The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-08-25

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know what the big jump might be like2'
1t occurred to me that Porter was
writing a story and wanted to daub
the color on true. He never stuck to
facts, but he went to no end of pains to
set up his scenery Alright.
Il can't produce a Lazarus TO crafty
your curiosity, but there's a fellow due
to be bumped off in a week or SO. You
come over tomorrow and I'll knock you
down TO the near-stiff,"
Man to Die Says Charge False
what is he like?' Bill seemed all OF
a sudden to weaken and his fluent
whispering became hesitant and uncer-
tain.
Don't know. But he,n sit in the chair
In about ten days, He sent another felt
low over the great divide some months
ago. He says it's a lie and he's inno-'
cent Just like a babe, you know"
There's nothing very esthetic in the
prison soul. Men laugh and jest over
death. For weeks We would know
when the electric chair was due for a
demned man walking in the yard
with a. special guard before he
was finally locked up in the death cell
and fattened for the slaughter,
I'D change places, - them.
I'd die for the pleasure of gorging my
self with a week of square meals"
Many times / have heard %rawboned,
hungry-eyed men in ranges and shops
fling out the challenge.
But as the day for the official murder
draws near, the whole place seems over.
hung with mournful gray shadows, One
can almost feel 1t in the corridors--the
cold, clammy Atmosphere OF the death
day. 1t is as though drowned people
with wet hair cliging about their dead
faces went dropping up and down reach
ing out chill fingers and putting their
icy touch on each mans heart.
We v talked on those days but
often in the night, screams, long,
frightful and sobbing that
trail into broken agonized moan would
split through THE air waking us with
creeping f%oreboding. Some overwrought
wretch whose dreams tormented him
had seen the death in his sleep.
There was the grewsome hubdub
about the prison now for the Kid was
going to be bumped off, They were
1T takes plenty OF juice to kill the
condemned.
Porter came over to the campus to
talk to the man who faced death.
There he Is, the soft looking fellow
walking with the guard-he'l let you
talk to him."
When a man has but seven or eight
days Of life, they give him q few priv
ileges even In a prison. They let him
take a turn in the ~yard-they give him
roast beef and chicken to eat. They
they let him read and write, and some
times they let him keep his light all
night. Darkness is such a dread mag
nifier Of %terrors.
Porter went over to talk to the Kid
The three men fell in together and
walked up and down for about five or
ten minutes. The condemned man put
a hand on Bills arm and seemed child
ishly pleased to have such company.
When Porter came back to me, his
face was a sickish yellow and his short,
plump hands were closed so tight the
nails gored his flesh. He rushed into
the postoffice, sat down on a chair and
wiped his face. The sweat stood out
like heavy white pearls.
for Ignorant Fellow,
Guess you got the scare, all right,
Bill? Get a close enough squint at the
though he had seen an unholy ghost.
"Al, go out and talk to the boy. Be
quick. This is too monstrous. l thought
he was a man. 1t Is but a child. He
has no fear. He can't seem to realize
that they mean to kill him. He hasn't
looked at death. He's too young
Something should be done about it,,
| had not talked to the fellow. ]
knew he was up for murder. ! thought
he was about rs.
Colonel, did you see the way he put
his hand on my arm? Why he's only a
little, ignorant fellow--he's just II. He
says he didn't do it. He's sure some
thing will happen to ave him.
Good God, colonel, can Il man be-
lieve any good of the world when cold
blooded murders like this are DELHI
erately p~erpetrated? The lad may be
innocent. Al-he has gentle, blue eyes
I've seen eyes like them in a little
friend Of mine. It's a damn shame to
murder him."
As the warden's secretary I had to
attend and make a record Of the ex-
cuTsions. A soft youngster of II woul
make an ugly job for me.
knew the facts in this case. The
evidence was strong against the Kid.
He and q boy friend had gone down the
Sciota river one Sunday afternoon TO
take a swim.
It's True, But Not ALI.
The Kid came back alone--the other
boy was missing. Three weeks later
a body was found buried in the mud
far up the river, II was decomposed
beyond the possibility Of recognition.
The face had been eaten away,
The parents Of the missing boy had
been haunting the morgpe. They look
ed at the remains, found a birthmark
on the decomposed body and establish
ed the identity of their son. The Kid
was arrested. Witnesses clamored into
the courtroom. They had seen two
boys on the Sciota and the Kid was
pointed out as one Of them.
The boys had been ~quarreling. Sud-
denly the Kid had grabbed his COM
panion iby the arm, dragged him down
to the river, shouting: '.Tll brown you
for this!'' Two men and a woman had
heard the threat. The Kid was con-
demned on their evidence.
Yes, sir; thet's true" the youngster
looked at me with his gentle eyes and
put his hand on my arm as he had on
Porter's.