Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1912-12-21
The Little Green Door"-On
One Side Is Life, On the
Other, Death.


swing open q week hence Is dis
unguished above all others. N
Iar as they can manage it, he ia
TO nave his own way in evervthing
promptly and without argument II
ne asks for song or a story nv
wants to play checkers-bv the
Death House system of calling ont
'ne moves from one cell to the other
tnefe is instant acquiescence.
All quarrels are completely FIR.
gotten. Every comrade possessing
dehcacles, or cigars, presses them
upon MN. In return for all of which
evidences of consideration he is ev.
pected during that last week n
give utteTance to all the ghastlv
regulation jokes. Two of these in
particular, when made with JUNCTION
cannot fail to elevate him in con
eral estimation. ''0"'
10 the keeper who hapds It,.
MS fatal new suit of clothes he r,,,ss
say; I suppose yon will be we aTs
aug Ihem week after next"
AS all are familiar with the ,ro.
tic9 OF shaving the top of tho bood
OF the man about to die in Ecu rJ'.a
Co1t ene electrode may have close
W o"t .I with the skull, he must saw
ont r paroer: Don't forget to
ouG my hair short on top
sDuTlng all that last weeIy tba
oeatn watch" shared by two l,eon,
e!s; SITS IN front Of his cage evo,.r
nlSnI' Meanwhile he and his cor
I9ues endure the greatest horror ~
a. .Oue last farewells of motber
Mlte' sister or child. Durine tboSo
scenes the horror of CHE f fi9Io
Green Door" is discounted Tnsr,
LINES over. That is one snbincs
'uaC is never mentioned.
TOT the last night the unwritta,
cue prescribes for evervtbirg.
notnlng may be omitted. no cne ,l-,S,
VIoiated. At midnight E IIvol.
Stops before each of tba otbor oopo'
cupled cells distributinp +Lo
Dacco, pipes, and other +rigos ~
longing to the comrade who &c 80 DS-
TO go, who calls out as aacb ''D una
sentation Is made; on pre-
Aeep that to remember me- bva
AH t!5,, each recipient answers:
4b,,a "ttliN you. The colloquy ends
-. 1ooQoye. i hope you have luck
Thank you. goodbye and Goa
bless you" anu Goo
for SIX months he has been firm.
ing over in his mind iust ybat
treasure each Of his c0nnopions
shaII receive when the last MONT
comes. The responses never varv
writes Mollneux: "They are now
as they were ten years ago. thew
now" o''4S Ai0~
Ihere is no sleep for anvona Rat
there is no more talk. They hear
MIN tearing up letters from bis
FAMILY and friends, resoIuteIv after
one last reading. Long before the
ua"n they can family hear, or feel
.ne vibrations Of the dynamo that
IS Delng made ready to supply the
ueaIh current. Presently they hear
new soft footsteps. They know
ahey are the footsteps of priests.
Tor there is soon the murmuring
OF Latin prayers.
me curtain of each cell door has
Deen drawn so that the others may
not witness these last scenes
MioIlneux describes what he saw.
- ing nat on the floor of his cell
ana looking under the curtain:
saw the priest bless and kiss
MIN; hold up the cross before his
eyes; bid him have faith. and then
pack out OF the cell. He who WIS
soon to be it, followed, Then T
heard the procession march rapidly
INTO the next room. Bang said the
hungry little door as it closed"
FOR all who remained behind. the
hanging Of THE Little Green Door"
was the END. All whose last hone
mad been shattered envied him.
me real torture chamber is not the
iaIge room with the chair at one
slde, in which the condemned is
fastened with straps about arms and
less, to have tTouser legs slashed to
tne knees, moist electrodes bound
TO his calves and his skull. and then.
all at onCe-to be nothingl The real
torture chamber is where This
Little Green Door awaits
through weeks. months, sometimes
Tor years.
The other side of "The Little
Green Door" where the chair waits,
IS bright yellow. THE Chair" is
right before the eyes of those VINO
pass as they go through "The
Little Yellow Door" THE Little
Yellow Door" is set in cement
painted fine sky blue. The floor
IN front of it is brightly vanished.
But no one in the Death House
can know this-because nc ons
ever comes back to tell them.