The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1923-06-10

for-eyen though 1t was to be the
haunted sleep known only in a con-
demned mans cell.
CHAPTER 10
I slept well that first night on
Murders row. that is, my sleep was
unbroken until midnight, at which
time the death-watch guard was
changed. And while the guards that
passed in and out were, IN accordance
with the rules, wearing Sneak
ft-soled-shoes. because of the
fact that two of them stopped on
the floor below not far from my
cell and engaged in whispered con-
Versation l was unable to get back
to sleep for three hours or more.
From what I heard there, l was
led to believe that none of the state
prison guards liked the job of
watching man during his last hours.
The man who had been on duty for
the eight hours ending at midnight
was just leaving the lower corridor
as I awoke. 1t was necessary for the
night cell house custodian to unlock
that lower corridor gate to allow that
relieved man to pass out. After the
gate had been relocked, I heard the
cell house guard speak to the other.
We'll, Tom, how you like it?"
Like it," the other repeated the
words in stage whisper. why say
i believe I'd rather be shot myself
than to work a month there"
'How's Flowers standin it?"
l. He just sleeps like a log" was
the answer; He's either crazy or got
no conscience"
Hes not crazy" averred the other,
'Hese just the worst on that we've
ever had here. If ever a man de-
served to be executed, Frank Flow
ers is the man."
"We11 whether ho dasevyes ~ mr.
not he's goin' to get it,
Eyes, without doubt" came the
whispered agreement And how
about Dutch up th@e-think he'll
go?"
1 overhear Judgment.
"Sure-he'll be sent right along"
This other fellow"-and 1 knew
the speaker had likely motioned or
nodded up toward my cell-'he'll
to be rushed through: he's another
one that's a bad egg, but he's smart
enough to fool lot o. people"
| raised noiselessly on one elbow
and starined my ears to hear more.
How do you mean-fool 'em?" I
| caught next
We'll, some people argue that be-
cause the carmen were tryin' to kill
| him. that ought to make a differ
ence"
TT wasn't exactly a cold-blooded
ltillin'," opined the other. of course
he went there to rob them. and
suppose that he'll be executed-but
it wasn't anything like as bad a case
as this down here"
I knew that this down here"
meant Flowers.
In way it wasn't. yet in another
way it was the dollhouse guard
asserted. Even if they did try to
kill him, they had a perfect right to.
I'm one that believes in KILN hold
up men whenever you get chance
I'D rather somebody else would
do the kiln was the answer Hes
almost sure to be bumped off, but
it's a matter of fact that if those
street-car men hadn't followed him
and tried to make reputation 70:
themselves as killers or highwaymen
they'd both been alive today. He
wasn't there to
"Ah, the deuce," came an inter
ruption much louder than before; Il
wish they had "a killed i'm. And I'd
be willn' to bet everything I've got
that he'll be shot right out there in
the back yard"
Hope In The Cont1mely.
Don't talk so loud" the other
voice cautioned, The might wake up
know that I'm not pleadin' Kane's
case; I wouldn't walk three blocks
to save him. but it's fact anyway
that those men took an attitude
that of tryin' so hard to kill the
robber-which cost 'em their lives.
got killed, and while l don't think
just because they were tryin' to kill
him ought to make difference
enough to save him, still there's a
mighty big difference between
KILN like his ana the ono that
said a minute ago that a lot o. peo-
pie felt that the fact Of O fight be-
tween the carmen and Kane ought to
make difference between that and
a carefully planned and oold-blooded
murder and as I said before. I'm not
takin' his part in any way, still
there is difference"
well, the jury didn't think So"
"No-that's right" the death.
watch man agreed. But I'm keepin'
Goodnight. George"
A moment later there was death
like silence all throughout the place.
For two days I lay thinking mostly
of what l had just heard. or, rather,
thinking OF that and of other likely
things In pursuance Of knowledge
that. according the prison guard.
some persons were already believing
that my case. as compared with
others, was not Of he worst kind. OF
course, had known all along that
there was great difference-de-
spite the wording of the statute-be-
tween a homicide like mine and one
that actually had all the elements Of
deliberate murder. But now, at the
least expected time and from anu
pected source, l had heard q seem
ingly well-founded rumor that others
were beginning to see the case that
way. And would that in any wise
a
were 1t possible to do anything to-
ward spreading that understanding
as to the case, public sentiment must
rest upon something more than a be-
lief that fatty contravened the law,
If such sentiment was to help me.
O o o
1 See the End.
What IL an appeal to the supreme
court should avail nothing. and II
| my case should then be brought be-
fore the pardon board. would there DO
any person who would dare to appear
a suggestion that because the car
men had tried to kill me that ought
to stand as a mitigating circumstance
to the extent of saving me from ex-
ecution?
Again and again l asked myself
that question, and each time 1 was
unable to answer in the affirmative.
Truly, those that might feel. there
were extenuating circustances-suffi-
cient to warrant a reduction of the
| former sentence would perhaps be
like that one prison guard. who
even though he felt a difference
| ought to be made between my case
and one like that of the man SO soon
| to die-would not walk three blocks
to save me.
| And there was the opinion of that
| other officer. What percentage of
| the community at large felt about it
as he did? Without a doubt he was
| biased. but were there not many who
| believed that my case ought to be