Faithful Unto Death.

Manawatu Standard, Volume XI, Issue 1641, 22 February 1886, Page 4

Faithful Unto Death.

A toucTiing story is narrated m " ; with the execution of 1 falter Watson, at Highland, 'Indiana^ for the murder of Ezra 'Compton. Theparties had quarrelled -—•■-■ about the charge of a quarter-dollar soap made hy'Coniptnn, who ] -'-ythB k a storekeeper. The wife of . '^Tatsoii,; ' to whome he had been but ri . \, ayetjr. married endeavoured to restrain .: ,him from, the quarrel, but her ts entreaties failed. ; . . • ■-..:■&' week before the execution Mrs* ■ ;< Wat3on vidted the governor, with her \babe ; m her arms, and made a ,V strong, personal appeal foe mercy, but '.^'.^ai" u^o(Kpial : . ;i deQliiaeil to antcrfare ■ ,:,v because, the sentence had been ; . confirmed .by the Supreme Court. H.-.--. The faithful wife was a daily visitor, to her husband's cell. ;-■ ■ During the, last, night most of the ' time 'she sat on his knee breathing ' - ; ,^ords of loye .' and encouragement, -A Pi» ;«t; ins,?, feet caressing ; his hands. .jIEEe expressed himself as having made peace *withi God. . -, As the time approached for the ' ' execution she was for a moment over- ' a«^ e l 9'h her husband's neck " m,., unpohti'ollable. '.anguish, bnt sud- , , ; j.denly shf> raised her flaxen head and assisted ,ia arrayiti^i ; him for his doom. She had contributed a necktie •atida'pair of slippers, and put them • ; on him with a fierce detei mination :: tliat ! Overmastered her agony. She combed his hair, and seeing all was ,;: ready said she would go with him. ; .: All, present remonstrated :with v iher,v m -which -the minister joined. ; Her ■•• reply was a rebuke. "Ishoiild ....When 1 was married I promised tp ' ' 'cleav^e to my husband for better or for .-^.worjje._ .ll,promised this to a minister, ;; and 1 am goin^ to keep my word as far as God will let me." , • On reaching the gallows the pair '■' soon to beaundered mounted! the stepshand m hand. Thef were .seated rfside by sid« over the fatal trap. She T iagain took hi£ hand and Sobbed- with j ".her IJVtlo head' r&<tin« upon her siiouUTer while the miui-iter made the closing pray els. . ■ - : Moan While the ' chlprit satin his chair unmoved. A. heartbroken wife was sobbing- on his booom, strong ro£n sobbed ; but the man about to be .. hanged seemed an uainterested spectator of the absorbing secene of which he Avas the central figure. Forfully fife minutes he sat there 'without the least perceptible twitch of a muscle. There was no bravado, m this composure; it was the calmness ofresignation. ""■ '''■ ■ '■' ' •■■' ;! '" At the close of the religious exercises th« two stood, and for the last time «he embraced her husband, Jcissed him passionately, and with "Goodrbyef .Walter," stepped d 9 ek and fell into the arms of the good Chitf tian ladies who were there to receive her. ■ i . . The last words of the unhappy man were ia fervent prayer for mercy and for heavenly aid, to his poor wife. At the sheriff's house slier saw the remains of the husband m his coffin, and kissing his lips and arranging the ] hair, turned away' with a look of woe and said: ■" I can cry no more; I -have' no more tearo. God have mercy on me and my little baby." ; : i An hour later the coffin. was man .east-bound train; accompanied by the, wife. < Ay i Rich Und, a bleak station seven miles fiom this point, it was i ; deposited' on the barren-ground, arid, as the, train moved on only one other pcrsonbeaide the widow was m charge. The face that broken hearted woman *np to the occupants of the '•'• passing train y most of whom had seen the hangirig,'%ill haunt many m their ilreams.