River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1901-07-25
THURSDAY. Feb. st is all over.

TUESDAY, Feb. Sit is all over,
and / have been found guilty and
sentenced to be hanged. The curious
thing about it is that [ do not feel so
very gloomy about it. The suspense be-
fore the verdict was great deal more
narrowing than the certainty of the
scaffold seems to be. Perhaps it is be-
cause ! am stunned by the hopelessness
of the situation and tired out by the
long weeks of excitement and worry.
Anyway, l know that tonight do not
fear the death that has been decreed.
Most certainly l do rot regret the
act which has brought me to this cell.
| glory in it, and would do it again to-
morrow under the same circum-
stances. want to set that down here,
so that all of my friends and any 9th
ers who are curious enough to read
this diary may know after | am gone
thac | did not consider myself Grim
inal.
My lawyer tells me that my friends
are making strong efforts to have the
governor intercede, and that he has
promised to see me. But it will do no
good. l killed Philip Sherry-there is
no question about that They proved
il plainly enough at the trial, in spite
of my lawyers most skillful efforts.
Even if they hadn't, it would have been
none the less true. But none of them
know why did it-only one-and they
never will know Torture could not
drag it from me. She knows, and l am
content. No, will tell nobody. will
not even tell the governor.
Wednesday, Feb. 6.-Strange things
have happened to-day. | saw the gov
ernor. l broke my promise to my
self that 1 would not tell why / killed
Philip Sherry, and the governor has
pardoned me. They told me that he
was a cheap politician who could not
be reached except by Doodle. But l
know he is a most masterful man, who
knows all the fountains and impulses
of human action and passion, and that
he has a heart that understands and
beats in harmony with his fellow men.
He was not at all the sort of a look
ing man / expected to see. His face
impressed me as being type of the
pioneers, the men who have felled the
forests and reclaimed the wilderness.
He does not look the scholar nor the
orator, although he surely must be an
impressive speaker, judging from his
logical habits of thought and his mas
terful use of the English language. ]
think it was his eyes which made the
greatest impression on me. They
were the most peculiar eyes / ever
saw. They seemed to turn inward and
be communing with his inner CON
seriousness most of the time. But every
now and then he would give me a
glance so sharp and penetrating that
L felt he was looking into my very soul.
l entered the room sullIy and I'M
reconciled with my fate. The govern
or, sitting sprawled out in his chair,
loose-jointed, looking more the back
woodsman than the statesman, his
eyes dulled with that peculiar intro
spection. He asked me a number of
commonplace questions, which l an
swcred with a mixture of contempt
and doggedness.
Suddenly Strengthening himself up
and fixing on me glance so sharp and
penetrating, and at the same time so
commanding as to make me involun-
tarily rise from my chair, he fired at
me a volley of questions so pointed, so
comprehensive, so searching, that it
seemed to me he was scanning my in
nermost consciousness
Before l realized it / was pouring
out the most sacred secrets of my soul
TO this man who but moment before
had been an utter stranger to me, and
whom ! had been taught to regard
only in the light of coarse and self
ish politician. Something he said
stung my pride, and his personality
won my confdence-all so artfully and
so quickly that l involuntarily re-
sponded.
Listen to me, SIR" l cried, my fists
clenching. while felt the veins stand
out on my neck, even as had felt them
stand out on that day when l killed
Philip Sherry. 81 am not a criminal ]
am not bad man. do not believe my
tendencies are vicious. God knows ]
have an awful temper. But upon the
memory of my mother, l believe that
temper has never been aroused, except
upon just provocation or by some act
of injustice or brutality.
az remember well the first time !
ever realized l had a temper. Tt was
the same time also that / realized ]
was an independent personality. 1 was
peculiar boy, sensitive, lonely and
self-eonscious-shunning the other
boys because their badgering WAYS
played upon all my supersensitive
nerves.
My mother, God bless her. who