The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1904-07-20

ed In ne oniy possible verdict. All
was over for Winthrop Lyle. The
Judge. in a queer, quavering whisper,
had drawn on the fatal hcadgear of
doom in manner to suit his peculiar
taste, and spoken these words which
even the most callous cannot hear I'M
moved, ana for the :ext twenty-four
days The doomed man was walking the
sorrow-stricken path of the Valley Of
the Shadow. From that awe-lnsplring
moment Winthrop Lyle was no longer
wholly human. \ metamorphosis had
changed the convict into being whose
soul was already knocking at the Eter-
nal Gate.
The condemned man heard the YER
dict unmoyed. save for a tremulous
movement of the lips. whlc'. the most
self-contained can never wholly hide,
anu passed down those toOtworn steps
so many untortunates have trod to the
cell apportionel him. Here. by special
permission of the Judge, he had an in
terview with his brother without the
restrictions Cf a watching warder.
~ expected nothing better" said the
prisoner. "and nothing remains for me
now but I 'eparation for the end so
close at hand" This '~as said in
loud voice in order that the warder
standing outside the door, which was
just ajGr should hear and form mis-.
taken conclusion.
When Eustace Lyle left the prison he
carried with him. ana concealed in an
inner pocket, letter which Winthrop
had written when ,ne case seemed
hopeless, and had ged to slip un-
seen into his hand. Not until he was
at hom, again and behind locked
door did he venture to read it. 1t ran
thus:
Before the day of execution comes
shall be far away from this place-or
dead. l want you to do one thing and
promise another. Leave $4,000 with
our lawyer ROome, TO be given to any
one who asks for it, be he beGgar,
tramp or gentleman. And promise me
that IL escape no one of my family
shall make the slightest effort to find
me or follow me.
Ordinary means Of escs pc are out of
the question. l shall be shepherded
night and day by two armed warders,
who are reli, we'd at intervals of four
hours. j know. and you will yourself
see. prison doors are TO be opened only
from the outside, and were | to sue
ceed In oyerpowering the guards and
opening the door some twelve other
doors and gates would have to be nego-
tiated ere | breathed the outside air.
have calculated the periods of duty
and relief of the six men told off for
"condemned cell duty." as it is called.
and find two warders. Cox and Foster.
both young men. Will be- my guard
from 10 to IL a. II. IN sunday next.
when | shall be at exercise in the pris.
on yard. You must get at these men,
not ostensibly. but by ordinary courte-
sy. They use The Kings Crown. and,
as I know from experience while here,
appreciate a good cigar. Spin a yarn
of bonded cigars to be purchased on
Saturday. or the day after tomorrow,
and you wish to share the delicacies
with them. You need make no secret
vi Jul bN4DANlllNs 'HlNt l4lflI Il ubItll
or so each on Sunday morning as they
enter the outside gates. Their hours
of duty are from 8 TO Il. | shall
smoke after breakfast. as / am per-
mitted. and as all will be safe in the
condemned corridor will persuade
them to join me. They will, for the
odor of my undoctored cheroot will be
an insumountable lever.
The drug anyl does not take action
for sixty to ninety minutes, accord.
Ing to the dose. This will bring us to
the hour Of exercise. So far SO good.
Now. listen. The foreman OF the
works has sick wife and a screaming
brood. Approach him, offer him
handsome set-off to pay and pension on
condition that when at work tO.mor-
row the brickwOrk of the wall they
are repairing may be loosered; this
will be insufficient alone but the lad.
der always used in working hours
must be Inadvertently left behind
when leaving for the night. You can
guess the rest The foreman gets the
sack for "gross neglect OF duty" and
falls back smiling on my comfortable
check, and |, well. I-neyer mind.
When the news OF my flight reaches
you, look upon me as dead and buried
In Newton Churchyard In fact. 1t
won't help you to do otherwise.
Winthrop was In good spirits at the
close Of his brothers visit, and kept
himself In the same mood for tie next
few days. In spite OF the trying scenes
OF farewell with his friends and rela.
tives.
The Lyle family. wealthy and pow.
erfui, was bent on preventing by any
means the disgrace of the scaffold. Ii
was great triumph for Justice when
Influence intrigue and the skill OF the
lawyers came to naught In court and
elsewhere. Even public opinion. won
TO sympathy by the brilliant struggle
which Lyle made for his life, by his
talent. his spirit. his beauty OF face
and manner. his steady and solemn
declarations of innocence, was resisted
and overcome by the officers OF JUS
uce.
The care taken to prevent prisoner
under sentence of death from escape
N suicide is very thorough, bet It re-
ml1ds one OF the care taken by rail.
Voy companies to prevent accidents.
m9ttes how pegfect the system. II