The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1895-01-06

that strange American ROOuIchOWSHiP
which accepts all things There was no
room for any nervousness in the scene.
for any affectation for any womanlsn-
ness. Grandeur was impaired to 1t by
the arrival of a fresh assistant, none
other than Colonel Scott. The moment
very instant that the sheriff handed the
condemned man his new shirt. the
official livery of the sufferer.
The brown torso of the miserable
creature was seen for a second. reSem-
bling in it's muscular leanness bronze
statue. Although his wounded Shout
der hindered somewhat his movements,
the suppleness of some savage feline
could be imagined from the simple play
of these muscles as the arm that had
remained intact fastened the shirt to
his other shoulder. The chest formed
an admirable model. This flesh, so ro-
bust. SO healthy. so young, whose sec
onds were numbered. trembled with a
slight shudder at the contact with the
cool linen. This sign of nervous deli
cacy gave additional value to the cour-
age which this youth of twenty years
displayed during these preparations. Mr..
Scott followed them without speaking
a word, as did myself He had shaken
my hand as soon as he arrived and did
not appear in the least astonished at
seeing me there any more than l did
at meeting him. When Seymour had
washed his hands and his face, had
given q touch of the comb to his hair
and had put his arms behind his back
in order that the sheriff might bind him.
the Colonel addressed the old man.
"Will you leave me alone with Henry
for few minutes?"
Eyes. Colonel said the sheriff, look
ing at his watch. I'VE have fixed the
thing to take place at a quarter to
and it's not yet half past l."
Thank you.' answered Mr.. Scott:
1--WE have plenty of time
When the old master entered the cell
of his former servant an unreasonable
idea took possession of me. l remem-
bered our conversation Of a couple of
days ago, and / figured to myself sud-
denly that Mr.. Scott had brought the
condemned man some means of escap-
ing the gallOWS and these last suffer-
ings, some deadly poison, for example.
/ wronged the faithful friend of Presi-
dent Lincoln, the religious descendant
of a race of sturdy Christians. Hardly
was the barred door reclosed after the
sheriff. and without the. least thought
of the people who might be regarding
him, than the Colonel went down upon
his knees on the floor. He assisted Sey-
mour to do the same and then COM
menced: Our Father Our Father"
repeated the mulatto. (Which art in
heaven" (which art in heaven Hal
lowed be Thy name "Hallowed be Thy
name" and SO on.
of the sublime prayer with a strong
voice. The other repeated them in a
slightly mufiied voice. the somewhat
lisping voice of a child. and everything,
even their very attitude. revealed the
difference existing between these two
beings. Mr.. Scott held himself erect, as
though standing, upon his knees; Sey-
mour as though crouching and forsaken.
Now and again he would make mis-
take in the words. The Colonel would
repeat them. this time more slowly and
more distinctly, with the patience of an
indulgent master who guides a school
boy. Certain of these phrases became
very strange under such circumstances
and at. such an hour. Lead us not
into temptation" l know not why, but
on hearing this formula pronounced by
that poor devil whose horizon was now
contained in the narrow court below
with it's high walls and it's gallows
standing erect / could not help remem-
bering the witticism of the vaudeville
writer who was dying. Some one asked
him, what did the priest say to your"
oh" answered the dying man, "he
gave. me some good advice. 1t would
have been the same thing if he had
given me bad. / could not follow it,
That did not prove. however, that Mr..
Scott. was wrong in persuading this
bandit to utter the most sacred of
prayers To me the words had a pre-
else sense, to Seymour they had but
little. Yet in saying them in Difference
to his first protectors wish he ex-
hibited a sensitive delicacy of feeling
The physical and almost bestial courage
that he had shown in eating with such
happy enjoyment became suddenly en-
nobled by touch of the ideal. He
would not alone depart satisfied with his
food. as he had said to me. He also
wished to leave reconciled with the one
being who had been good to him in his
childhood and who had inspired in him
a little respect
THAT is what saves missions as
chimerical in appearance as are those
of Mr.. Scott and his daughter from
ridicule." l thought as l retired to the
end of the corridor. / supposed that
the two men had some few things to say
privately. In the course of his short
and criminal existence Seymour had
married. His wife was still living and
he would leave two children. Although
she had refrained from visiting him. he
might still wish to send her farewell
message. Yes" l repeated, ''those
dreamers are in truth of a superior race
and the duties which they feel incum-
bent upon them inspire in inferior races
purely personal respect. From the
person they mount to general IDEAS
Thus religion originates"
Next I thought cf the evident in
difference with which this mulatto
quilted life, life to which he was never
theless attached. since he was sensual
debauched and energetic. What irony
there is in the fact that a man of this
kind. an ourang-outang capable of
handling a rifle and of speaking, has
yet arrived without effort at that which
philosophy considers the supreme result
of its NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. to death.
l remembered one of my masters the
greatest thinker of the epoch with
whom two years before his death 1 was
walking during the autumn in a forest
Il have tried to learn 10 die in watching
these trees. They shed their leaves and
accept the fact" he said to me, ..but I
find it very hard 1 asked myself if
the courage of this impassibie Seymour
was not simply bravado and whether he
would keep it up to the end. 1 was also
curious to know what the Colonel
thought and felt; whether he had been
there before that morning. or if it had
been simply sufficient for him to appear
and to give an order for the condemned
man to commence to pray Did the
Puritan believe that in this way he
could appease the remorse of which he
had spoken to me? At any rate, it is
indisputable that on approaching me
when he left the cell singular serenity
lowered over his martial visage
HE will die bravelv." he said to me
simply, land you will see how those
will foo