The weekly register. [volume] (Point Pleasant, Va. [W. Va.]) 1862-1909, 1903-05-20
DEATH SENTENCE.
Passed by a Wayne County, w.
Va, Judge and One by a Tex
as Magistrate.

dsS ~ uutlG anu Oh0 DI - LcAe
as Magistrate.
The following sentence was pro.
nounced on Laban T. Walker, al
the August term, 1879, of the Cir.
Quit Court of Wayne county, this
State, by Judge Ward. Wake,
had killed Pat Noland:
"Laban T. Walker, this is sad,
solemn and trying hour to you, a
most painful one me. l am now
called upon to perform the most
painful duty of my public life; but
it is my duty, duty that 1 owe to
society and government. and which
1 must perform. Had you per-
formed the obligations resting up
on you as a man and citizen, and
lived uprightly and hurt nobody,
/ would have been spared the pain
full feeling of this occasion, and
you would not now be compelled
to drink this cup of bitterness to
its dregs.
But you have disregarded the
obligation you owe to society, and
shown to the world that you, pos
bess heart desperately depraved
and fatally bent on mischief. The
kinder and nobler feelings of our
nature seems not to have found
lodgment in it You have wsnton-
ly and wiokedly imbued your
hands in the blood of your fellow
man, and taat blood now cries
from the earth against you. You
have taken the charmed life of a
human being, and sent a creature
bearing Gods image unbidden in
to His presence; you have taken
that which you cannot restore
that which the demons in purga-
tory, the men on earth. or the an
gels in heaven can not give.
No creature in heaven above or
or earth beneath can give life to a
blade of grass, save God alone. By
taking life, you have robbed crea-
ture of his all in all-'all that a
man hath will be give for his life
tits the precious gift of the i'm
mortal God. Had Pat Noland
been possessed of all the treasures
of earth, in order to have lived out
his allotted days he would have sur
rended them. But you gave him
no chance for cspitulstion, not a
moment of time in which to say,
Lord be merciful to me a sinner;
but robbed him in an instant of
the most prerious jewel, esrth's
pearl price, and sent him unan-
nounced ananointed into the un-
discovered land; cut him off from
earthly enjoyment. closed his eyes
on earth forever to all the loved
and endesring scenes of earth, to
the hills and wales, the brooks and
the rivers, to the floating clouds
and, sun, moon and stars-to all
these things and to all things else
he must bid long and final adieu.
Farewell to the world-farewell to
the holy heavenly light-fare-
we'll to earth's great trinity of
blessings, wife, children and
friends-farewell to all-farewell
forever. Oh, that word forever!
tits an endless circle. Could the
poor weary soul journey around it
for a million of years. the end
would never be reached, and should
it cry out in the language of de-
spair, How long! Oh! how long!
the echoing answer would be for
ever-ever-ever.
There is law that is said to
have been penned more than three
Thousand years sgo-it has come
down to US over the long track of
time, hoary with sge-'Thou shalt
not kill The penalty attached to
it's violation was penned about the
same time He that sheddeth
mans bio d by man shall his
blood be she'd This law you have
violated. this dreadful penalty has
attached to your offence You
have been indicted. tried and
found guilty. and it now becomes
my painful duty to pronounce the
terrible sentence of law upon you;