The Norfolk weekly news-journal. (Norfolk, Neb.) 1900-19??, 1912-02-23

this don't believe in capital punish.
mcnt ! can see n patient die but 10
see sane men kin well man, In cold
blood excuse me"
All of this talk was sort of be.
tween the acts"
Hats off! No smOkngi" called a
man in ovcralls, from the gallows.
The next sound was that of the
prison inmates, who were Watching
the death watch. Then we heard the
shuttle Of feet and again the priest
and the deputies in blue brought two
poorly dressed men onto the scar.
fold
well, the other two got across in
| time for lunch" said one deputy in
seat near me, looking at his watch.
These fcllowsll eat with them"
answered tn, guard But guess
| they'll get there too soon to please
| them"
| The two men in poor clothes stood
ON the trap where the deputies placed
| them. One of them wasn't a man, but
n boy, John schultz, rs years old. son
|
said hadn't done anything but get
into bad company" And now we
knew what the prayer was, for John
raised his head and looked up; he fix
ed his blue eyes on the high ceiling:
he repeated the words which the
priest murmUred
priest murmured
"Oh, Christ! Have mercy on my
soul" His words rang out clear as
bell. Holy Mary, intcrcede for me!
Pray for me, Bring me to everlasting
lifc!"
The deputies were tying the straps
about his arms and legs.
Another of them tied the white
shroud about the boys neck
Savior, save met Forgive me my
sins!"
Listen to that young fellow pray
said a reporter.
Christ, / love thee" said the boy
In the white covering he looked like
a choir boy.
Grant me to live with thee. For
give me my sins"
While he said these words. stln
looking upward, William Davies, the
jailer put the moose over his head and
frightened the knot under the boys
ear.
Another deputy was doing the same
to Sommerling.
Forgive me my sins Forgive me
my SINS" rang out the voice OF the
boy. His voice was growing louder,
there was a tone of wildness in it,
Holy Mary! "-"crash." 1t was an
awful thing to hear in the same mo-
ment those words from the mouth of
that boy, and that sound. But they
came together. Again the feet of
fourteen doctors scuffled over the ce-
ment floor to the white, swaying,
twitching bags.
There was another intermiSSion.
Now, if this niggerll only confess
before he's hung, you fellows'll get
fine top-off for your days story" said
a deputy sheriff to the reporters
We've got a good early start in
the days work, said a reporter. Are
You going out for lunch Why don't
you sheriffs so out now and then
come back for the afternoons work.
You can finish lot of men at this
rate"
Geo. said a young doctor, coming
up 10 Jailer Davies, Il though you'd
left your handouts on that young fell
low. lifted up his hand and didn't
see that another doctor was holding
it by the elbow. ] though his hands
were locked together, because !
couldn't move his arm"
They don't suffer" another doctor
was telling the reporters.
But isn't there some easier way to
kill man." asked a reporter.
II should say So" said the doctor.
They could put a tiny drop of hydro
cyanic acid in his soup some day and,
in an instant he would be stone dead,
without twitch or a pain. Or they
could kill man with morphine ano
he would die pleasantly, in beautiful
dreams. But this hanging. It's the
crudest thing in civilization"
Il saw a doctor put young Schultzs
neck back into place in fine shape"
said deputy-"just grabbed his head
gave it twist, and it snapped right
back where it belonged"
] saw plenty of smiles during the
two hours and ten minutes. heard
plenty of attempted jokes and com
monplaces, among the forty-two doc
tors. Why did we smile and try to
talk of everyday things?
= Because hanging is so awful THAI
a man who witnesses it dare not ad-
nit to himself how awful it is. He
knows in his heart of hearts, that the
cold, deliberate killing Of a man by
his fellowmen, brutalizes the killers
and that is all society-just as surely
as it ends human life. Perhaps the
killers suffer more harm than the
killed-W. G. S.
REuNn Enlnd entity