When the Hangman Lost his Nerve.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1629, 21 December 1912, Page 22

When the Hangman Lost his Nerve.

"Tou luivo fronted mo so fine over sinco I came in here," said tho voico from tho oell, "I don't eeo how yoti cjiu havo tho heart' to hang mo to-morrow." The houvy figure, sitting in tho gloom outside tho cell door, moved uncomfortably. "Well, it's this way. Don't you think it's better for mo to do it than somobody that don't tako any interest in you at all? Now, I don't want to do it, Jim. And I don't do it for tho twentylive dollars there is in it for mo. When they first put it up to mo somo fivo ycara a(jo to hang a man in this placo Jt e<iid i wouldn't do it for any amount of money in tho world. And then I thought it over. I said to myself: 'Woll, it wouldn't be mo that was doing it. X don't inako tho laws any moro than any other man. I'm only hero to carry thorn out. And I stand in good with tho boys. Perhaps I can mtiko it a bit e&sior for them in the last few, minutes. Anyway, they'll know that I ain't doing it with any hard footings. But every time I do it, I liavo to take a few drinks of whisky to keep up my nerve." Out. of tho cell cnAie a long sigh. "How are you feeling?" _ • "Oh, not so bad. I guess I'll lie. down and try to get a littlo sleop." "Will you take some of the dopoP" "No, thanks, Bill. I'm going to eeo if I can't get along without it." • "Makes it easier." : "Maybe. But I don't want to have any bad dreams. It's bad enough when I dozo off. It's funny I can't remember anything about killing my wife when I'm awake. I was too drunk at tho time. But hundreds of times since I did it 1 hayo done it over again in my sleep, in different ways." . , . "Well, if there wasn't any drink in tho world there wouldn't be much, use for prisons." The-nest morning at ten o'clock they were ready. Jim was dressed in black, • . with a white shirt and a white collar and a black tie. On his feet were black rocks and black felt slippers. His freshshaven face made him look lite a boy. As he stood in tlie oentre of tho coll ho smiled at the people around him, the warden, the two surpliced priests, a tall young, man in stripes, and Bill. While the young man in stripes was pinioning Jim's arms, Bill looked sadly on, the furrows cutting, deeply into his full cheeks and line of pain crossing his forehead under his thick -white hair. "Sure you won't have any whisky?" ho asked. "Thanks, I guess not. You tako it." Bill shook his head. "If you can get along without it I ought to." Tho warden was looking sympathetically at Jim's face, yellow as wax. "How are you feeling?" "All right, Warden." "It's time," said the warden, nnd he bont forward to step out of the cell door. Jim and Bill followed and walked along tho corridor side by side with the two priests behind them reciting prayers, and tho figure in stripes. The procession passed through a narrow door and entered a room crowded with men. In the ccntre stood a slim green scaffold. The warden ascended the steos and stood at one side. Jim stood over tho trap with Bill at'his right hand. The two priests, stood at Jim's left, continu-j ing their prayers. The striped figure stood at the edgo o'f the crowd. ' ■ Quickly Bill drew a 'narrow black belt across the calves of Jim's legs. Around the neck he adjusted the hoofc. Over the yellow face he pressed a black hood. The warden nodded, -almost imperceptibly. : There -was silence. The men in the crowd stood motionless. Tho silence continued.. The warden's face grew paler. "Go on!" Bill did not move. Tho warden spoko sharply: "Why don't you go on?" Still Bill did not move. "Spring the trap." Now Bill's lips, were moving. "I oan't, Warden." "What's the matter?" "I don't know. I can't do it," From- under tho cap came a hoarse appeal. "For God's sake, go ahead." . Again came the -warden's command. "Spring the trap! Put him out of torture." . - Bill walked unsteadily toward the wardsn. He seemed broken. "You'll liavo to do it yourself, Warden," ho whispered.. In the warden's face there was a flush of anger. "Why should Ido it? I'm not the hangman. I'm the warden." The warden looked down on the young man in stripes at tho edge of the crowd. "Tou como up here and spring the trap," he called out. The young man' did not stir."Do you hear what I say?" "I can't:do it, Warden." • "I order you to do it." • ,"I can't help it, Warden. But I can't kill a man in cold blood." The black .figure was trembling. The warden caught sight of another striped figure standing in a corner, a halo ■ old man, more than, six fc-et tall, with broad shoulders. "Oh, Finnerty!" The' old'man walked forward. "Here," said tho warden in a tono, of confidence, "you've been at all theso things for the past thirty years. Come up hero and finish tho job.". Tho old man's blue eyes -were fixed on tho warden. "Do you hear what I 6ay?" "I hear. Warden, and I'd like to oblige you. But it's too much for me. I killed a man once when I was drunk. But I oan't kill a man in cold, blood that ain't dona nothin' to me." ' Tho warden walked to the edge of the scaffold. "Is the sheriff of Plumas County hers?" ho askod. A stout, red-faced man raised an arm. "Say, you arrested this man. Now I want you to come, up and spring tho trao." Tho red-faced man shook his head. "That's not my business, Warden. I've done my duty and you can't expect mo to' "do any moro." He glanced furtively at tlie smooth-faced youth of about twentyono at his side. "Here's the brother of the woman that was killed. P'r'aps he'll do it." "No! I couldn't do it." The reply pamo in a trembling voice. "I wanted to seo him hanged. .But now I feel different." [■ Jim trembled violently. He looked as if 1m might drop on tho. floor of the scaffold. Bill walked forward and put one arm around the black figure. Prom out of the crowd stepped a welldressed man of middle age, wearing large gold-bowod spectacles. "I'll do it." ho said, in a low 'voice, addressing tho warden. Tho warden looked startled, "Who aro you?" "I'm a citizen of this State. I'm in favour of capital punishment. I oan't see thero is any difference ljetween hanging a man by. a law that I support and hanging a man myself." When tho warden perceived that tho man was sinoere, he said: "Woll, as there is no. one else to do the job, you might as well do it." Tho man walked up the 6teps. He had a whispered talk with the warden. Bill said in a low voioe: "Bracft up," and stepped off tlie trap. Tho black figure stood rigid. Then it dropped and frantically dangled at the end of the rop«. Bill seized the rope. Tho -figure hung still, the slipperod feet in tho air. The man with the gold-bowed spectacles mndo his way down tho 6tens. At his approach the crowd parted. They looked at him with curiosity and horror in their eyes, as if ho were different from themselves, a monster.—John D. Barry, in tho San Francisco "Bulletin."