The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1906-04-16

once 5IdSIGIiGuA OH SLGEv 3 lIle auOlliEStiLSI Il
knew of his disconteiit, had been told |
of the desire OF Miss Keyes to- have |
him better his con ditioli away fr ON
her house, and they, one and all, point
ed the accusing finger at Lee. his
trial conyulsed the county and at the
assize court held in Exeter iii Jam
ita 1885, Zee was convicted and SEN
fenced to Be hanged twenty one days |
after the close ofl the trial. Lee pass
ed 3thTough the ordeal of the trial with |
3stolid indi Ference and it was remarked
| that the convicted man was the least
moved of any of the vast assen1blage
that listened TO the horrible details.
"A smile crossed his face now and then
as though he enjoyed the notoriety.
After his conviction Lee -stoutly
maintained his innoc whenever
suitable opportunity offered He fre-
quently told the warders at Exeter
| that he would never hang; that the
| Lord told him SO, and that they would
be stopped every time they tried it. ItI
in an historical fact that the law in his
case proved poWerles to carry out its
own behest. Thrice was the condemn
ed man placed on the trap Of the scat
Ifold and the bolt drawn that would.
lhave launched him into, eternity, but
eaeISt the drop failed to work The.
Iexeciitio was Berry. the famous.
/ English hangmail, renowned for shis
skill in his grewsonie calling; yet
every time he drew the bolt with the
Icondemned man on the scaffold the
mechanism refused to respond 1t was
la singular fact that when Lee was re-
Imoved the drop fell smoothly and
ireadiiy. The sheriff reported that the
woodwork oil the scaffold was so sWol-s
len, owing to a wetting in some strange.
manner, that the mechanism would
mot work, but his report TO Sir Viii.
Ham Vernon Harcourt, the home sec
i Iretary, caused that official to commute
Il Lees sentence to fife impris onment.
II To an interviewer Lee presented a
I martyrike siibmissiveness and Christ
ian resignation to what he was pleased
| to consider as the will of God. He
II said:
i 81 'erd EN- a-sayin at the trial as
81 oW j killed poor nlissis out of re-
Jvenge. That couldn't be true, for
Il adn't nothink TO be reyenged for. 1t
is true that i Wos agoin' to leave, but
] only cos there Wosn't enough to do,
an the missis wos a-tryin ard to find
me another place. Wos very. fond
Il of the nissis, / Wos. She Wos regu-
4 lar good one to me; she only took me
in out o Kindness, an there Wosn't
n 'ardly anythink to do. | wos surprised
q when they came for me on the morn
j ing Of the execution to strap me up
/ an lead me to the scaffold. All the
4 Warders at Exeter can tell you, If you
4 care to ask 'effl, as ow / told senl 'ow
1.-The Epfd saa spoke TO ffsesi al fifeaih
an told me as 'ow would never
Il ai1g, an the Almighty power Of God
!. stopped 'em every time they tried it.
They read the burial service over me
4 three times, an it Wos a queer a-'earin'
\ 1.-THE minister a-Sayin so Solemn-like,
n this is our beloved brother an dust
al to dust, but Wos never afeard for
la mint, for I kiloWed it couldn't be
: done, even wen i had the cap over my
3 eyes an the rope aroun' my neck. It
!, will show you 'oW strong Wos my faith
AL in my own safety wen ! tried ard
Ito kick the drop down from under
Il me an asked the warden standin' roun
s Ito bear and. / tainted aWy wen
Ill they tried the third time, an wot mar
Dl wouldn't under the circumstances?
sl think / showed 'ow brave man coule
d be wen the power of a nation tries
ell with all its might to put i'm under ths
tI sod. wos took back to my cell, an
sI they gave me brandy an then sent ms
d | up to the ONE Office for instructions
d. Sir Vernon ,Aarcoiirt wos 'ome sec
ell retary at that time, an e pardonet
el me. The law provided that / wos Il
Z be anged only once on certain day
. And 'ad suffered all the agonies b
e angling three times, SO they said 'at
e satisfied all the requirements of til,
Ii law. But they didn't let me 60,
81 Lee served the first rite months ii
1.-THE penal establishment at WormWooi
4 Scrubs, and was then transferred Il
the prison at Portland, where he wa
an exemplary prisoner for fourteei
years. It was common rennarl
among the officials Of the prison tha
the authorities ought TO be ashame,
iof themselves tv keep sGch a man il
prison. AT the end cf fourteen year
he received a ticket Of leave "for con
spicuous loyalty to Ihe officers in tim
Of great danger. The nature of thes
services he positively refuses to divulg
but it is said to have been efficient al
lin quelling an itisurrection and pre-
venting 4 disastrous jail break. Bu
4 his leaving England secretly, the eye
Qf the authorities being on him, show
III that he deemed il necessary to put tll
ocean between himself and his enc
mics.
AS Tommy Jones" at Victoria, I
c., he. secured berth on a whalin
vessel bound for the Arctic, but hi
bad luck shipped on the same yesse