The Mellette County pioneer. [volume] (Wood, Mellette County, S.D.) 19??-1971, 1912-08-02

sary, In order to avert suspicion. 20
make the whole affair look like an or.
binary burglary. So we took some of
your plate and money. But your prop.
erty Is safe and will be returned to
you In a day OF two. The only thing
you will lose will be the little bottle,
for its contents are working their own
mischief, also their salvation, In the
body Of my child. I had learned
enough from your manuscript what
to do. ! took the bottle to my child,
and when the keepers back was turn.
ed, ! told her by means OF the deaf
and dumb alphabet exactly what to
do. She followed my directions implic.
lily. In a very few days my girl got
Ill. She became delirious, was re.
moved to the prison hospital and plac.
ed In a ward alone. DR.. Hudson, the
prison doctor, pronounced her case
enteric Of a severe type. Tomorrow
is the day fixed for the execution, and
up to the present I have heard NO
word OF its postponement. Something
must be done. and you must do 1t. A
girl. d%elirious. almost unconscious,
cannot be dragged to the electric
chair. II would not be decent. All
America would rise up and cry out al
such an outrage. You must come
with me to the Tombs, see the appar,
emily dying girl, and interview the
prison doctor. You won't refuseT"
mo-" / said, II will come"
Half an hour later We were within
the gloomy precincts of the Tombs
Mrs. Tankerville was admitted to the
hospital to see her daughter, and q
warder, having taken my card to the
prison doctor, showed me into the
iatter's private apartment. DR.. Hud
o was a tall, slight man. quite
young, with an eager face and kindly
eyes.
How do you do, DR.. Halifax" he
said, coming toward me and extending
his hand. "Of course. I know you by
reputation, and am pleased TO NEE,
you. Is there anything ! can do fol-
you?"
YES" ! replied. MY object IN
coming here is to see a prisoner
man, ed Susanna T~ankerville. ! an
the mothers friend in this terribl,
business. Is 1t possible for me L see
herr"
THE girl Is practically dying" an
swered Hudson. Not that IL make.
much difference, for she is TO be exc
cuted at eight in the morning"
But surely such a sentence canno'
be carried out IN a dying girl:"
"As far as that goes, all those I'm
fortunates condemned to death ar,
dying" he responded. But / admi
that ! have been much troubled ovel
this affair. More than a week age
the disease declared itself as enteric
She is very i'll indeed tonight"
In that cas- a wire to the cover
nor would surely insure a postpone
ment of the execution"
ut would only be postponement. re
member" said Hudson. LAS soon a,
the unfortunate girl is we'll enough
she will be taken TO the place Of exc
cution and the extreme penalty OF th,
law will take effect"
MAY / see herr" I asked.
ut Is unusual, but l cannot object.
He led the way at once, and in
few moments ! stood at the bedside o
the dying girl. Mrs. Tankerville wa
kneeling beside her. The face of tn,
unconscious patient was white, tn,
cheeks were sunken. the temples hol
low, but the long lashes, black as jet
the thick black hair. pushed away from
the delicate forehead, the contour o
the lips. told me that in her hour o
health her beauty must have beef
considerable. ! took her hand ant
felt her pulse. ! noted the tempera
ture chart which hung on the wal
above her head. Hudson's eyes fol
lowed the direction Of mine.
"She has been in a comatose con
dition for the past two hours" b,
whispered.
We were both about to leave tn
room when a movement in the be,
caused us to turn back. The cir
had opened her eyes. She locke,
full at Mrs. Tankerville, and spok'
distinctly:
Mother, I remember. At last
mother. ! remember. That man
dreamed about, / know who he
now. Look in the album-his photo
graph is there-the man from tn
West"
The last words were almost maud
bic. The brief period of unconscious
ness was merged into a deeper leth
argy. I took Hudson's arm and lie,
him from the room.
you must wire at once" I said
You cannot by any possibility allo,
that execution to take place In tn
morning. That girl has found a mem
DRY which she had lost. This ma,
mean nothing or everything. But dc
lay Is OF consequence. Her illness ha
earned II for her; let her have It,"
II will telegraph the governor a
once through the warden" he an
swered. .
He left me for a few minutes, an,
then returned to say that the messag,
bad been forwarded to Albany. an,
that an answer could be looked TO
| shortly. with fha rerfafntv that /,