The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1898-03-03
strip Sir, and I stripped

strip Sir, and I stripped
And still l didn't believe he woul
whip me. thought he just wante
to scare me.
Then he told me to face up th
ladder. did so, and reached m
arms up to the straps. The strappe
my arms to the ladder, and stretche,
so hard that they pulled me up clea
OF the floor. Then they strapped M
legs to the ladder The warden the
picked up the whip. He said to me
'Pll give you one more chance; viii
you so to work to morrow / said
Nc; l won't 60 to work till l get my
dues Very WE'LL and he steppet
back md raised the whip. l turned
my head and looked at him, and
could see it in his eyes that he meant
to strike =. And when
saw that, Sir, I felt that something
inside of me was about to burst"
The convict pansed to gather ut
his strength for the crisis of his story
yet not in the least particular did be
change his position, the slight move
ment OF his pointing finger, the steady
CLEAN OF his eye, or the slow monoto
ny of his speech. 1 had never wit
messed any scene so dramatic as this
and yet all was absolutely simple and
unintentionaI / had been thrilled
by the greatest actors, as with match
less skill they gave rein to their genius
In tragic situations; but how incon-
ceivably tawdry and cheap such pic
lures seemed in comparison with this
The claptrap of music, the lights, the
posing, the wry faces. the gasps, lun
ges, staggerings, rolling eyes-how
fiimsy and colorless, how mocking
and grotesque, they all appeared be
side this simple. uncouth, but genuine
expression of immeasurable agony!
The stenographer held his pencil
poised above The paper, and wrote no
more.
'And then the whip came down
across my back. The something in
side of me twisted hard and then
broke wide open, and went pouring
all through me like melted iron. It
vas hard fight to keep my head
clear, but did it. And then said to
the warden this: You've struck me
with whip in cold tlood. You've
tied me up hand and foot to whip me
like dog. Well, whip me then, till
you fill your belly with it. You are a
coward. You are lower and meaner
and cowardlier than the lowest and
meanest dog that ever yelped when
his master kicked him. You were
born coward. Cowards will lie and
steal, and you are thu same as thief
and liar. No hound would own you
for friend. Whip me hard and
long, you coward. Viii p me, 1 say
See how good coward feels when he
ties up man and whips him like a
dog. Whip me till the last breath
quits my body; if you leave me alive
l will kill you for this
His face got white. He asked me
If l meant that, and l said, Yes, be
fore God l do Then he took the
whip in both hands and came down
with all his might"
THAT was nearly two years ago."
said the chairman. You would not
kill him now, would your
"Yes. l will kill him if I get a
chance; and I feel it in me that the
chance will come"
swell, proceed"
"He kept on whipping me. He
whipped me with all the strength of
both hands. Icould feel the broken
skin curl up on my back, and when
my head got too heavy to hold it
straight it hung down, and 1 saw the
blood on my legs and dripping off my
toes into pool of it on the floor. My
back didn't hurt much; it was the
thing inside of me that hurt. 1 count
ed the lashes, and when had counted
to twenty eight the twisting got 80
hard that it choked me and blinded
me and when I woke up
| was in the dungeon again, and the
doctor had my back plastered up, and
he was kneeling beside me, feeling
my pulse"
And you have been in the dungeon
ever since?"
"Yes, Sir; but 1 don't mind that"
"How long?"
Twenty three months"
''On bread and waterw
Yes; but that was all / wanted"
Have you reflected that 80 long as
you harbor a determination to kill the
warden you may be kept in the dun
geon? You can't live much longer
there, and if you die there you will
never find the chance you want. If
you say you will not kill the warden
he'may return you to the cells
'sBut that would be lie, Sir; I will
get chance to kill him if 1 don't 20
to the cells. l would rather die In
the dungeon than be liar and sneak.
If you send me to the cells will kill
him. But l will kill him without
that. will kill him, Sir
and ne knows it
Without concealment, but open,
deliberate, and implacable. thus in
the wrecked frame of man. so close
that We could have touched it, st ,od
Murder-not boastful, but relentless
as QoatQ.
Apart from weakness, is your
health good" asked the chairman.
''Oh, it's good enough" wearily an
swered the convict Sometimes the
twisting comes on, but when 1 wake
up after it I'm all right"
The prison surgeon. under the
chairman's direction, put his ear te
the convict's chest, and then went
over and whispered to the chairman
Il thought So" said that gentleman
"Now, take this man to the hospi
tai. Put him to bed where the SUI
will shine on him, and give him tn,
most nourishing food"
The convict giving no heed II
this, shambled out with q guard anG
the surgeon.
The warden sat alone in the prison
Office with No. 14.208. That he a
last should have been brought face t,
face and alone with the man uhop