Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1896-04-11
HALF AN HOUR TO LIVE.

---or my representative In some former
state-had committed to be doomed to
such a life, when one morning re-
ceived note from my old friend,
Tommy Cameron, of Clinton. He
begged me to come and stay with him
for a month.
Cameron met me at the station, and
after an hours drive through most
beautiful country we reached Clinton.
Here surprise awaited me, for two
young ladies' came forward to greet
us; they were the Misses Cameron, and
kept house for their brother.
/ got on fairly well during the first
week, as kept with Cameron most of
the time.
Whether he gave me away or not
cannot say, but they seemed to know /
was stunning them, and they tried
every dodge-as only women know how
to draw me out.
I struggled hard against what now
considered my natural self, but it was
too strong for me. One by one all the
theories and arguments had fed on
disappeared, melted by the sunny eyes
of these girls.
AS I said, there were two of them,
Madge and Floss. Madge was the
younger and prettier; she represented
the musical and artistic instincts;
Floss, on the other hand, was the man
ager; she had the brains of the estab-
lishment.
She was very nice, but she went in
for such awful things; she had some
favorite toads in the conservatory, and
she would go rambling about the coun-
try and bring home all sorts of ami
mails, insects and other unthinkable
things-and cut them up!-imagine a
girl doing thatl
The other one, as / said, was not SO
heavy, and went in for art; and, as you
know, have little learning in that
direction myself. 1t was natural,
therefore, that when she told me she
was going to paint little river scene
near the house I should ask if might
be of use. / obtained permission TO
wait on her and we started the picture.
In this pleasant way the days passed
until Cameron's return-he was away
the second Eeels-whcn, of course,
there were innovations. We would
have days fishing, and then a day Of
shooting, or long tramp over the
hills.
When ont on. one of these early morn
ing tramps we met young fellow
whom Tommy introduced as Arthur
Clisby, friend of his.
He was the son of large ship owner
of Dundee and was the family failure;
his chief failure, as far as could
gather, being that he couldn't knuckle
under.
He had been a student at Glasgow
university and had promised to come
off well, but his individuality--which
always came to the top at the most
awkward moments-asserted itself.
As result he left Glasgow and soon
after had quarrel with his father,
and, having decided that they could not
get on together, they agreed to differ
and part. He had come out here into
the wilds to live and devoted his time
to abstract scientific problems, chiefly
in the electrical line.
Dinner time came and with it our
guest, but instead of the jolly good fell
low of the morning he was now quiet,
oppressively SO; never speaking unless
directly addressed, and only then an
swering with few quiet, direct words.
A few days after, having nothing par
ticular in view, determined to avail
myself of his invitation, and set off in
the direction of the Hermitage"
The house was an unpretenticns con-
Germ, but was eloquent of the individ-
uality of it's master. The top floor had
been turned into one large room, and
this he used as laboratory; it was
literal armory of scientific apparatus.
After time the talk veered round
to electrical executions, and he said:
"You may remember, perhaps, the
first man they executed in this way in
New York state, and what a fearful
hash they made oft? was there and
saw it all; 1t was simply awful. Re-
voting!
"The doctors, bahl they're fools.
They thought they understood it all,
and applied the death current at what
they considered were the nerve cen
tiers, the top of the head and the base of
the spine.
IF they had only used their COM
mon sense and powers of observation.
they would at once have found that
in 90 cases in every 100 of the fatal
accidents in New York alone, the fatal
shock was received through the hands,
for the hands and arms being Muscular.
are full of blood, and, therefore, good
conductors.
Il set to work to devise an appliance
that would administer the death PEN,
atty with the minimum amount OF tor
ture, both bodily and mental, to the
criminal. We will now take look at
the apparatus itself"
We left the house, and he led the way
across the open until we stopped at d
door. He entered, and after CROPPING
for moment found the switch, and
Immediately the place was full of light.
] noticed that this room was partly
cut out from the rock and partly built,
as were the others tnat afterward
saw. Passing through passage, we
entered a larger room.
This is turbine house." said he
There are sluices running from here
to the stream 100 yards away, and when
it has done its work the water leaves
by two tunnels beneath the floor and
joins the main stream lower down.
This is the dynamo specially designed
for execution purposes"
And he pointed to piece of apparatus
that rescmbled somewhat large,
slender wheel, with numerous spolxes.
See, will set the thing running and
let you see II working" He unscrewed
the valves, the governors began to spin
and the dynamo to hum. SO duicltlv Aid