The Sheriff in trembling. eager haste
opened the envelope ami read aloud II
telegram
The crowd shouted and returned to II
station where physician with the calm
nes- due 10 his profession was endeavo
ing to restore the senselesS man to If
At last he succeeded The strang
opened his ewes and looked IN bew
= 1ered manner at the crowd Of curlo
= men and bows. But presently his eC
i' lighted with intelligence and he asked
whisper
= Was IN tine|'
Yes. said the surgeon
T, Thank God l killed Joseph Kend
7 and this is my expiation l am Jose
kendalIs brother
r. Wlth great presence Of mind the ph
su .ician wrote tn confession IN his ~
ng book and then read il aloud
Is that correct 1'-he asked
The stranger nodded and his
moved bat they uttered no sound
eFe lied while the doctor was having one
! two reliable v,tne sses sign his confessit
= The Eeac3