The times., 1897-03-14

to erect the gallows even when it is
known that the condemned is to be re
spited. This is intended to have a moral
effect on the general run of prisoners in
the institution; but its effect, so far as
/ could observe, was baleful instead of bene-
ncial. We put up the gallows for Shcarer,
but assured him Of his respite, and all were
easy in their minds until the day OF the
execution came and we had received no
official order. The sentence read: Between
the hours OF 8 O'Clock a. IN. and high
noon We expected a lettre the day be
fore. All night long we had a messenger
at the telegraph office. AT O'Clock in
the morning we telegraphed, but got no
answer. at we sent another message
At 8 we followed it with third. At 10
we received reply from the governors
private secretary, reading: Governor too
i'll to do any business That meant, on
the face of it, that he had decided not to
grant a respite. and that the death sen
tence must be carried out Itmeant great
deal more than that, however. 1t meant
that the governor had got blind drunk at
a party the night before and could not
be aroused to do business. He had fully
intended to respite Sbearer, and the papers
were all made out, but not signed. Rather
than let it be known that he was stupidity
drunk, the governor and his secretary
always denied that respite was intended,
and in this they shamefully lied.
You can ina gine our feelings when COM
PEELED to tell Shearer that the respite had
been refused at the last moment and that
he must instantly prepare for death. 1t
n no lya
older in an hour. He broke down and
was as helpless as a baby for few min
utes. Then, fortunately for ali, his nerve
came back, and though protesting his in
nocence he died like brave man. 1t
seemed nothing short Of murder to place
the moose about his neck, and murder it
was. The detective still continued TO fol-
low his clew after Shearer was dead,
and ten days later We had the proofs
which would have saved tie young mans
life and returned him to the world with a
clear character. O'DonneH had bought a
diamond ring OF man about town who
was a gambler and suspicious charac-
ter. This ring was for the gin. He had
either paid part down and there was a
dispute about the balance, or had got
possession of it and refused to pay any
tnlng at all Inc ganDler HaQ 1OiOWeQ
him up, qCarreled over the point and
stabbed him to death on the street. AS
no one witnessed the affair the murderer
escaped and no suspicion attached to him.
Seven days after the execution he was
shotin a dispute over game Of cards, and
after two or three days, when the doctors
assured him that his hours were numbered,
he made a statement, which was written
out and sworn to. He expressed no regrets
that another man had suffered ignominious
death for his crime, but was willing to clear
his memory when he himself was standing
in the shadow of death.
Charles Shearer was as innocent of mur-
der al the judge who sentenced him. The
judge, jury, the governor and the public :
came to know this and to be Mortified over
the miscarriage of justice, but there was
only one man to blame. The one who could
have given him show TO prove his inno-
cence, who could have prevented official
murder by hanging an innocent man, was
lying in a drunken stupor and incapable Of
speaking a coherent word. Itnever became
nosed about that he was drunk, because he
was a great man and had thousands of par
usans and admirers, but know, and Others
know, that such was the case and / be-
lieve that the burden he had to bear from
that time on shortened his life by years