South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1914-09-04
Statesmen Real
and Near.
By Fred c. Kelly

Rep. Edward w. Townsend of New
Jersey. author OF "Chimmie Fadden,'
sat listening TO the debate i'm the SEN
ate chamber the other day. and it re-
minded him of the last time he went
to a hanging.
Whereupon you who read this Won
der what sense there can be in a man
letting his mind jump from the sem
ate chamber to a hanging. And the
answer is that Townsend simply
couldn't help it.
Two senators were endeavoring TO
talk, or rather one was talking and
the other was irterrupting. AS fast
as the one who was talking would say
anything the other party to the
sketch would rise to ask a question in
a loud voice. This gradually irritated
the first senator until he refused to
yield any more of his time and the
man who had been interrupting was
forced back into his seat.
1t was then that Townsend thought
OF the hanging. He thinks of the
hanging, it seems. nearly every time
he sees a bOiSterous, persistent orator
forcibly compelled TO stop talking.
Townsend was a reporter on one of
the papers out in Frisco and rose by
sheer industry and application to the
i
whenever prominent man was TO be
hanged. Townsend was sent TO witness
the exercises. He became so adept at
writing up hangings that TO read one
OF his accounts was almost as enjoy
able as seeing the event itself
one of the hanging parties Town
send attended was in Reno. New.
Among those present, by the way, was
Franklin *. Lane. also a reporter at
hrrf no
tary of the interior He and Town
send did not meet from that day I'M
Ill they ran across each other here in
Washington year or SO ago.
The principal of the occasion was a
man who had for years been one of
the foremost murderers in Nevada.
Four times previously he had been
sentenced to be hanged. but had al
ways managed to escape on some
Au(e. He bad got it into his head that
a death sentence was of little conse-
quence and that he would finally die
of old age. And there was where he
got off wrong in his viewpoint 1t
stands to reason that a man who
keeps getting himself sentenced 10 be
hanged will carry his pitcher 10 the
Well too often. But this man couldn't
see it. Right up to the moment when
they pulled the drop he was certain
he was going to avoid his part in the
entertainment
The hanging took place in yard
surrounded by a high fence. Several
hundred people were gathered out
side. although the fence was too high
for them to see what was going on.
The prisoner. when asked if he had
anything TO say. had 2 great deal to
say. He addressed himself 10 the
crowd outside and cordially invited
them to rush against the fence break
il down and rescue him from an un-
toward fate. Somehow or other. it
never seemed to occur TO him that they
wouldn't do it. He was the most
cOck-sure man, Townsend SAYS that
he ever saw. While waiting for the
crowd to tear down the fence the
prisoner addressed himself TO the
sheriff. called him many uncouth
names and told him what he was GO
ing TO do 10 him as soon as he eS-
capped.
The sheriff was too polite to take
mean advantage of a man about to
die a premature death. and did not
talk back to him or even try to stop
his speech. But when the man had
talked for nearly half an hour with
out any sign OF getting through. the
sheriff saw that il would be necessary
10 adopt some parliamentary proce-
dure and place a time limit on his re-
marks. He took out his watch and
said to the prisoner
George, YOU have just FIVE min
utes more. So If there's anything
special YOU want TO say. you'd better
crowd il into that time"
The FIVE minutes rolled around and
the man was still talking.
I'm not near through vet" he said
and went right on.
Well the sheriff was good natured
and let him have another five minutes
rather than spoil his closing remarks
When hat five minutes was up. he
said
George 7 don't like 10 hurry YOU.
bat I've got 10 get ont OF here. chop
that short now and let's get this hang
ing over with
The prisoner threw up his hand