The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1896-05-09

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who called. About 1880 he retired for
the night and went to sleep. Appar'
emily his rest was dreamleSs, for not a
sound disturbed the quiet OF the place.
Shortly before FIVE o'clock he awoke
and came out of his cell n c more. lie
said he had slept well. Noticing the
two guards in the jail with him he sat
down at his table and wrote these
words on a piece of paper: lone OF the
men guarding me is Harry Wilson,, OF
Linn county, and a mobber.'
He passed the message through to
the reporters and smiled feebly as they
read it. Some one asked him if he had
anything to say.
NO" vas his answer. "1f the peo-
pie can stand it. l can"
Breakfast was brought the doomed
man about six o'clock. 1t was not a
credit to Sheriff Stanley or Carroll
county. VIXEN men are about to die
it is the custom to let them lave what
they want to eat. They are even
hunored with all the d~elicacies of the
season, but no questions were asked
Taylor. HIS morning neal, served in
a tin pan, consisted of two fried eggs
and three biscuits and a tin cup full OF
coffee. There was no knife or fork,
not ven a spoon.
Taylor found Il spoon finally on his
table, and wiping it OF a newspaper
began to eat in Il %stOcial, Indifferent
way. A gentle murmur of Indignation
went the rounds of the reporters.
is hat all you wish, Mr.. Taylor?'
one of them asked alphabetically.
Yes, this will do" he answered re-
signedly.
But his eyes filled with tears and he
struggled to suppress his emotions.
This touch of sympathy from the men
who had been sen here to describe his
last hours and his ignOminous death
moved him more than hate Or bitter
ness.
TAYLoRS DYING STATEMENT &c THE
PUBLIC.
Just two hours before he was to be
led to the gallows the doomed nan
made a statement to the public. Col.
Hale and Mr.. COnkling had been talk
ing with him, and as they went to
leave he handed Col. IIa'e Il letter adj
dressed to the public. Il contained
this statement, his formal farewell to
the men who believed him guilty and
his friends who still stand by him:
T THE PUBLIC: I have only this aGdi-
tional statement TO make. l ought not TO suf-
fer as l am compelled to do. Prejudice and
perjury have convicted me. BY this coEvic-
tion my wife is left a widow, my babies are
made orphans in n cold world. my brothers t.
mourn and my friends to weep. You hasten
my gray-haired mother and father to tkeIi
graves. The mobS and that element hound
me to the grave. I have hoped 20 live
at least until the good people realized the
injustice done me. but 1t can not be 50.
feel prepared to meet my God, and I row
wing my way to the great unknown. where
believe everyone is properly judged. l hope
my friends will all meet me in Heaven. l be-
lieve l am going there. Gcod-by all.
Nv. Z. TAYLOR"
) The note also contained this printed
certificate, given lim by the priest and
signed his name.
~. the undersigned desiring that in the even,
OF my death the truth concerning the condition
Of my soul should be told al my funeral, dc
hereby testify that l have been born again by
believing in the Lord Jesus Christ. II l die
tonight 1 will go to Heaven"
Both messages were under date Of
April 20. Before giving out this letter
l Taylor wrote one on Il scrap of news
!, paper and, signing it, handed il
l through the bars to the reporters. Il
, ran as follows:
ITO II PUBLIC:-The ClamOr for my blood
is soon to be satisfied by numbering me cooliJ
&. and deliberately under the guiSe OF law. Il
I NAV be you are not murdererS. 1t is between
you and your God"
Taylor chose Il. VI. kneisley, Virgil
Conkling's law partner, to attend t.
, the disposition of his body. Kneislcy
, had a talk with him in his cell, in which
he calmly discussed the details anC
, asked him TO accompany the remain,
to the Yount cemetery, near Laclcde
Mo, where the intermcnt will occur.
q Don't leave me-" he said. until the
last clod Of earth has been placed upoI
my grave"
During all this sorrowing talk h
never faltered, and was apparently no
+ as much affected as the lawyer.