The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1893-10-13
Trial Size 10 Cents.

LYING IN THE DOORWAY.
corn-huskin' was done, providin' ",
helped them good summers. Jase an
me built cabin, and Their Q we intend
ed Twin while we was doin' oul
chopin and clearin' There was lots
| of snow that winter, and it came early
Oh, how l hate the winter. The snow
lynn out there in the prison yard brings
the hull thing back to me, and how
happy Jase and me was, workin' and
talkin' about what we was goin' to do
l can most see the cabin now, with the
door open and the snow all around, "a
it looked that winter mornin'. Jase
and me was goin' out huntin' that
mornin'. l took my gun and started
out, leavin' Jase to follow. 1 walked
out q little ways, and then looked
around to see if Jase was comm. He
warn't, and I waited and hollered un.
til got all out of sorts with him. A
crazy idee struck me, and JUS thought
I'd shoot toward the ca bin for fun, and
mebbe that would fetch him. God
knows l didn't mean to do any harm.
was JUS great big foolish boy, and
got tired of waitin' and thought I'd
shoot for fun, and mebbe that would
fetch him."
looked at the man, and he was as
one in agony. His face was drawn, and
pallor was there which added to tho
prison tan and made it CHASTITY. His
voice, peurile from the disuse of TWEEN
ty years, had sunk into a hoarse whis-
per. He was staring at the great stone
wall in front of him with dull, vacant
eyes. He seemed oblivious of every
thing and kept repeating: II didn't
mean any harm only thought I'd
shoot for fun, and mebbe that would
fetch him"
1 have looked into murderers' faces
on the verge of eternity while the
death warrant was being read, in order
that 1 might tell the public next morn
ing whether the lip quivered or the eye
grew dim. but as 1 gazed at this picture
OF weakness and misery on the wheel
barrow in front of me, it made nue. sick
The victim of an act done in the name
of "fun"-and this was fun!
The man presently came to himself
and went on:
"As shot, Jase come into the door,
and when the smoke cleared away 1
saw him lynn just outside in the snow,
face downward. I'member pickin' him
up and carryin' him inside, and then
startin' out to Pauldin' for help. After
that don't RENE m Der nothin' until I
found l was lynn down on the ground
and a crowd of men standin' around
me. l heerd one of 'em say: He must
have tripped up on that dry grapevine
and hit his head on the root of the tree.
1t pears as if WaShburn and Scott must
have had racket-over that gal. most
Wash burn killed Scott
found out afterward that a huntin'
party had stopped at the cabin and
found Jase lynn on the floor, dead,
with my bullet through his heart.
They looked for me, and finally saw my
tracks in the snow and followed them.
They found me a couple of miles away
in the woods, lynn at the foot of q tree
where fell.
"Some believed my story and some
didn't. Them as didn't b'lieve it said
'twarn't likely if what l said was true
that would a tried to run away. All
l know is l meant to set out for Pauld-
in, but it pears as if I'd gone wrong
some way.
THE jedge. as he said, wanted to
low me fghtin' chance and give me
the privilege of enterin' plea of man
Il ~,,rf,to~ cold oil oil -
my bullheadedness that am here now,
and so it was My lawyer wanted me
to plead guilty to the charge the iedge
offered me. ] asked him what it
meant He said that it meant that
killed Jase in . racket, and then give
ne long lingo about malice afore-
thought. or something like that, but l
lidn't understand it. only knew
hey wanted mo to say 1 murdered
ase in racket warn't going TO say
done thing when / didn't. l fared
Up. and wouldn't listen to nobody. /
couldn't see things right Well, the
rial didn't take long. Everythin'
vent crossways for me. l told my
tory. aud pleaded guilty to nothin'
Except that didn't mean anything 1
ust shot to scare him / didn't care
much what they Gone with me for that. !
The other side showed how Jase had I
,een found dead in the cabin, how 1 I
vas found lynn in the snow miles from |
'auldin'. as If hadn't been goin' for /
Ielp Then they got witnesses who /
wore as how Jase and me were jealous !
bout Mandy, how I'd asked her to go |
o . gatherin' with me and she'd gone +
nth Jase. 1t warn't so. knowed it; .
ut 1t wouldn't do no good for me to
av it warn't- Mandy and me under
TODD one another, though there warn.
much betwixt US then s'pose ST.
night have told what she knowed
bout it on the stand. but l wasn't go-
ng to have her mixed up in the thing.
lowed they couldn't convict me be-
acse what said was true
The jury fetched in a verde. of
aurder in the second degree. and ac-
ordin' to law that meant for life.
They carried Mandy out of the court
DOM Seems as though she thought it
ras her fsult some WAY or 'rother.