The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1924-10-10
Murderer Saved
Warden's Child
By CHARLES E. BAXTER

you can expect no mercy. The
nature of your crime precludes the
possibility of it. But you have the
chance to redeem your life by a last
act Of merit"
Hemlin nodded. He smiled. That
smile of the condemned murderer was
! CHASTITY. Hemlin was a man with
out nerves. He had never quailed all
those weeks in the cell of the con-
demned
A surgeon of international reputa-
ton, he was the only man who had
ever performed certain very diff
cult operation. Before his day men
said it could not be done. No other
surgeon had performed it success
fully.
The man was mad. Otherwise he
would never have committed his
| CHASTITY crime. He would never have
tortured a living child to death in
| his experiments And in two weeks
he was to hang.
Hemlin stood in the sick room in
the Warden'S house. The warden's
child lay gasping it's life out on the
table. All the operating implements
were there. nurse, white with ter
ror, was there. The warden was there
with Hemin.
The keen eyes ran over the child's
face. He felt the pulse He per-
cussed.the seat of the disease YES"
he said, Il can save her."
You will?" the warden gasped. He
was the father now, thinking only of
his child, not of his prisoner.
What do / get?"
Nothing" The warden shook his
head. "She shall die, if need bel
won't be false to my trust"I Hemlin
saw that he meant it. There was no
relaxing in the wardens sense of duty.
He was ready to let the child die
rather than let Hemlin escape.
Hemlin hesitated. He smiled
again. I'll dofit," he said Either
nurse !"
AT once he took command. He was
no longer the man awaiting a shame
full death-only the surgeon. The in
struments, and sponges were lifted
out of the boiling disinfecting solution
The first incision was made. The op-
GRAFTON began.
How She went through with it Nurse
Stevens said afterward she never
knew. 1t was the most horrible hour
nf bnr. fbo
Grating upon the all but dying child,
and the warden, the child's father
watching, keeping his guard over him
from a chair a revolver in his pocket.
and his hand gripping the revolver
handle
No, how she went through with it
Nurse Stevens never knew 1t was
all a dim, misty, dreadful dream to
her. Only she was aware at last of
the doctors stitching up the wound
and of herself mechanically assisting
him, and then she heard him say
ing:
Its all right The child will live"
Then the warden was at the con-
demned mans side, grasping his hands,
and telling him in broken tones that
he had given back life to him, too.
Life-and the shadow of the gal
lows. And no hope for Hemlin-not
the least in the world!
The child, beginning to come out
of the anesthetic, stirred and uttered
a faint cry. Hemlin gave the nurse
q few brisk, businesslike directions
"Take out the superficial stitches in
a few days." he said. you can do
that yourself. Follow the ordinary
post-operative treatment. There will
/. be nothing special requiring my atten-
ton If there should be complications,
they will occur within the next two
weeks. Call on me. After that time,
however, it will be useless"
A moan escaped the warden's lips
at the biting irony of it.
what can /, do, Hemlin?" he
moaned. IL can do nothing. The
governor won't take this into con-
sideration.'
"But. my friend, you have done won
ders for me-" responded Hemlin,
smiling. .'It was a great pleasure to
be permitted TO operate. There were
distinctly novel features. l consider
this a great triumph. ! only regret
that / cannot have the opportunity of
narrating it TO a medical congress.
However, there is one thing you can
give me, warden. Five minutes alone"
Involuntarily his glance had strayed
toward the razor-edged scalpel..
"You shall have it, Hemlin," replied
the warden, gripping him by the
hands.
He went out, leaving Hemlin
alone.