Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1895-04-13

and breathed sigh of relief when it was
ended.
The head taller advanced. l noticed
white robe over his arm. AS he laid the
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.
l did so and felt the cold steel clasp my
wrists. Then the white robe was placed
around me, and he nodded to the sheriff,
who proceeded down the corridor, followed
by the head jailer and myself, two turn
keys bringing up the rear.
At the entrance to the women's depart
ment stood the matron, her hand to her
lips, her cheeks blanched, a frightened stare
in her eyes. Without stood the Jail clerk
and his assistant. Both looked wistfully at
me and murmured, "Goodby, my poor fell
low!' as passed. The turnkeys who adj
mitted our weird procession to the jail
proper, and with many of whom, as with
the Jail clerks, Ihad become we'll acquaint-
ed during my long imprisonment, babe me
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 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 I returned All, when l returned!
Then the full truth flashed upon me-when
returned would be corpse
AS we turned a corner the engine of death
rose in full view before my eyes. momen-
tarily glanced up at it, and, such is the no.
tice we take of trihes 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 as stepped on the wood
en- platform. There, row after row, sat
those whose curiosity and influence had Sc
cured for them the privilege of seeing fell
low man in his last and supreme agony.
None of the faces seemed familiar to me,
but their united gaze disturbed me, and I
fixed my gaze upon the farther wall as l
advanced. As did so felt the boards
shake beneath me, and knew that I was
standing on the drop. The jailer's hand
staid my further progress, while he whis-
pered, "Do you wish to say anything?"
looked down on the pale, eager, expect
ant faces of the semblage below, and
summoning my nervous strength together
said in a loud, clear voice:
II am about to die, but with this, my last
breath, assure you and all my fellow citi-
zens that I am innocent of the crime
| charged against mel"
wished to say more, but could not, and
| turning my head toward the jailer, who
was waiting murmured Proceed" l 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 percolated through from that direc-
ton. Then the dry, hard surface of the
| rope clasped me round the neck, while a
pressure behind told me where the knot was
| placed. moved my head slightly, as some
| stray threads of the moose tickled my lately
shaver throat. l said hoarsely to the
| jailer: "The moose is too loose. For the
sake of our common humanity do not have
me strangle" l 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 jerk that
seemed to force my tongue from my mouth
my eyeballs from their sockets, and my
blood from every pore in my face. Tht
agonyl Oh, the agonyl knew in that
dread moment that the moose had slipped
for the knot was pressing against the bacl
| of my head with force that l expected
every instant would cause it to breal
through the skull. Yes, the worst hat
come. was to strangle! Ny lungs strug
gled and beat against my chest The bas'
of my tongue seemed like an iron wall stop
ping up my throat. My neck quivered a.
if at any moment the rope would cut it il
twain, and fervently wished that it might
The roaring of the blood vessels in my ear
sounded as if a hundred cannon were beinl
discharged at every second, and Throughout
my body knives appeared to be tearing tn
flesh from the bones. Then came cry; i
was the cry of human voices that ros
higher even than the roaring in my ears.
felt myself falling again. Then there wa
terrific crash, and the blackness of nigh
followed.
When recovered, five doctors were bend
ing over me with anxious but determined
faces. heard the ticking of an electro
battery. l saw my swollen and distorted
features in tiny mirror that young ply
stefan was holding near my lips to satisf.
himself that breathed, and which he re
moved with triumphant cry on my open
ing my eyes.
Then the big sheriff leaned over me a
gently as mother would lean over her new
born babe as he said:
''Thank God. my poor fellow, you ar
saved The man who killed her for who's
murder you were sentenced was captured
for another crime in Arkansas an hour ag
and has confessed to this, giving substan
tial proofs. He is dying from wounds b
received in resisting arrest and wished t.
make clean breast of everything. Th
telegram from our governor reprieving yol
reached the Jail just as the drop fell. !
bailiff rushed to me shouting its content
as he ran. We cut the rope with singl