The Kennewick courier-reporter. [volume] (Kennewick, Wash.) 1914-1938, 1926-02-18
Mu Fauorite Stories
Bp lRv1N 5. COBB
What Aunt Myra Desired


They brought darlly out of the jail
In North Carolina town with intent
to hang him for murder. This was In
the day when capital punishment was
publicly inflicted. AS special mark
of attention the widow Of the murder
er's victim was permitted TO witness
the event from a position of vantage
directly facing the gallOws. She had
had sort of small grandstand rugged
up and she had decorated it with bunt-
ing, and when the march to the scat
fold started, there she sat in white
mother-hubbard wrapper gently aGi-.
tating palmleaf fan. fianked and sur
rounded by relatives. invited friends
and sister members of her lodge
The preliminaries went forward ac
cording to the ritual. When the con-
demned had been properly trussed up.
with the moose dangling about his neck,
the sheriff, holding the black cap In
his hand, edged up to him and said:
"Well. Jim. we're about ready. II
you've got anything to say. l reckon
this would be mighty good time to
say it."
''Yas, sufL' said the doomed, Il has
got sump'n to say. | jest wants to say
dat is fully repented fur whit done.
l taken it to de Lawd in prayer an
knows its all right wild Him. | asst
de iedge witch tried and de persecutin'
attorney, an de foreman of de jury eft
they bore me any grndge. witch. one
and all. they said they did not. An
now | kin go right straight to hebben
an nestle in de bosom of Father Abra-
ham eff only / kin git de forgiveness OF
dat niger lady sittin' yOnder-de wife
of de man 1 kilt
He lifted his voice. addressing the
white-clad figure in front of him.
LADY" he entreated, "does you fer
give me fur shootin' yore husband six
times wild fO'ty-fo' caliber revolver?"
Excepting that her under lip jutted
out trifie farther there was no sign
she had heard him. She calmly famed
on.
The darky on the scafrold tried
again:
lady" he pleaded, 'fer de secont
time axes you. amt you, please
ma'am, gwine forgive me?'
Still from her there was no response.
1t was as though she had not heard
him. The sympathetic sheriff felt
moved to add his intercession:
''Aunt Myra,' he called. Jim, here,
will be goin' away from us in minute
and we don't expect him back. Sure
" you don't entertain any hard feelin's
against him now? Won't you speak to
him and let him go in peace?"
i This time the obdurate widow shook
her head in an emphatic negative. Yet
still she uttered no sound. The sheriff
turned to the condemned.
"Jim," he said. "you see how 1t is;
that old woman is set in her ways
What's the use Of wastin any more
time on her? Besides, it's hot as the
devil out here and ought to be gettin'
on home to dinner. Just hold still q
second and we can have this all over"
"Mr. Lucas" sobbed Jim,. femme
see eff 1 still can't soften dat niger
woman's stony heart Lady," he cried
out, vivid monty nigh my dyin' BRET
begs you fur jest word | amt
hopin' no mo- dat you'll forgive me,
but won't you please, ma am, jest speak
to me an tell me what's in yOre soul ?"
And now she did speak. She mo-
toned with her fan as though it had
been a baton Of authority, and in i'm
patient tones she said:
go on, niger, git hung-git hung"
Copyright by the Central Press Association.)