The evening world., 1902-12-05
MOLINEUX WRITES
OF DEATH HOUSE.
"The Room with the Little Door" Is the Sug
gestive Title of the Work in Which He
Describes His Terrible Experience.

MI rmuring of Latin prayers.
a o lie in your cell (the drawn
curtains make II resemble a little box
wide awake. you know that the last
confession Is being made, the last sacra.
mcnt Is being administered.
Watched the Death Tragedy.
This is another reason why no break.
fast is glven to the traveller. l saw
It all one morning. The curtain waS
not quite down to the floor.
Il made myself as fat as possible; ]
saw h priest kiss him; hold up. the
cross before his eyes; bid him have
faith and then back out Of the cell.
He who is soon to be Tt follows,
Then | heard the little procession
march rapidly into the next room.
What happens in there and how Il
felt three minutes later I cannot re-
you-but / came very near finding out.
VIII you believe me, that this day Is
a long one?
You fellows outside can dc much to
divert. the mind from dlsagreeable
thought; we have breakfast and sit
down to wonder which one of us will
Poor Benjamin. you have the ad.
vantage Of us now; while we are al
worrying. you are roposing in your bed
of quickliCne."
RapS the DistrIct-Attorney.
In his chapter on "The Third Degree
Molineux refers to the DIstrictLAttor
ney,s office. then In charge Of Col. Asa
Bird Gardiner, in this fashion:
,Cohsistency is a jewel-a rare one ir
York. for after all this fuss and expendl
ture the good lady who held the office oI
Distrlct-Attorney dared not try the case
but left 1t to his successor"
.Mol!neuN, In describing the dealt
chamber. says: 1T is very light In tho
death chamber-glass skyllghts by da!
ana gas and electric lights by nigh
throw beams OF light In every corner OF
our Of steel and stone. Guards
mace up and down night and day. always
watching. There is no sound while they
do this. as their shoes. like ours. are
soled with felt. It is like living and eat
searchlight. It is like being alive. bui
buried in a glass coffin"
The gruesome story OF a death-house
companion. The Professor" he was
mouse in his cell. He coaxed 1t unit
he made 1t a friend. He had n far
sighted purpose. Finally the shadow
fell and his death came nearer. The
Professor fell Ill.
His Pet Robbed the Death Chair.
Fright" said the prison doctors. but
when the day came for him to walk
through the little door the man was
dead. There we're red spots on his face
ne ndu ulGO OF eTySlpeIaS and MOlinely
thus tells what was discovered wher
they stripped his body for its winding
sheet Of duickiime:
Over his breast were little scratches
Gssp have ay ht no b tgeth IN could iSs dn make ot then IN
ber) and lattened down on them and
tightly bound lay the putrid remains
OF the little dead mouse
the chapter entitled "The Murderers
Home Journal" which is an account
OF n paper edited and issued by the In
mates Of the death house. MoiinenS
WAS editor-in-chief. Here are two bits
of verse he culls from the prison poets
RIN
Sweet spring Is here. and We all know It, too
But not, alas, as outside poets do.
Here are no birds or flowers. or murmurinG
Our spring ArrIvss-whsn they turn on the steam.
"a JUDGE"
Here lies a Judge. whose last words I indlte:
I'm go to heaven-I'll so this very night
He died. as with himself he conversed.
As usuSi-hls decision was reversed.
"Home, Sweet Home" barred.
The Forbidden Song" is a pathetic
sketch OF the entertainment OF a victim
the night before his death. He tells OF
the songs and qu!ps and OF the song
that was not sung-the song that is
hd2HT6.dde9 In the death house. 1t is
The chapter Me and Wife" tells OF
Mrs. Mollneux, and 1t is said there are
hints in 1t Of certain things that have
come out since his liberation, but 1t also
fntimates that this chapter may be re-
vised or entirely omitted before the
book Is issued.
The dedication OF the book is as fol.
lows: ITO my father, Gen. Edward Les
lie Molineux. with reverence"
BY way of preface he writes:
The following waits are products OF
my imagination: little stories that came
into my mind from time to time. Some
Of them are from letters written home
while l was confined In the Tombs
prison. in New York City, and in the
death chamber at Sing Sing.
I'm them ] have not inflicted myself IA
any great extent upon the reader, Here.
in Is chiefly what | saw when trying Ia
look upon the bright side. They are also
glimpses OF the side which cannot be
made bright, look at IL as one may.
But IL anything in these pages leads
some one to think OF what must he en-.
dured in either place. let me say that nc
suffering was ever wilfully caused by
the officials with whom / came in con.
tact during my Punishment and
take this opportunity to thank them ali
without exception for their considera.
ton. sympathy and unvarying kindness
to me and mine"