Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1894-11-10
AZ ELECTRICAL SLIP.

trctcr down, ard Albert Prior was sen.
,,,ccd TO be hanged by the neck until
10 was dead, and might the Lord have
,,cr-v on his soul. Everybody agreed
,bat i.w.s righteous verdict, but now
that he was sentenced they added, :
poor fcllOw!'
Albert Prior was young man who
l,d had more of his own way than was
rod for hrl. His own family-father,
mother. brother and sisters-had given
vav to him so much that he appeared
q, think the world Mt large should do
,hc same. THE would differed with him.
Unfortunately the first to oppose his vi
clant will was wonail-a girl almost.
She would have nothing to do with
HIM and told him so. He stormed, of
course. but did not look upon her oppo-
.ition as serious. No girl in her senses
could continue to refuse n young man
. If his prospects in life. But when he
heard that she had become engaged to
voruS Bowen, the telegraph operator,
Prior rage passed all bounds. He de.
rornincd to brighten Bowen out of the
Place end called at the telegraph Office
f,r that laudable purpose, but Bowen
Va, the night operator and was absent.
The day man, with u smile, not know
ing what he did, said Bowen would
likely h. found at the Parker place.
VII ~ Miss Johnson lived with her aunt,
hlr parents being dead.
Tt,,.,t. ,sr,rt,,H his fp,th onJ J1,..x.l
Hc found Miss Johnson at home, but
alonn. There was a stormy scene. end
m. with the tragedy. He fired four
times at her. keeping tbe other two bull
lets Tor himself. But he was a coward
and cur ut heart, and when it came
IN the point of putting the two bullets
into himself he quailed and thought it
best to escape. Then electricity did him
It's first diSscrvicc. 1t sent his descrip-
non far and wide, capturing him 90
mill from his home He was taken
hack to the county town where he lived
and lodged IL Jail.
Public opinion. ever right and all
powerful. now asserted itself. The ont
ward and visible sign Of its action was
NN NlH'illN'k~ III DstI,.DC
citizens outside the Jail. There were de-
TRIMMED muttcrings among the crowd
rather than outspoken anger. but the
mohwas the more dangerous on that ac-
g.aut ono man in its midst thrust his
closed hand toward the sky, and from
hi, hand dangled n rope. A cry like the
--1wliuc of pack of wolves went I'M
Is the mob saw the rope, and they clam
ur'd az the gates of the Jail. Lynch
hlwl Jailor, give IN the keysv' was the
cry.
The agitated sheriff knew his duty,
lut he hrSitated 70 perform it.
But the keys We're not given up The
cldmor had ceased. a young man with
pale face and red eyes stood on the top
o' the stone wall that surrounded the
jail He held up his hand, ard there
was instant silence. They all recognized
him as Bowen, the night operator, to
whom She had been engaged.
Gentlemen, he cried, and his clear
voice reached the outskirts of the crowd.
don't do it. Don't put an everlasting
SIAM on the fair name of our town. No
On" has ever been lynchcd in this county,
aEf none III this state so far as ! know
Don't let u begin it, If thought the
miserable scoundrcl inside would escape
III thought his money would buy him
oh-ld be the man to lead You to bat
tor down those doors and hang him on
ne nearest tree, and you know it."
lh'rr Were cheers ut this But he
won't escape. His money cant buy him
on He will be hanged by the law.
Don't think it's mercy I'm preaching;
IT'S vcngeancc!' Bowen shook his
clmchcd fist at the Jail THAT wretch
there has been in hell ever since he
heard your shouts. He'll he i'll hell, for
h. bastard, until the time his trem-
bling legs carry him to the scaffold. /
want him to stay in this hell till he
drops through into the other, if there is
on" J want him to suffer Some of the
misery he has caused. Lynching is over
~ e moment. ! want that murderer to
di" by the slow, merciless cruelty of the
law"
Even the worst in the crowd shudder-
cd as they heard these words and rcaliz-
'N a. they looked at Bowen's face, al
most inhumau III its rage, that his thirst
l"r revenge made their own seem al
most innocent. The speech broke up the
crowd. Tho man with the rope threw it
over into the Jail yard, shouting to the
sh'rlit, Take care Of il, old man; you IL
need it,.
Ana so 1t came about, Just as Bowen
EHcw II would, that all the money and
lniiGoncc of the Prior family could not
h'ip the murderer. and he was seIitenc-
'o 70 bc hanged on Sept. 81. Mt 6 a. III.
And Tins public opinion was satisfied.
HUT tho moment the sentence was an
h'urced and the fate of the Young man
''tled curious change began to he no.
,''d III public opinion. 1t seemed to
nave vcered round. There was much
sympathy for the family, of course.
ih'n there came to be much sympathy
Tor tn" criminal himself People quoted
IN" phrase about the worst use man
ran b" put To-. Ladies' sent flowers to the
''hd"mned mans cell After all. hang
,.iS him. poor fellow, would not bring
Miss johnson back to life However,