The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1907-05-05

| to regulate the irregular pulse, moiSten
4 the parched skin and in word. to
keep his man well enough to die on
the following Tuesday The good Mac
murdo would.as lief have given him a
/ draft OF deadly poison. but such hui
mainly would have sent himself to the
/ gallows instead. So the surgeon did
his best for the poor doomed body. and
the chaplain did his best for an i'm
/ mortal soul still filed with bitter re-
! bellion and rage. But this physician
| was less successful. though not less
I kind-praying in his chamber for the
I poor impenitent but yet doing what
/ in him lay TO further such efforts as
/ were still being made for reprieve.
I Even on the last Sunday. when the
stern divine furnished that incredible
/ barbarism. the condemned sermon. the
| humane gentleman was upon the other
tack and in almost hourly communica-
ton with Daintree himself.
Tom could not guess at that. The
last to enter the first TO leave. the
crowded chapel he did so with the
sense of his indignity heavier upon
him than at either Marylebone or the
Old Bailey. The very chapel had been
filed with sightseers-and he the
sight. He had recognized the noble
earl who had come TO spy upon him
before the trial and with him ladies.
And. to cap all. the ordinary had men,
toned him by name in the sermon,
taking the sixth commandment for his
text and directly addressing Tom from
the pulpit. The outrage was unforgiy-
able. When Mr.. Cotton came to his
cell soon after. the convict fatty re-
fused ever to listen to him again.
you have insulted me before men,
he cried "You need plead for me no
more before God"
"But consider who you are. what
you were.'' protested the reverend gen.
tleman-"a clergy mans son, your poor
father
'Not one word of him. said Tom.
''He would never have spoken as you
spoke There. sir. do not force me to
say more You have been kind to me
in your own way, but the greatest
kindness now is to leave me in peace
until the end"
Next day he asked for pens and pa
per and spent the entire afternoon
upon one letter. Turkeys, who came
continually to see how he was bearing
his last hours on earth, found him al
ways writing. writing, writing, with
the tears streaming down his face
and yet the happiest look that they had
seen in it yet. The turkeys were prac-
teal experienced men. They never
doubted that what Erickson was writ
ing was his full confession of the crime
for which he was to suffer in the morn |
ing So one brought another to spy
upon him in the act Of historic compO-
sition. And still he wrote; and still he
wrote.
He was done before dark and ate
his supper as he had eaten nothing for
days. He seemed happier man-that
was only natural to the turnkey mind. |
And yet the sealed packet set in front |
of him on the table was not yet adj |
dressed. and when the governor, pay |
ing him visit in the evening, said |
slyly, rs this for me" Tom answered.
with quite laugh, that it was not 1t
was for friend, and the last act Of his
unpinioned hands should be to add the |
address.
Tom stepped back into the cell and |
stood there with the full moon laugh !
ing in his white face and blazing eyes. /
Very well, He would brain the next I
turnkey who came near him and SO at
least deserve his death even If he
could not slip into the dead mans |
clothes and thus away. So the hot fit
had followed the cool; SO madness trod
upon the heels Of rational thought.
The murmur of the crowd had done
it. 1t had left him a wounded lion,
and his maddened eyes were now row.
ing round the cell in search Of that
with which to shed blood for blood.
They lit upon the metal washstand
fixed dixie the iron candlestick) to the
wall. In an instant the washstand was
torn out by the roots and poised over
the cropped yellow head, while the
loose tin things rang like cymbals on
the floor. The clatter was slow to
cease. It was followed inevitably by
hurried footsteps in the corridor. So
much the better. The time was come.
Tom raid tie washstand on high in
both hands and himself on tiptoes to
give the greater force to his blow as
the door was flung hurriedly open. He
was bringing it down upon gray hairs.
when he saw their color and. swerving.
swung the apparatus with a crash
against the wall.
Lucky for you it was your he cried
as the chaplain threw up his hands.
"Unlucky for me. I'd have killed any
other man in the place. Now you see
what they've made Of me. Better send
them to tie me up. It's no good your
wasting your BREATH
The ordinary wrung his hands and
gazed in the frenzied face with un-.
z.'=:Tn II l