Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1895-03-08
and breathed sigh of relief whcu it ives


robe on the table pair Of handouts glis.
tened in his hand.
Silently and sadly he approached me.
please place your hands behind your
back" he said, with his eyes fixed on the
floor
| did so and felt the cold steel clasp my
wrists. Then the white robe was place.
around me- and he nodded to the sheriff
who proceeded down the corridor, folowec
by the head iailer and myself two turn
keys bringing up the rear.
At the entrance to the women's depart
ment stood the matron her hand to heI
lips, her cheeks banched, Il frightened stare
in her eyes. Without stood the Jail clerk
and his assistant. Both looked wstfully at
me and murmured, "Goodby, my poor feel.
low!' as passed The turnkeys who ad.
mitted our weird procession to the jail
proper, and with many of whom, as with
the Jail clerks, had become well acquaint.
ed during my long Imprisonment, babe me
a sad farewell.
On through the silent corridors, with
their rows of deserted cells, from which the
prisoners had been purposely removed, we
marched silently and solemnly. All the
surroundings were so familiar to me-the
iron bars, the stained and timeworn walls,
the damp and slippery railing. | could not
realize that | was seeing them for the last
time heard the new of the Jail cat, who
had become Il great pet Of mine and who
used to come regularly to my cell for its
saucer of milk. thought to myself that
she must be hungry. should feed her
when / returned. All, when | returned
Then the full truth flashed upon me-when
returned | would be corpse.
AS we turned n corner the engine of death
ftt11
tarily glanced up at it, and, such is the no
tice we take of trifles at such times, per
ceived that one of the nails fastening the
crossbeam was loose and wondered that
the carpenter had been so careless. Posi-.
bly, he had been nervous, | thought. Then
looked before me us | stepped on the wood
Ell platform. There, row after row, sat
those whose curiosity and influence had Sc
cured for them the privilege of seeing a fei.
low man in his last and supreme agony.
None of the faces seemed familiar to me,
but their united gaze disturbed me, and
fixed my gaze upon the farther wall as
advanced. AS did so felt the boards
shake beneath me- and knew that | was
standing on the drop. The jailei's hand
staid my further progress, while he wins
pered, DO you wish to say anything?"
looked down on the pale, eager, expect
ant faces of the assembage below and
summoning my nervous strength together
said in loud, clear voice:
IL am about to die but with this, my last
breath, assure you and all my fellow citi-
zens that | am innocent of the crime
charged against mep'
wished to say more, but could not, and
turning my head toward the iailer who
was waiting, murmured Proceed " felt
him binding my knees and ankles, and then
felt white muslin cap drawn over my
eyes. Through its folds could distinguish
the opposite window by the strong light
that perco ated through from that direc-
tiOn. Then the dry, hard surface of the
rope clasped me round the neck, while
pressure behind told me where the knot was
placed. moved my head slightly, as some
stray threads of the moose tickled my lately
shaven throat. | saE hoarsely to the
Jaier: 1.-The moose Is too loose. For the
sake of our common humanity do not have
me strangle!" | dreaded strangulation
worse than death. His fingers pressed
against me second as he examined it.
then heard him take two steps and knew
| by the rebound of the drop as it was relieved
OF its weight that ! stood there alone.
set my teeth, pressed my lips together and
closed my eyes In the next breath found
myself falling Then came II Jerk that
seemed to force my tongue from my mouth,
my eyeballs from their sockets, and my
blood from every pore in my face. The
agony! Oh, the agony | knew in that
dread moment that the moose had slipped,
for the knot was pressing against the back
of my head with force that | expected
every instant would cause it to break
through the skull Yes, the worst had
come was to strangle! Ny lungs strug-
gled and beat against my chest The base
of my tongue seemed like an iron wall stop
ping up my throat My neck quivered as
If at any moment the rope would cut it in
twain, and fervently wished that it might.
The roaring of the blood vessels in my ears
sounded as if IA hundred cannon were being
discharged at every second, and throughout
my body knives appeared to be tearing the
flesh from the bones Then came cry; it
was the cry of human voices that rose
higher even than the roaring in my ears.
felt myself falling again. Then there was
a terrific crash, and TIE blacknt.s Of night
followed.
When recovered, five doctors were bend
ing over me with anxious but determined
faces. heard the ticking of an electric
battery. | saw my swollen and distorted
features in II tiny mirror that young ply
stefan was holding near my lips to satisfy
himself that ! breathed, and W hich he re
moved with triumphant cry on my open
ing my eyes.
Then the big sheriff leaned over me rs
gently as mother would lean over her new
born babe as he said
''Thank God, my poor fellow, you are
saved The man who killed her for whose
murder you were sentenced WAS captured
for another crime in Arkansas an hour ago
and has confessed to this, giving substan
tial proofs. He is dying from wounds he
received in resisting arrest and wished TO
make clean breast of everything. The
telegram from our governor reprieving you
reached the Jail just AS the drop fell. A
bailitf rushed to me shouting its contents
as he ran. We cut the rope with single
blow of II Ratchet Your right arm and col
lar bone are broken from the fall, but,
heaven be praised, your neck is still intact"
We're V. Hunt in Chicago Times.
A Mean Fellow.