The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1892-01-28
Daily L,to OF the Man Convicted
OF the Barnaby
Murder.
Tho Chamber over whose Door Should
Be Written swho Enters Here
leaves Hope Behind"

Warden Smith and complained that no dld
not have exercise enough for his health,
that the COLL was too narrow, and that no
needed room in which to stretch himself.
..You are here, DOCTOR" answered the
warden, under instructions from the dis
tr!ut court OF Arapahos county, under sen
tence OF death. Thu law requires me to
keep You in solitary confinement pending
your execution, and I have long since been
taught to obey the orders of the court. LIZ
there is anything in reason ! can do for you
I am ready and willing to grant to you the
favor, but the law is explicit and You must
remain in your CELL" DR.. Graves has
not entered an objection since.
When he first entered the cell he
glanced up and down the open corridor,
and in answer to his question he was told
that he was IN the execution house. i.
Thatcher Graves occupies a cell within five
feet of the entrance Of the death chamber.
A guard sits in front Of the door and every
move the physician makes is noted by him.
This guard is sworn never to takes his eyes
OF Of tho condemned man, and when the
week Of the death watch commences a man
will be stationed in the cell with MN IN
addition to the guard outside.
Tho execution house is located at the
northeastern corner of the penltentiary,
within the prison grounds. 1t is built or
stone twcnty-four inches in thickness, and
ia surrounded by a three-foot stone wall
twenty feet in height. The house is ell
tered by a single door, which faces north,
and one window on the south side lights
the corridor, which runs the length OF the
building. This window il heavily curtRined,
and since his entrance to the place DE.
Graves has only viewed the mon who are
permitted to attend, as prescribed hy law.
After he was conducted to his cell by
the warden and locked in. the condemned
man called the prison keeper back and In q
low tone Of voice discussed the matter OF
his dict. He was told he could have the
best the prison afforded; that ne would
be served in his cell from the table of the
officers of the prison. He is privileged to
send out for whatever ne pleases, but it
must be prepared for him in the prison
kitchen. ~
You are a physician said Warden
Smith, "and can readily understand why l
mako such a restriction, doctor. 1t Is pos
sible that food not prepared by us may be
poisoned"
CT comprehend,'' was the only answer,
accompanied bv a polite bow.
The doctor eats from the table OF the OIL
GERS. As a rule he ~partakes Of eggs ana
toast for breakfast, IL we'll broiled steak for
dinner and a light supper.
Almost opposite his coll. in plain view,
two doors open into the chamber of death.
Every day several men enter and test the
instrument Of death. From his cell he can
hear the heavy weight as it desoends in the
well under the stone flsggins, but appar-
entity he aees not notice it. Ho knows what
il means, for he has been informed. Dur
ing tho dsv q a bag Weighing $50 pounds
hanes on tAe lops to keep it stretched, to
prevent the possibility Of the moose slipping
when tbs fatal moment arrives. "
The corridor of the stone house where
DIR. Graves is confined is kept woll lighted,
and even when the electric lamp in DR..
is plainly visible to the guards who SIT out
side the door. The guards ars under strict
discipline. They are not allowed to talk
among themselves, neither can they talk
with DR.. Graves, further than is absolutely
necessary to wait upon him. so strict is
the law that DIR. Graves is even compelled
to remain in the narrow cell while the
guards make up his bed.
AS the days pass, however, it is noticed
that DIR. Graves watches more closely the
door of the death room. He notes every
man who enters it with interest and prob
ably wonders what the machine looks like.
He does not know that when the rcoso is
placed around his neck he will i%nvoluntar-
lily kill himself, yet such is the case. Be-
fore his feet are tied he will be asked to
step forward a little, and when he does his
feet will release the hidden spring in tho
floor that will set the automatic machine in
motion that will drop a bOO-pound weight
and jerk him upward within ninety sec
onds.
After The condemned man takes his last
fatal step the chaplain has just time to
repeat tbs Lords prayer. You will NO.
tice," said Warden Smith, that it is al
most impossible for this machine to get out
of order. So far it has never failed to
break q mans neck, and if it does, when
the weight falls the man is bound to die an
instant later, for this reason: We take the
pIeeaution to have a man place his finger
on tho mot in the rope. When the weight
falls and the upward Jerk comes, the pres
prevents it from slipping il he should acct
dsntally move. When the jerk comes,
then, the head is thrown sideways, and the
murderer is pulled four to five feet into
space. The mack is broken at the first
joint. Suppose this jerk fails to do the
fatal work? Just remember that tho muir
dersr fallg back three feet, and if the first
shock fails in its work the second will
accomplish it. Denth in instant-painless.''
This apparatus has never slipped. Should
any accident occur in the execution room,
should the springs refuse to act or the
water, which trips the small weight that
let's the fatal trip Of cast iron drop. there is
always a man in the guard room who. al
though unseen to the fourteen Witnesses,
can sec all, and a nod from the warden
notifies him to place his finger on the trip
lever. which instantly places all tho ma
chinery in motion. This has never been
necessary in the Colorado penitantiary.
Immediately after the execution the
corpse ia lowered onto a dissscting table
and a post-mortem examination of the
body is held, and if the remains arc NOT
claimed within twenty-four hours they are
buried in quick lime.
While on his way TO Canon City the doc
tor was the object of all eyes. A gentle.
to DR.. Graves. produced n silver whisk,
flask and proposed that all take a drink
After the doctor had taken his nip" the
gentleman said:
"The flask was given me by a lady friend
Look at the inscription on it."
1t was marked, Zine old whisky, freu
your friends in the woods"
DR.. Graves stared at the inscription q few
moments. and then with a laugh he handed
the flask back to his fellow traveller will
the remark:
IT am becoming famous"
That sentence, Fine old whisky, from
your friends in the woods" is a by-worc
here. 1t is the label on many n flask o
whisky, and when a man asks another t
take ''snmething," he says, Lets call o.
our friends in the woods" Enterprisin
saloon keepers have placed TASKS in thei
windows with the inscription above re
forrsd to written ON q card close beside il
Photographer windows are filed wit
photos of the bottle and the man who sen
it, and arsenite of potassium ia what tn
bartender tells yon you are getting who
he ssryes his best,