Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1907-05-04

hoa another name, but 1t did not
n r,ottcr to us what II was. lie
~ was lust Benjamin. from the DAY
.aw him amble in through the big
soor on the side of the Death Chamber
,,y,til we lay back on our cots IN the req
.troakcd dawn of another daytime gay
go heard them take Benjamin out on
.a ether side. through the Little
Door" ,,
Strange to say, when they brought
p.niomin In he was laughing. 1t was
.,4,be usual way. The Death Cham
hsr is no laughing matter. me man
who retains the God-given GIT OIL nu-
,.o,. In it's atmosphere Is wonderful
7.,,t still more wonderful ~ the human
,,ei,fr who can communicate this TO
,.hpre under the same circumstances
Erom The time that we heard Zen.
sor,ip's laughter, caught 4 glimpse y,
Sis .tall. lean FORM his small black heau
ana his rows OF shining Whlte teeth, we
,rsIcoued him with all the intensity OF
revinr nothing better 10 welcome lie
,.os re,llv funny to look also lean
tbof he could not cast shadow so
tIark that YOU could not see him IN the
JsrD. so chiidlike that the law might as
,vaiI have punished baby
the crime for which Ben was destined
o. make our acquaintance was that Of
iu,iug a walter. The waiter and his
FI,rnds had previously punched Ben for
some fan minutes and within an men
of his life The alteration was over
a plate of ham. Benjamtn's trantic
aucer compelled him to get even. he
did. So did society. Benjamin prac-
tIraIlv q child, killed the waiter in the
heal of anger. Society killed Benjamin
rllmlv and dispassionately Benjamin
ALWAYS insisted that the ham was very
bad He didn't use that word. bat |
maintain that the ham, IN whatever
condition, was the sweetest part OF me
whole transaction.
Heniamin was a happy coon. The for
malitics which must be gone through
briore Joining our small colony !lileG
him With wonderment. He joked with
all the officials. He began with the
sscratcher" "a scratcher IL a clerk) In
the outer office who took his pedigree
and measured him for clothes. Next
the butch" physlcianl who thumped
and measured him again and asked him
an sorts of questions. Then the buck,
who Is the good cha plain, came and
took his pedigree anew aud was very
anxious TO know how ard where he
had been baptized. Last Of all, Benja-
min passed through the Bertillon eX-
law, Aw! Avn chuckled Benjamin.
CAV. Aw! | wonders who viii be the
next man what measures me?"
The undertaken" murmured the
keeper. and Ben stopped laughing. He
looked indignant for a moment.
Il is going to get a new trial next
fan for sure, he announced,
We had heard that story before.
on the first night we initiated Benja-
miu. The mayor of the Death Cham
Ter. myself, made an address OF well
cone l called him my brother.
tod him how proud and happy he ought
to be, ! dlated upon the joys of ex-
istence In which there was no work
where one could slumber and eat and
slumbsr again and have i white man
run and light our pipes for us whenever
h. was called. We presented Ben with
brown paper apron on which the doc
ion nod drawn Il sable dove with tite
motto Damn the jury" in gothic let
,rrs. after which Benjami: L-e.t down
lrl tOuS. the solemn oath of ALICIA .,>e
He promised 10 obey the mayor i'm
plieIuy. At midnight we taught him
the proper names for everything around
Us. ~ t5Ntslce to him the mystery &C
the Little Door and the beautiful
meaning OF the Flying Pan which
was hidden just beyond. This served
for short space of time to keep him
interested. But 1t did not last long.
It Is bad enough for a man of intelli-
gence to be IN prison, yet such one
can interest himself Self imposed
tasks may be assigned. He can read
and write and try TO find interest in
the life stories about him. But what
OF the uneducated mana man who
cannot control his thoughts? What Is
he to do? In the Tombs. when he
awaits trial hope is left-hope of es-
Gaping consequences. There is
chance of acuuittal then. While there
is hope there is life, just al the reverse
is true. In the states prison and pen
ltentiaries some occupation is pro-
vided, some sort of companionship, and
still a breath of hope-a looking for
ward to release. But surely the good
people who countenance death cham
hers cannot realize what ii means TO
am ignorant man when they condemn
him to idleness and solitude in thai
room of waiting. Granting the right
to deprive him of his life, has the state
the right TO take his reason first?
] knew a man there once who could
not read or write. He spoke a Ian
suage which no one understood, What
was there for him to do? He could
not even have pet. Time after time
cats have been brought IN for com
1sny, fed royalty, treated with univer-
sal kindness, even loved; but at tho
first opportunity they would run away
Sometimes when the warden visited
us his little dog would follow. hut only
TO the door. Everywhere else in the
prison he kept at his masters heels
but he always stopped just outside the
death chamber. Once the warden
dragged him In. lie smelt ut the lit
tie door and howled, No amount of
coaNing could get him to make friends
with us, the animals knew. IT was
instinct, or sixth sense. or second
sight but they all knew.
Ben became bitten with the mcrobe
OF culture. | inoculated him, Benjn-
min found that ! studied persstently.