The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1909-01-28


ayes. | saw him draw a knife from
the body and come in this direction"
"Blood on his shirt sleevep exclaim
ed one.
"And here's the knifer cried anoth.
er, drawing the knife from Dayid's
pocket
"All right Come along"
David was charged with having kin.
ed man whose body had been found
beside a road half mile away. lie
saw the trick the murderer had played
upon him. The man had meanwhile
washed his hands in pond and while
trying TO reach the railroad had been
accosted by party who had discover
ed the body. He told them that he hGd
seen the murderer leave 1t and guided
them to David. 1t was then that Da-
vld said:
"If | swing for this in your place, !
win come back to earth to see that you
get your proper punishment"
David did not swing for the crime
He was elcctrocuted and mainly on
the testimony of Newton Hawkins, the
man who had left blood on his arm
and given him the knife.
Some time after Noan's execution
Hawkins was approached by negro
who entered into a brief conversation
with him. An hour later, when Haw-
klns was entering the house in which
he lived, he saw the negro looking at
him. He made dash for his shadow
er, but the boy slipped into an alley,
and Hawkins lost him.
Hawkins saw no more of the negro,
but heard OF him. The negro was evi-
IDENTIFY making inquiries concerning
him. Hawkins, who had guilt on his
conscience, was intending to slip away
when he was arrested on n charge
made by the police of having commit
ted the murder for which David Nolan
had been executed. When his case
came up he found the police I'm pos
session of a. chain of evidence which
had been sent to them anonymously.
1t was originally a clew, but they
made 1t evidence.
During the trial the prisoner while
casting his eye over those sitting as
spectators in the courtroom saw the
negro who had shadowed him. The
negro was looking straight at him and
continued his gaze. Then for the first
time the threat of David Nolan oc-
CURED to him. He shuddered
Hawkins was convicted OF the muir
der and sentenced to death. When
seated In the electric chair he cast his
eyes over those standing about to wit
ness his execution. There is a limited
number Of officials at such ceremonies,
but In this case the doomed man saw
some one else.
"The niger" he gasped. "Take
him awayw
AT the moment the current was
turned on, and the ceremony was
ended.
There has always been a double
mystery In the matter of the Hawkins
case. In the first place, the police
never learned who had put them on
| the clew that resulted in obtaining the
! evidence on which Hawkins was CON
| victed. In the scond place, II has never
! been established whether Hawkins
! really saw negro present the mo-
ment before be died or was so wrought
upon by his approaching end as to see
him in Imagination. The officials de-
clared that no permission to be pres
ent was given to any negro. All those
who were there declared that there
was no negro among them.
| There is possible explanation
! About the time that Nolan was cleo
! trocuted 1t was asserted by physicians
that such subjects do not die of cleo
trclty, but under the knife at the sub
sequent autopsy. This opinion was In
a measure supported by the discovery
that life is usually present I'm the body
a long while after all appearance of It
has vanished. These doctors made ap.
| plication to be permitted to expert
ment on an electrocuted body and
were fatty refused by the sheriff. 1t
| is well known that Nolan's counsel
was convinced of his innocence. 1t is
also fact that the lawyer was on in
innate terms with the sheriff. 1t has
been whispered that with the sheriff's
! connivance the doctors were permit
ted to steal Nolan's body and that
they resuscitated 1t. This is the only
theory that fits into all the conditions,
If Nolan lived again he could not de-
clare himself without bringing a
swarm OF hornets about the sheriff,
who had saved him from felon's
death. Disguised as "A negro he might
have worked up case against his
enemy, but did he witness the exc
cution, and, If so. how did he get In?
DONALD CHAMBERLAIN.