Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1912-10-24

g. s. man, the murterer He will pc hangt
49, ~ Montay."
ssa Polman had not begun to sing, how
ever, until the middle of the last of the
three weeks that the law allows convicted
murderers before their execution. Per-
haps this because time had slipped by swiftly
that he had been how rapidly it Then
there the glare of the gaslight. which always
burned distressing him. The constant watch they kept
also embarrassed him. 1t was while he was seated
upon his baggage, waiting for the summons to start
on his long journey, that Polman had first became
aware OF it.
He had packed everything his wooden spoon and
his tin bowl the soft soap and scraps of food in
case he needed them. He kept them rolled in his
7annel nishtgown; and often he had occasion
Use anything he repacked it aferward. He had been
,Ware for long time of some unknown oppression,
md it when he raised his head suddenly, to follow
fugitive thought, that he perceived the Eye for the
irst time staring through round hole in the flap Of
the door 1t unwinking, hard, and of an indie
terminate gray
lie soon discovered that every movement he made
vas under its surveillance BY night and day it fol-
owed him with its unwnking stare, wearless as the
1aslght that burned overhead in its Opaque globe
covered with wire. Three times each day, when the
Hap of the door was lowered and converted into a
iinng-tablc the Eye became portion of face that
illed the aperture When the flap closed only the Eye
was visible
Polman glanced up furtively. The Eye watch
ng him.
1--WE visited him three times, Evans said the
prison chaplain the head ailer 1.-THE seems
in stupor He didn't appear conscious of my presence
at all. I could him bring him to any
realization OF his situation"
All sir you're to the business" the head jaler
answered They're mostly that way at the beginning.
sir he continued confdenaly, 'but they most
of EN- to so through regular stages Next week
we'll be giving him double quantities of victuas"
The chaplain went back again and sat the con-
demned mans and pleaded with him. At such times
Poman was only conscious that the intoerable glare
Of the gaslight had become supplemented with horror
Of sound The of the human voice half deafened
him. and he would crouch in corner, shaking his head
slowly from side to side like captive bear, and fum-
bling with his luggage He aware at this time only
of the approach Of some portenous and eliminating
event in which he had been for the important
role
Polman had never thought of the dead woman
whose life he had let through bloody knfe-rents
He had thought of the red tape upon his lawyer:
briefs, of the judges red hair under his wig, OF th'
cd-faced uryman whom he had hated but had no
been allowed to challenge. But never, not in thu
middle of the white night, when his thoughts whirlet
like lawn-mower had he thought about her Al
that they accused him of had been entirely unbelievable
from the beginning; it not he who had committed
that impossible action. In fact, Poman had not re
rcrnbered anything of that indiscretion at all On
moment he had been Ponan, the small, respectable
unmarried tradesman in the little Welsh town, tn
fervid singer and exhorter in the chapel Of his OBJ
scure sect his Gaelic mind wildly alive the realiza
ton OF an imminent hell for such yielded to teshl
lusts vet carrying his secret intrigue with prick
incs Of conscience the next he blood-spatere
maniac stupidity staring at broken carving-knife i
his hand and looking down in establishment at tn
teebly writing body OF the woman whom he had LOVED
reside whose body female pug fat. and with glaze
ewes howlcd dismally The sight had turned him sicl
so that he crept ont into the street, between lines
shouting and gesticulating people. Afterward some
BODY took him by the and led him away.
The next thing that Polman remembered was stant
ing up in the dock in the court of the assizc tow
and looking across at the jury. Polman had hmse
once served on a jury which had convicted prisont
of BURGLARY The evidence had been entirely circun
stantal and largely incomprehensible to him and h
fellows, the judges charge entirely so; but they ha
brought in a verdict of guilty because the prison'
had been a tramp and crimes against property mu
be put down. Remembering this Polman seeked dow
his hair and nodded and smiled, to show the juro
what respectable fellow he was, His counsel wou
not let him challenge the red faced juryman thoui
he could read the hostility in his eyes; and instead
pleading an abi as he had been instructed, and
he had agreed to do, he argued that Polman had bee
insane Ponan's sister, who had gone into service
London when a girl and married well there, had con
up with her cockney husband and had told queer stori
elbout his youth. The trial lasted about three hour
ahcn the Jury filed out of the box and almost INN,
dately came back and the rcd-faced juror stood 70
ward and looked at the judge
"Ate you agreed upon your verdict, gentlemen
asked the clerk of the court The Judge without wa
inc for the answer, smoothed his wig over his red hi
ind produced from some place piece of dark velv
.rookng his hand it to hide IT,