The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1901-09-10

of his eye as berore the nuZzle of his
pistol, the cowardly clamorers drew back.
Perhaps they were not sufficiently nu-
merous to feel the full effect of that
mysterious reflex influence which makes
a crowd of men so much worse, and at
times so much better, than any one of
them singly.
"At then end Of some months my trial
came. 1t could have but one result. Cir
cumstances too plainly declared my
guilt l knew they lied. The absence of
the jury was very brief. To their YER
dict l paid but little heed. 1t was a sin
gle hideous word, but l had long antici-
pated it and it made no impression. As
little impression was made by the words
of the judge which followed it, and his
solemn invocation that God might have
that mercy upon me which man was too
just to vouchsafe sounded like the hol-
lowest of hollow mockeries. 1t may be
hard for the condemned criminal to meet
death; it is still harder for him who is
innocent. The one, when the first shock
is over, acquiesces in his doom and gives
himself to repentance; the heart of the
other, filled with rebellion against mans
injustice, can scarcely bring itself to ask
pardon of God. l had gradually over
come this feeling in spite Of the good
clergyman's irritating efforts, which were
mainly directed toward extracting con-
fession, without which, he assured me,
he had no hope to offer.
"On the morning of the day fixed for
my execution felt measurably resigned.
1 had so long stood face to face with
death, had so accustomed myself to look
upon it as merely a momentary pang, that
no longer felt solicitous save that my
memory should one day be indicated.
She for whom l had gone to prepare
home had already found one in heaven.
The tidings of my calamity had broken
her heart. She alone Of all the world
believed me innocent, and she had died
with a prayer upon her lips that the
truth might yet be brought to light. All
this / had heard, and it had soothed, as
If sweet incense, my troubled spirit.
Death, however unwelcome the shape,
was now a portal, beyond which could
see one angel waiting to receive me.
heard the sound of approaching footsteps,
and nerved myself to meet the expected
summons. The door Of my cell opened,
and the sheriff and his attendants en-
tered. He held in his hand a paper. II
was doubtless my death warrant. He
began to read it. My thoughts were
busted elsewhere. The words full and
free pardon were the first to strike my
preoccupied senses. They affected the
bystanders more than myself Yet so Ii
was; was pardoned for an offense l had
never committed!
"The real culprit, none other, it is need
less to say, than be who had sought and
abused my hospitality, had been mortally
wounded in a recent ARRAY in a distant
city, but had lived long enough to make
a disclosure, which had been laid before
the governor barely in time to save me
from a shameful death, and condemn me
to a cherries and burdensome life This
is my experience. My judgment as yours
in the case before US, leads to but one
conclusion, that Of the prisoners guilt
but not less confident and apparently IN
erring was the judgment that falsely pro
nounced my own"
We no longer importuned our fellow
juror, but patiently awaited our dis
charge on the ground of inability to
agree, which came at last.
The prisoner was tried and convicted at
a subsequent term, and at the last mo-
ment confessed his crime on the scat
fold.