El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-10-25
An UNFORTUNATE SENTENCE.

/
| and in order to entertain his companion
he drew upon his past life for such rcmi-
niscences he thought would interest
| her.
| Blake" shouted the conductor as they
approached little station.
| THAT is the name of the first man l
ever sent to the gallows," said the judge.
| The figure by his side gave a slight
| start.
"Who was he. and what was his
crime" she asked.
''Oh. il Is not much of n story" re-
| piled her husband. You see, when I
was II young man. long before l moved To
Washington, ! practiced law out in Kan
| sas. which was then frontier state.
| Friends got me appointed judge, and
before l had been on the bench a week
Dick Blake
"Dick Blake?"
| Yes: that was his name. He was
charged with murder and convicted. The
evidence against him was purely circum-
stantial. but the jury found n verdict of
guilty. and j had to sentence him.
You sentenced him to deathT
Certainly | did. 1t was my first ex-
perience in that line, and / gave the pris-
| oner very impressive talk and wound
up by sentencing him to be hanged by the
neck until he was dead, and when l ask
ed God to have mercy on his soul I put
so much solemn emphasis into my voice
that Blake turned pale and trembled like
q leaf.
II felt sorry for the poor fellow. He
had good face and looked like a gentle
man. but the evidence was against him,
and had To do my duty"
"Was he executed" The question came
in a tremulous tone.
"Yes; he died on the gallows." said the
judge. He protested his innocence to
he Lac nj no
through was that of n brave man."
The bride. with avcrted face. was look
ing through the window into the dark
ness. and il was easy tn sec that she was
greatly agitated.
''The worst of it is" continued the
judge. Blake was innocent"
Innocent. you say"
"Undoubtediy. After his death the real
murderer turned up and confessed. The
boys lynched him before / had chance
to try him"
The girl looked steadily through the
window, and the judge thought that he
heard a suppressed sob.
He almost regretted that he had told
her such a sad story. but it was too late
to undo the mischief
Did you ever find out anything about
Blake?" asked his listener.
'.Not very much" was the response. Il
heard that he belonged to a good family
somewhere in the south. He was n splen-
did looking man. not over 30. with pierre
ing gray eyes and hair like gold. His
love of adventure carried him to the from
tier, and when he was tried in my court
his case badly managed. i believe
that he left . wife aud child in his old
home. hut / have forgotten where he
lived"
Still the listener maintained her droop-
ing attitude. Apparently she was very
much interested in the story, or perhaps
she fatigued or i'll.
The judge began to think that the
hanging episode was not exactly the
thing To tell n young and tender hearted
woman
THE law occasionally makes mis-
take" he said, land this was one. But il
Is better for an innocent man to suffer
once in lille than To administer justice
too loosely. Besides, for all l know.
Blake may have been n bad man. II his
life had been spared. he might have de
veloped into the worst kind OF n despcra-
do. The case has never given me any
mental distress. After all, one life more
or less is a small matter"
Not n word came from the shrinking
woman al the window.
The judge grew restless 1t was very
dull sitting there with pretty bride who
would not talk.
At last he rose and said that he would |
go into the smoking for n few mo-
ments. An old friend was there, he said. |
business.
The girl merely nodded and said some |
thing i'm low tone which the judge con-
strued into assent
The solitary traveller remained motion
less for some time after the departure of
her companion. There were few passen-
gers in the car, and she was not acqualnt-
ed with any of them.
As the train rushed onward through
the darkness she quickly matured her |
plan and made up her mind to carry II |
out at all hazards. Drawing n notebook
from her satchel, she penciled a few
words and pinned the paper on the |
judges overcoat, which hung over the |
back of the seat.
Just then the train stopped. The girl
knew the place well. 1t was the juno |
ton. and at this point she could in half |
an hour take n train which would carry
her hack to the village where her uncle |
lived.
The drowsy passengers saw nothing.
and even the conductor failed to see n /
slight form passing through the car and |
stepping on the station platform.
The judge had jolly time with his |
friend in the smoking car. and before he |
knew it an hour had slipped by.
With some regrets and compunctions /
he made his way back to his seat.
1t was vacant, and there was no sign /
of the bridei
The judge picked up the note pinned |
to his overcoat and read this brief mes /
sage:
Judg-Richard Blake my father. After his /
death took the name Of my uncle and lived with /
him from my early childhood until my marriage.
1t would have been well for both IL we had /
known each others history. ! 90 to my uncles /
home to remain there, and ! most earnestly re-