Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-11-10
Cd him from lynchine, be noble .,.,,

% MIN from lynching, be noble ao.,r
~'iu save him from the gallcws.''
snail certainly not sign. II ia IL
you Will pardon me, an insult 70 ,st
NC You reprieve him, Won will r,.l-o
murderer of me, for will kin h;-,,
wnen ne comes ont, if it is 20 wears
IRON now. You talk of lynching. It is
such work as you arc doing that makes
l!hching possible. The people seem ALI
WIN you now, more shame to them
oo. tne next murder that is committed
Will be followed by q lynchine inst no.
canse you are successful today
Inc lady left Bowen with a siph de-
pressed because of the depravity of I'm.
man nature, as indeed she had every
right to be.
Tho Prior family was rich and in.
nuent'al one. The person who is alive
mas many 80 help; the one in the grave
mas lew to cry for justice. Petitions
calling for mercy poured in on the GOV.
erhor from all parts of the state. The
good man, whose eye was entirely ON
MS own reelection, did not know what
10 90. II any one could have shown him
automatically that this action or the
other would gain or lose him exactly so
many votes, his course would have been
clear, but his own advisers were uncer-
tam about the matter. A mistake in n
little thing like this might easily lose
him the election. Sometimes it was RI.
mored that the governor was going to
commute the sentence to Imprisonment
for life. Then the rumor was contra
dicted
People claimed, apparently with ms
uce that surely imprisonment for life
was a sufficient punishment for young
man, but every one knew in his own
heart that the communication was ONLY
the beginning of the fight, and that fu-
ture governor would have sufficient
pressure brought to bear upon him to
let the young man go.
Up to the Goth of September the GOV
ernor made no sign. When Bowen went
to his duties on the night of the Goth. he
met the sheriff.
Has any reprieve arrived YETI" ask
ed Bowen. The sheriff shook his head
sadly. He had never vet hanged man
and did not wish to begin.
No." said the sheriff, "and from
what heard this afternoon none is like
! ~ to arrive. The governor has made up
his mind ut last that the law must take
its course. ~
I'm glad of that, said Bowen
We'll, I'm not
! After 9 O'Clock messages almost ceas-
ed coming in, and Bowen sat reading
the evening paper. Suddenly there came
/ a call for the office, and the operator an
swered. As the message came over the
wire Bowen wrote it down mechanical
/ ~ from the clicking instrument, not un-
Outstanding its purpose, but when he
read it he jumped TO his feet. with an
oath. He looked wildly around the
room, then realized, with sigh Of re-
lief, that he was alone, except for the
messenger hoy who sat doing in a cor
ner, with his cap over his eyes He
/ took up the paper again and read it with
set teeth:
Sheriff of Brenting County, Brentingville:
/ Do not proceed further with execution of
Prior. Sentence committed. Documents sent
of by tonght's mail registered. Answer that
you understand this message.
/
Bowen walked up and down the room
with knitted brow. He was in no doubt
as TO what he would do, but he wanted
to think over it. The telegraph instru-
ment called to him, and he turned TO it,
giving the answering click. The mes
sage was to himself from the operator
ut the capital, and it told him he was
to forward the sheriff's telegram with,
out delay and report to the Office at the
capital-a mans life depended ON it,
the message concluded. Bowen answer
ed that the telegram to the sheriff would
be Immediately sent.
Taking another telegraph blank, he
wrote:
Sheriff of BreutinG County, Brentingvilie:
Proceed with execution of Prior. No re.
prieve will be sent. Reply if you understand
this message. JOHN DAY, Governor.
1t is pity it cannot be written tina,
Bowen felt some conjunction at what
he was doing. We like to think that
when Il man deliberately commits q
crime he should hesitate and pay enough
Difference to the proprieties as to feel al
least temporary regret, even If he goes
on with his crime afterward. Bowen.
thoughts We're upon the dead girl, no,
on the living man. He reused the doz
ing telegraph messenger
Here he said, take this to the
Jail and find the sheriff. If he is MOI
there, go to his residence. If he il
asleep, wake him up. Tell him thi.
wants an answer Give him blank
and when he has filed it up bring it tt
me. Give the message to no one else
mind
The boy said Eyes, SIR and departed
into the night. He returned so quickly
that Bowen knew without asking thai
he had found the sleepless sheriff at tn,
Jail. The message TO the governor. writ
ten in trembling hand by the sheriff
was:
understand that the execution is TO taxi
place. If you should change your mind, 10
Gods sake telegraph as soon as possible.
shall delay execution until last moment al
lowed by law.
Bowen did not send that message, bu
another He laughed and then checked