Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1896-06-20
SENTENCE OF DEATH.
Dramatic Scene in a Western
Court Room.

A Dramatic Scene in a Western
Court Room.
zone Of the most tragic scenes I ever
witnessed" remarked q western Judge at
an uptown hotel to Star reporter. ''oc-
CURED in a court room in a small town In
one of the new western states. That is to
say, it was new then, but that has been
forty years ago, and l was out there grow
ing UP with the country and showing peo-
pie how much law a youngster of twenty
one or two has at his fingers ends. The
judge was man of sixty or more, and in
addition to most venerable and dignified
appearance and manner. he was the sad
dest-faced man 1 ever saw. He had come
to our town ten or a dozen years before
from the east, and we knew little Of him,
except that he was an able lawyer and
only other member of his family, and him
self had some great sorrow from which
they had sought some escape from by going
into a far country.
and his wife seemed to live serenely
enough. but they were evidently growing
old and feeble ahead of their time One
night our town was all torn up by rob
berry and murder and the capture of the
killer and thief almost in the act For a
wonder he wasn't lynched then and there,
but ne wasn't, and as soon as daylight
came proceedings were instituted against
the prisoner, and I was appointed with
another youngSter to defend him
Really there wasn't any defense. and i
was frank enough to tell him that he
might be thankful if We could save him
the town. evidently led there by some
stories he had heard of an old miser we
mad among us. and was a man of perhaps
thirty-three or four, with q most unpre-
possessing appearance. greatly accentuated
by weeks growth of rough whiskers,
years Of dissipation and hard living. In
those days, and In such cases the laws de-
lay Was not much in force, and by O'Clock
of the second day the prisoner was stand
ing before the judge to receive sentence.
AS he stood there that day, a harder-look-
ing customer l think l never saw.
Have you anything to say why SEN
tence of death should not be pronounced
upon YOU? said the judge. after all the pre-
iminaries We're over.
have, your honor. If you are to pro-
nounce that sentence, replied the prisoner
with an air of almost impertinence AT
least he added, half alphabetically pos
siniy under the circumstances you might
not care TO pronounce it,
This was entirely out of the ordinary
ana touched my client on the arm and
was about to remind him of the customs
Oh the court. when the Judge requested
me TO leave the prisoner to him
viii you be kind enough to explain ?.
ne SAID In strangely excited tone
well, your honor responded the pris-
oner, without quaver of voice. as I'm
your only SON.
But the judge heard no more. 1t was
evident that he knew the prisoner was
telling the truth, for with groan he
threw up his hands and fell forward across
the desk in front of him. dead and little
stream OF blood trickling from his lips.
me excitement was terrific and in the
midst OF 1t. the prisoner dashed through a
window and would have escaped, but a
timely shot from rifle in the hands OF a
man ON the outside settled him forever.
And, best of all. his mother never knew
She fingered a few months after her hus.
fand's death. and the entire population of
the town considered 1T to be a sacred obli-
CATION to lie to her about the whole affair. -