The Lake County times., 1907-02-09
WILLIAMS JEST
HAUNTS THEM
Parting, They'll Come For
You Later" Agonizes
Companions.
A NIGHT OF HORROR
Spores, Wife Murderer, Only One In
moved By Prophetic Words
He Eats and Sleeps.
Especial 10 Lake County Times.)


Michigan City. Ind Feb. s.-on the
second floor of the hospital building
and secluded from every unofficial vis-
itor there is a light and airy chamber
containing four large steel cells. or
rather cages, two on either side with
a space between. This is in the gloomy
prison at Michigan City and ii is the
apartment where condemned men pass
the closing days of their lives. We'd
nesday morning there were four doomed
prisoners in that chamber Today
there are but three. George Williams.
the negro who slew the indianapolis
policeman. is missing, for he was the
thirteenth victim Of the black engine
of death built permanently in view Of
the impending wholesale executions IN
the gallow room below, summoned to
his deaath in the first minutes OF Fri
day morning.
The two most miserable men In all
the state huddled sleeplesly and fear-
fully under their bedding in that con-
demned chamber Thursday night. list
ening for the distant drop of the trap
that should tell OF the negros end. for
while they had not been told the exact
time at which to expect it, they knew
It was al hand.
John Lapidat and Constantinos Sta
thocopoulas. the Lake county Greeks
under sentence to swing March 29, are
suffering all the terrors possible for
doomed persons to experience.
Miss Williams Jovfalit.
Williams was very cheerful man.
While he was in the chamber with the
Greeks his never falling joviality served
in large measure to keep their minds
from the fate in store for them. When
on Wednesday morning he was taken
away, they but dimly knew where ex-
cept that early death would be the
! certain end, their minds were suddenly
turned to the certainty of their own
impending doom. and 1t was a parting
jest by the black man that drove the
truth home.
Well. good bye. boys" he said as he
passed through the door, they'll come
for you later on"
William Spores, the Scott county
wife murderer dated to hang Feb. %. IS
rather stoical and bears the situation
with much fortitude He eats and
sleeps and the departure of Williams
did not shake his nerves. His two
Greek companions have eaten and
slept but little since that occurrence
and the animal ferceness that formerly
/ sparkled in their eyes has yielded to
soft and luminous appeal that Is pa
thetically human. They are in adjoin-
/ ing cells and cannot see each other.
but can look through Spores cell op-
opsite and to the empty cell where the
negro was and which now appears to
fiji them with horror and with fasci-
! ha
they know, when their turn comes
March 20.
Realization becomes Acute.
Thursday night as daylight slowly
faded away from the one big window
/ in their room, they realized that before
another day their former black COM
panion would be destroyed by the war
den's hands. They were apparently
obsessed with the thought. They re-
fused the supper brought to them and
when bedtime came and the guards
light was turned down to a mere
flicker in the corridor before them they
rolled and tossed In their narrow iron
hunks and moaned like sick animals.
/ All the night through 1t was so. The
guard roughly commanded silence but
there could be no silence there for
their very souls were crying with fear.
They imagined the death room mist
to be near their own and often listened
for the sound they thought must come
from the execution, listening and moan
ing alternately until morning opened
when they were haggard and sick from
apprehension. They turned away from
breakfast When the guard was
changed they looked into the new
comer's face as though 10 read in his
features about the night, but dared not
ask.
Have Endured Worse Than Death.
So did the two Lake county Greek
murderers pass the night in which
their cell companion was hanged. Now
they have already endured the pangs
Of death. They are nervous wrecks:
and yet. after the manner Of their race.
they will maintain sufficient strength
10 carry them to the death cells and
thence TO the very platform Of the
scaffold without collapse. Death itself
will pain them less than that ona
nights contemplation OF it.