Tensas gazette. [volume] (St. Joseph, La.) 1886-current, 1910-10-14

strength and stature, and the intelli-
ence of a child. He was brutalized as
few even among his kind are. During
the entire period of his thirty-odd
years of life no single redeeming in
fluence had ever come to him. To
work for twelve hours each day, strip
ped to the waist. begrimed with coal
dust, in the mines. to 60 home to
sleep like an animal or to consume
rotations of brandy until he lay
stretched out upon some pothOuse
floor insensible-such was the routine
of his life. varied only by occasionally
beating his wife and smashing the
home upon the outskirts of the town.
During the course of one prolonged de-
bauch he murdered the woman amid
circumstances Of atrocious cruelty; he
then set fire to the house. which was
insured for a small sum, by means of
clumsy continuance of oil-soaked
cotton waste and gunpowder. and
calmly presented himself at the Of
fees Of the insurance company the
next day in order to draw the money.
His trial and conviction were the
merest formality-the jury did not
even leave the box-and he was duly
sentenced to die In the electric chair.
had visited the adjoining death
cell to treat an Italian murderer for
defective hearing-the proneness of a
man under sentence of death to worry
about some minor ailment is an inter-
esting and frequent psychological phe-
nomenon, akin, l suppose, to that
which induces him, upon the very
morning of his execution, to partake
Of a hearty breakfast-when the head
jailer pointed out Radovitch to me.
The giant Slav's appearance was one
of incredible bestiality. The narrow
head was no larger than a child's his
little. pig-like eyes were narrowed
with fear and cunning and he present
ed that extreme symmetry of feature
which. as Nordau was the first to point
out. is constantly associated with the
criminal type. l was gazing at him
in horror, yet unable to tear myself
away. when l heard Brodsky's voice
speaking behind me.
1T Is a striking commentary upon
our so-called civilization that we put
such creature as that to DEATH" he
said. "One might more justly slaugh-
ter a gorilla"
1T Is cruel" l answered But, DR..
Brodsky, is not such a creature. after
all, better OF out of the world than
in it? A moments suffering-and he
has ceased to exist"
That was the first time that ever
saw Brodsky lose his self-control.
is 1t possible" he cried that you
consider that death will really wipe
out that individuality"
We'll. DOCTOR" said. with some
hesitation, Il don't pretend to know
what's going to happen to the immor-
tai part Of him, assuming that there is
any immortal part to survive. But at
least he will be removed from our hui
man world. as we know it."
The doctor gave a short laugh and
tapped me on the shoulder.
my boy" he said impressively. "he
will not be removed at all, because.
since he has presumably never ex-
perienced any spiritual yearnings, he
will continue to haunt this only world
that he knows. but in a discarnate
form. The death Of Brodsky will set
free certain conglomerate mass of
soul stuff, uncertain of its DESTINY.
humbly anxious to learn, but at any
rate not DESTROYS of remaining in con.
tact with a world which it has thor.
\oughly experienced and come to be
weary of. But the death of Radovitcb
Will set at liberty vast, chaotic lump
of animal soul, actuated by the same
vicious and unframed desires that con.
trolled it during the life of the body.
yet freed from the dynamic laws of it's
mortal prison and" had never seen
him appear more earnest-"seekipg to
incarnate itself in some other body
which will grant 1t the qualification
of its earthly desires. The death of
Radovitch will be the release of Just
so much additional force of evil"
He turned away and then the taller
came to usher us out of the prison.
1t was then that DR.. Brodsky asked me
to assist him at the autopsy. to which
I eagerly agreed.
During those last days of the muir
derer's life he somehow became &C.
quainted with the jailer's little daugh-
ter. child Of eight or nine years. Il
should never have been allowed. but
jail discipline is VIGOROUSLY lax in
country towns; the child had been in
the habit of helping her father carry
the prisoners their food. and had some.
how wandered into that part of the
jail which was set apart for the con.
demned. Of course not knowing what
these mems fate was to be. The &C.
quaintance proved mutually attractive.
The savage Slav took a curious fancy
to the child. The jailer. devout
Catholic. was at first Mortified, but
finally assented to the prolongation of
this curious friendship. moved partly
by the childs entreaties, and hoping,
also. that the softening influence of
the little girl might bring Radovitch
to a realization of his impending fate