Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1907-07-23
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fusion was taken as additional evil
dence Of guilt. And when, at length,
did command language to give an
intelligent statement, 1t was received
with sneers Of incredulity. The mob
spirit Is inherent in man-at least in
crowds of men. 1t may not always
manifest itself In physical violence. 1t
sometimes contents itself with lynch
ing q character. But whatever its
form, it Is always relentless, pitiless,
cruel. AS the proofs Of my guilt, one
after another, came to light, low
muttering gradually grew into clam
or for vengeance; and but for the
firmness of one man-the officer who
had me in charge-I would doubtless
have paid the penalty Of my suppos-
ed offence on the spot. 1t was not
sympathy for me that actuated my
protector. His heart was as hard as
his office; but he represented the maj
esty of the law, and took a grim sort
of pride in the position. AS much un-
der the glance Of his eyes as before
the muzzle of his pistol, the cowardly
clamorers drew back. Perhaps they
were not sufficiently numerous to feel
the full effect of the mysterious reflex
influence which makes a crowd Of
men so much worse, and at times so
much better, than any one Of them
singly.
"At the end Of some months my
trial came. 1t could have but one
result. Circumstances too plainly de-
clared my guilt. I alone knew they
lied. The absence of the jury was
very brief. To their verdict I paid
but little heed. 1t was single hid
eous word: but had long anticipated
1t, and 1t made no impression. AS
little impression was made by the
words of the judge which followed It.,
and his solemn invocation that God
might have that mercy upon me
which man was too just to vouchsafe,
sounded like the hollowest Of hollow
mockeries. 1t may be hard for the
condemned criminal to meet death; 1t
Is still harder for him who Is innocent.
The one, when the first shock Is over,
acquiesces in his doom, and gives
himself to repentance; the heart Of
the other, filled with rebellion against
mans injustice, can scarce bring IT.
self to ask pardon of God. 1 had
gradually overcome this feeling, In
spite of the good clergyman's irritat-
ing efforts, which were mainly direct
ed towards extracting a confession,
without which, he assured me, had no
hope to offer.
"On the morning Of the day fixed
for my execution, felt measureably
resigned. 1 had so long stood face to
face with death, had so accustomed
myself to look upon 1t as a merely
momentary pang-that my memory
should one day be vindicated. She
for whom I had gone to prepare a
home had already found one in heav-
en-. The tidings Of my calamity had
broken her heart. She alone of all
the world believed me innocent; and
she had died with a prayer upon her
lips; that the truth might yet be
brought to light. All this had heard,
and II had soothed me as with a sweet
incense my troubled spirit. Death,
however, unwelcome the shape, was
now a portal beyond which could see
one angel was waiting to receive me.
I heard the sound Of approaching
footsteps, and nerved myself to meet
the expected summons. The door of
my cell opened. and the sheriff and
his attendants entered. He held In
his hands a paper. It was doubtless
my death-warrant. He began to read
it. The words full and free pardon
were the first to strike my preoccu-
pied senses. They affected the by
ISLANDERS more than myself. Yet so
it was: I was pardoned for an offense
1 had never committed.
"The real culprit, none other, 1t is
needless to say, than he who sought
and abused my hospitality, had been
mortally wounded in a recent affray
in a distant city; but had lived long
enough to make a disclosure; which
had been laid before the governor
barely in time to save me from a
shameful death, and condemn me to
a cheerless and burdensome life.
This is my experience. My judg-
ment, as yours, in the case before us
leads to but one conclusion, that of
the prisoners guilt; but not less con-
fident and apparently unerring was the
judgment that falsely pronounced my
own"
We no longer importuned our fell
low-juror. but patiently awaited our
discharge on the ground Of inability
to agree, which came at last. The
prisoner was tried and convicted at a
subsequent term, and at the last mo-
ment confessed his crime on the scat
fold.
QUALITY COUNTS.