Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1893-10-20


LYING IN THE DOORWAY.
an - was goin' out huntin' that
mornin' I took my gun and started
out. leavin' Jase to follow. I walked
out 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. 4
crazy idee struck me, and jus thought
I'd shoot toward the cabin for fun, and
mebbe that would fetch him. God
knows l didn't mean to do any harm
was JUS a 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 the
prison tan and made it ghastly. 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. 1 only thought I'd
shoot for fun, and mebbe that would
fetch him."
have looked into murderers' faces
on the verge of eternity while the
death warrant was being read, in order
that might tell the public next morn
ing whether the lip quivered or the eye
grew dim. but as-I gazed at this picture
of weakness and misery on the wheel
barrow in front of me, it made me 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:
Gas / shot, Jase come into the door,
and when the smoke cleared away /
saw him lyin' 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 remember nothin' until l
found was lyin' down on the ground
and crowd of men standin' around
me- 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 a racket-over that gal, most
likely-and Washburn killed Scot!
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 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 l would "a tried to run away. All
/ ! .ow 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 fightin' chance and give me
the privilege Of enterin' plea of man
slaughter. / said it was all along of
my bullheadednesst that l am here now,
and SO it was. My lawyer wanted me
to plead guilty to the charge the jedge
offered me. ! asked him what it
meant. He said that it meant that 1
killed Jase in racket, and then give
me long lingo about malice afore-
thought, or something like that, but l
didn't understand it. / only knew
they wanted me to say l murdered
Jase in a racket. | warn't going to say
1 done thing when | didn't / fiared
up, and wouldn't listen to nobody. l
couldn't see things right. Well, the
trial didn't take long. Everythin'
went crossways for me. l told my
story, and pleaded guilty to nothin'
7 l;Ip't u4 bincr I
just shot to scare him. | didn't care
much what they done with me for that.
The other side showed how Jase had
been found dead in the cabin, how. l
was found lynn in the snow miles from
Pauldin', as if | hadn't been goin' for
help. Then they got witnesses who
swore as how Jase and me were jealous
bout Mandy, how I'd asked her to go
to gatherin' with me and she'd gone
with Jase. 1t warn't so, | llnowcd it;
but it wouldn't do no good for me to
say it warn't. Mandy and me under
stood one another though there warn't
much betwiXt us then / s'pose she
might have told what she lxnowed
about it on the stand, but / wasn't go
ing to have her mixed up in the thing.
lowed they couldn't convict me be-
cause what | said was true.
''The jury fetched in verdict of
murder in the second degree and ac-
cordin' to law that meant for life
"They carried Mandy out of the court
room. Seems as though she thought it
was her fault some way or mother.
Mandy's been tryin' TO get me out ever
since She said if it hadn't been for
her they couldn't "A shown no motive,
and couldn't "a sent me for life. l don't
see what good that would "a done when
they was all agin me-"
! made a note of Mandy. She was
good material from reportorial stand
point. When l went out l asked the
warden who Mandy was.
$50 you've been talkin' with Wash
burn, have you?" said he
We'll Mandy is his girl. They cay
she has been coming down here from
Paulding once every year with petitions
and signatures TO place before the
board of pardons. Yesterday Wash
burns sentence was commuted, which,
by the way, you will find by looking on
the press hook"
A pisturc of a faded little woman,
who had asked me the year before in
the capitol if l would please tell her
what time the pardon board met, rose
in my mind. l said TO myself: THAT
was Mandy"
AS rule the world does not throw
open its arms TO released convicts 1t
sees that all the windows in the house
are well secured at night, and that all
the doors have extra strong fastenings
on the day the papers announce a new
list of releases. The people have not
time TO go down to the prison and
watch the men pass out through the
big gate. They pay a small sum each
year to have that Office performed for
them by big burly policemen. The
policemen accompany the convicts down
to the Union depot and see them off on
their trains. 1t would be such pity to
have them go alone.
The morning of the day Washburn
went out there was one other person
present beside the policeman and re
porters. 1t was the worn little woman
who had asked me n year ago in the
capitol il | would please tell her what
time the pardon board met.-Kate
Fields Washington.