The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1915-08-18
The Death House
One Who Has Been There Tells OF
the Last Moments of the Con-
demned.

ing in the death chamber at Sing
Sing prison. Roland B. MolineauX
was tried for murder, convicted and
spent several months in the death
house, an occupant of one of the lit
tie cells where Becker spent his hnal
hours of life. MolineauX wrote OF
his experiences there in a book, The
Room With the Little Door," publish
ed by Dillingham;. He gives this de-
scription of a mans last day and
night; the few remaining hours be-
fore the little door opens to admit
him to the execution chamber.
There are unwritten laws and can
ons for all important occurrences IN
the death chamber . I do not mean
the prison rules; but the way we
have of doing things. For instance,
the new arrival, after he has passed
through all formalities at the oficl-
ais hands, and they are many, is
initiated by -'us" on the first night
passedin~eurssociety. $751;
This is. an ancient and honorable
custom. and like all limitations, a Sc
cret. These fixed ceremonies occur all
through his long and brutal life in
the death chamber. Long, for even
a short stay in it makes him old;
brutal, because his punishment is
death. Is that not enough? And to
add thereto years of solitary confine-
ment is to kill MIN not once, but over
and over again. The system is all
wrong. Oh, the years in the Death
chamber. The loneliness, the quiet.
He'll must be a quiet, place.
When at last it. is drawing to a
close, when the governor has refused
to interfere, the officials proceed in
this manner: On saturday the "for-
tunate one" on stepping from his
bath is ordered into a new cell-the
one next to the 'little door" leading
to the execution chamber. Here he
receives everything new; new bed
ding, new clothes from head to foot,
and then his knicknacks, pipe, tobai:-
CO, boxes, books, and the package Of
letters from home, ragged and blur
red from reading and re-reading; all
have been carefully searched. He
receives something else, for this
change in itself is his notice that ore
week from the following Monday he
will be moved again. No questions
are ever asked; he has seen it all be-
fore; but should he ask, the only re-
ply will be, "I don't know"
From that moment a certain un-
written etiquette among us is never
violated. His own way in everything
as far as we can possibly comprehend
it, is our law. Does he ask for a sorg
or story, his demand is acquisced
with at once. Will he play checkers?
He may choose his opponent, and he
will always win. We send him our
oranges, the top layer from the box
of cigars one has purchased. We do
anything, everything we al to please
him. Has there been a quarrel be-
tween him and another, it is corn
pletely forgotten. On his part, he
must make the CHASTITY regulation
jokes during the week. These are two
in number, one with the keeper about
the new suit of clothes: 81 suppose
you will be wearing this week after
next" Number two is with the bar
Der: "Don't forget to cut my hair
short on top" From now on the
death watch" 1.-TWO keepers) sits in
front of his cage every night. During
this week occurs the greatest horror
we are called upon to bear, j. e., to
hear the last farewell of our com
panion to mother, wife, sister or child
While listening to their cries we an
ticipate the agony in store for those
we love. My heart bleeds when I
remember what I have heard in the
death chamber. 1t is unspeakable. I
cannot write of it.
The comes the last night. Every
thing must be done very exactly now
Our code prescribes for everything;
nothing must be omitted, no custom
may be violated. The early evening
passes as usual. Generally he asks
for songs, perhaps, he will sing one
himself. That is as it may be. But
at midnight the last rites among us of
the death chamber take place. The
keeper comes to my cell carrying,
perhaps, the little paper box my de-
parting friend has kept his tobacco
in so long; one that he made and
decorated himself.
"Keep that to remember me BY" l
hear from the direction of the little
door.
"Thank you," I reply.
"Good-bye. / hope you have luck
and get out" is the next part of the
ritual.
l must respond, "Thank you. Good
by and God bless you"
This is repeated with each n sep
arately. He gives everything away,
books, pipe, and all. For six months
he has just been turning over in his
mind just what treasure each of his
companions shall receive when the
last night comes. The responses ev-
er vary. They are o as they were
ten years ago; they will be the same
twenty years from now if that hell
on earth is still in existence.
No one speaks to him or to any n
else after that. He is reading and re-
reading each of those letters for the
last time and destroying them. We
hear him tearing them up n by one
RI, NIL