The daily morning journal and courier., 1895-02-01
AN ELECTRIOAL SLIP
In the Interest of Justice.

vindicated. The insanity plea had brok-
 en down, and Albert Prior was sentenc-
 ed to be hanged by the neck until he
 was dead. and might the Lord have
 mercy on his soul. Everybody agreed
 that it was righteous verdict, but now
 that he was sentenced they added,
 Poor fellow!"
 | Albert Prior was a young man who
 had had more of his own way than was
 good for him. His own family-father,
 mother brother and sisters-had given
 way to him so much that he appeared
 to think the world at large should do
 the same. The world differed with him. ] Unfortunately, the first to oppose his violent will was q woman-a girl al-
 most. She would have nothing to do with him, and told him so. He storm | ed, of course, but did not look upon her | opposition as serious. No girl in her | senses could continue to refuse young
 man of his prospects in life. But when he heard that she had become engaged to Young Bowen, the telegraph operator, | Prior's rage passed all bounds. He de- termined to frighten Bowen out of his
 place. and called at the telegraph office
 for that laudable purpose; but Bowen
 was the night operator, and was absent
 The day man, with a smile, not know ing what he did, said Bowen would like ly be found at the Parker place, where
 Miss Johnson lived with her aunt, her parents being dead.
 Prior ground his teeth and departed.
 He found Miss Johnson at home, but
 alone There was stormy scene, end-
 ing with the tragedy. He fired four
 times at her, keeping the other two bull
 lets for himself. But he was a>coward
 and a cur at heart, and when it came to
 the point of putting two bullets into
 himself he quailed, and thought it best
 to escape. Then electricity did him it's
 first disservice It sent his description
 far and wide, capturing him twenty-five
 miles from his home. He was taken
 back to the county town where he lived
 and lodged in jail.
 Public opinion now asserted itself
 The outward and visible sign of it's action was an omnibus gathering of dark-browed citizens outside the jail
 InHEG were u6leIullltQ llAullCAlH6S among the crowd rather than out spoken anger, but the mob was the more dangerous on that ac- count. One man in it's midst thrust his closed hand toward the sky and from his fist dangled rope. A cry like the growing of pack of wolves went up as the mob saw the rope, and they clamored at the gates of the jail. Lynch him! Jailer, give up the keys" was the cry.
 ard the sky and from his fist dangled a rope, and they clamored at the gates of the jail Lynch him Jailer, give up the keys!" was the cry.
 The agitated sheriff knew his duty, but he hesitated to perform 1t. But the keys were not given up. The clamor had ceased. A young man with pale face and red eyes stood on the top of the stone wall that surrounded the goal. He held up his hand and there was instant silence. They all rccogniz- ed 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 ever lasting stain on the fair name of our | town. No one has ever been lynched | in this county, and none in this state | so far as I know. Don't let us begin it. | If thought the miserable scoundrel in- | side would escape-if thought his mon- ey would buy him off-I'd be the man to lead you to batter down those doors and hang him on the nearest tree-and you know it.' There were cheers at l this. "l3ut he won't escape, His mon ey can't buy him off. He will be hang ed by the law Don't think it's mercy I'm preaching; its vengeancer' Bowen shook his clenched fist at the gaol That wretch has been in he'll ever since he heard your shouts. He'll be in hell, for he's a dastard, until the time his trembling legs carry him to the scaffold. I want him to stay in this hell until he drops through into the other If there is one. I want him to suffer some of the misery he has caused. Lynching is over in moment. [ want that murdered to die by the slow, nnerciless cruelty of the law"
 Even the worst in the crowd shudder- ,d as they heard these words and real zed as they looked at Bowen's face that lis thirst of revenge made their own ,eem almost innocent. The speech lroke up the crowd. The man with the 'ope threw it over into the gaol yard, to the sheriff: "Take care of t. old man, you'll need it''
 And so 1t came about just as Bowen snew it would, that all the money and influence in the Prior family could not elp the murdered,and he was sentenced o be hanged on September 21 at 6 a. h. And thus public opinion was satis- led.
 But the moment the sentence was an- ounced and the fate of the young man ettled curious change began to be oticed in public opinion. It seemed to ave veered around, There was much , for the family, of course. hen there came to be much sympathy , or the criminal himself People quoted he phrase about the worst use a. man f ould be put to. Ladies sent flowers to he condemned mans cell. After all, anging him, poor fellow, would not ring Miss Johnson back to life. How I yer, few spoke of Miss Johnson, she yas forgotten by all but one man, who { round his teeth when he realized the I stability of public opinion. Petitions were got up, headed by the '