The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-12-16

There is flower blooming in the death chamber.
No one has ever seen it, yet now and again it,
fragrance fills the place
You would not think of searching among our little
band of outlaws for thing so tender. You could
not expect to find a blossom there sending out its
perfume amid such dull surroundings. There is no
blue sky for it to climb toward no ray of sunlight
there to nurture it, and yet it finds crevice and
blooms eternal even in the fetid air
It thrves and is thrice beautiful because it is the
only bit of heaven in that gloomy spot.
+'The Rose Of the Death Chamber" Will you
hear the story?
Joseph and William had adjoining cells. Perhaps
there is not much that could be said in favor of
either of these Possibly outside OF that isolated
place they would have been at with one another
as well as with the world. But companions IN such
misery must pcrforce become companions in truth,
SO Joseph and William became great friends. Good
neighbors outside do not always do that
They held sweet communion together much to our
discomfort since they could not hold whispered con
ferences, and their condolences were sometimes pain
full to listen They played checkers and quarreed
cheerfully over the outcome of every game. They
told large and varied assortments of pleasant and
romantic untruths to one another
Joseph was our expert tobacconist AS the local
tobacco and he blended them with much mystery and
a solemn air of Importance Each of us had
preference for some special mixture and Joseph
made and kept them in stock for us Joseph had his
in our little community. We were all very tact
ful with him about the time needed our tobacco
stock repenished.
William not popular, but more profound
Williams fancy lightly turned to thoughts of law,
and since law chiefly responsible for our being
there it not particularly favorite subject
Williams mind painfully legal He had gradu
ated from 'Julette' and had prepared himself in
other such institutions
Joseph had also course of law of similar prac-
tcal character in Kings County Penitentiary and
like places
Joseph could not possibly hope to rival Williams
forensic knowledge, but Joseph Irshman
and he stronger insisted that he was-on the
English usage of the code That the reason
they fell out they quarreled point Of law
Possibly if neither of them had possessed the slight
est knowledge of the subject they would have argued
Just the same. They used to lie awake AT nights
thinking up questions to discuss in the daytime
And finally after everything else had been gone
over, they locked horns poser as to whether
conviction would stand when motive and act were
both established by circumstantial evidence
For several days and for long hours during those
days they discussed the matter dispassonaely Then
they became personal, upon which the peace of the
death chamber became utterly disturbed.
1t is strange that subject which could not init
atey affect their feeling toward another should
so seriously have shattered their companionShip.
But it did No could reconcile them | 90 not
mean that they did not speak to another. They
did But the things they said not of the nature
to even appease, let alone turn away. wrath They
spent most of their time declaring how much they
would enjoy exchanging calls and what would hap
pen II such accommodations could only he arranged.
There being hope for such cheerful consum-
nation of the matter. they continued to quarrel and
we continued to suffer accordingly
1t winter outside. We knew the season,
because the steam turned on in the radiators.
1t was Christmas time. We knew that too, by
the little sprigs of holly that the guards and keepers
in their buttonholes How good it looked
How cheerful and Godlike. But how far away it
seemed
On Christmas morning Joseph arose early. Mind
ful of the joyful period and prompted by his deep
personal regard for William he set about assuming
the role of the good st. Nicholas He procured
very ancient stocking and filled it with the remnants
of former repasts. There antiquated bones a
venerable tomato, which no one would dream of
eating; there were cigar stumps and burnt matches
and other things of kind not to be mentioned
The stocking contained many surprises as Joseph