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About The Oregon statesman. (Salem, Or.) 1916-1980 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 20, 1921)
cuii7v i aiuummr, i-LBKUAKY 20, 1921. ! rT IIE . OREGON STATESMAN. SALEM. OltEGOtf. 0. HENRY AL. JENNINGS (ConHniiPd fromm last week.) , my realise. Take, tor Instance condemned niAITKIl MMITY-SKVHX ."1$ the fear of life greater than the fear of death, AIT Here I Ijn ready to leuv this pert and 1 am beset with anxieties leat the world may guess my past." Porter didn't expect any an swer to his question, lie was in a sort of ruminating mood, liking to apeak his thoughts aloud.' "How hard we work to make a mask to hide the real self from our fellows. You know I some times think the world would go forward at a lightning pace if men 4 would meet each other as they are If they could, even for a short time, put aside pose and hypocrisy. "Colonel, the wiseacres pray to see themselves as others gee them. I would pray rather that others might see us aa we see ourselves. Mow much of the hatred and eon tempt would melt in that clrtir stream of understanding. We could be equal to life if we' tried hard enough. Do you think we could ever look into the face of death without a tremor? . "I have seen men take a bullet and laugh with their last gasp. I have hidden-out-with the gang and every hide of us knew we were probabJpr on our last stretch. None of us were squeamish about It." Pain To Ret lp Scenery For Story. i "But there was uncertainty to give yon hope. I am thinking of death that Is as certain, say. as mail Von knnw mey are laued with hideous night mares. You have seen some of tht-m die.1 Did any go fearlessly? "I don't nean gam en ess or bra vado, but witu downright absence of alarms? Did any one of them seem to grin In theteeth of death as though they were about to en ter upon a sort of adventure?" Till, you speak now of the fellows who, pay, for the drink at their own funeral. The Jail bird ain't that kind of an animal "I would like to talk to a man who looked at death. I would like to know what his sensations might be." "1 wonder If that's the reasoi Christ called Lazarus back sor ter wanted to know what the big jump might be like?" It occurred to me that Porter was writing a story and wanted to daub the color on true. He never stuck to facts, but he went to no end of pains to set up his scenery aright. "I can't produce a Lazarus to gratify your curiosity, but there'a a fellow due to be bumped off in a week or so. You come over to morrow and I'll knock you down to the hear-stlfr. Man to Die and Says Charge False. "What is he like?" Rill seem ed all of a sudden to weaken and his fluent whispering became hes itant and uncertain. "Don't know. Hut he'll sit In the chair In about ten days'. Ho sent another fellow over the great USL Battery Electric Service Station - Everything we repair carries a guarantee of. eight inonlLs. Call in and have yonr battery tested and filled with water. Free Service , 'f ,i $ A ? r 418 Court Street Save Money I on your Dental Work Why pay mere, when you can get High Class . Dentistry at a price that is within reason ALL WORK GUARANTEED Plates $13.00 Crowns (Anterior) Gold or Porcelain. .... . .fO.OO Crowns ( Posterior) . . . $7.00 Bridge work, Gold or I Porcelain;. $6.00 to $7.00 30ld Fillings. . . . .$2700 up Porcelain Fillings. . . .$2JH Silver Fillings. $ 1.00 up Cement Fillings $1.00 Cleaning Teeth $1.00 Removing Nerve. ... ,$2JH Extractions ..$1.00 ' ALL WORK PAINLESS DR. ELDRIEDGE & SWEHNES , DENTISTS EXAMINATIONS FREE ' : Phone 1500 204-5 Cray TJuildinz Corner State and Liberty Streets SALEM, OREGON over Mariman juros.. Jewelry Store WAY Again will be. celebrated on f. :... . . , - - ' s'" -- Washington's Birthday I . . . . ; Motorcycle enthusiasts in this territory are invited to view the latest engineering achievements as represent ed by the newest models of the Indian Powerplus and Scout Models. Motorcycle Riders. You are invited to inspect the new models and partake of Indian hospitality and good fellowship. INDIAN MOTORCYCLES World's Fastest Motorcycles RAMESDEN & McMORRAN 387 Court St.. Salem Oregon v Indian Agents for Marion sntrPollrCoimtles divide some months ago. He says if a Ue and he's Innocent Just like a babe, you know." There's nothing very esthetic in the prison soul. Men laugh and jest over death. For weeks we would know when the electric chair was due for a sitting. We would watch the condemned man walking in the yard with a spec ial guard before he was finally locked up in the death cell and fattened for the slaughter. "I'd change places, them. I'd die for the j.leasure of gorging myself with a week of square meals." Many a time I have heard raw-boped, hungry eyed men in the ranges and shops fling out the challenge. But as the day for the official murder draws near, the wholo place seems overhung with mourn, f ul gray shadows. One can al most feel it in the corridors the cold, clammy atmosphere of the death-day. It is as , though drowned people with wet hair clinging about their dead faces went drooping up and down reach ing out chill fingers and putting their . icy touch on each man's heart. We never talked on those days but often in the night, screams, long, frightful and sobbing screams that trail into broken ag unized moans would split the air waking us with creeping forebod ing. Some overwrought wretch whose dream tormented him had seen death In his sleep. " There was that grewsotne hub bub about the prison now for the Kid was going to be bumped off. They were extra busy in the elec trical department it takes plen ty of Juice to kill the condemned. Porter came over to the cam pus to talk to the man who faced death. ."There he Is, the poft looking fellow walking with the guard he'll let you talk to him." When a man has but seven or eight days of life they give him a few privileges evrn In a prison. They let him take a turn in the yard they give him" roast beef and chicken to eat. They let him read .and write. ; and sometimes ther let him keep his light all night. Darkness Is such a dread magnifier of terrors. 4 Porter went over tatalk to the Kid. The three men fell In to gether and walked up and -down for, about tire or ten minutes. The condemned man ""put a hand on Bill's artn and seemed childishly pleased to have such company. When Porter came back to me. his face was a sickish yellow and his short nlump hands were closed so tight the nails gored his flesh. He rushed Into the postoffice. sat down on a chair and wiped ' his face. The sweat stood out like heavy white pearls. Hanging for Little Ignorant Fellow. 'Guess yon got the scare, all right Bill? Get a close enough squint at the old Scythe Dancer? He looked as though he hadfseen an unholy ghost. "Al, go out and talk to he hoy. Be Quick. . This is too monstrous. I thought he was a man. It is but a child. He has no fear. He can't seem to realize that they mean to kUl him." He hasn't looked at death. He's too young. Something should be done about it." I had not. talked to the fellow. I knew he was tip for murder. I though he was about 25. . . "Colonel, did you see the way he put his 'hand on my arm? Why, he'a only a little, ignorant fellow he's, but 17. He says he didn't do it. He's snre something will happen to save him. "Good God. colonel, can & man believe any good of the world when cold blooded murders like this are deliberately perpetrated? The lad may be innocent. Al he. has gentler blue eyes I've seen eyes like them in a little friend of mine . It's a damn shame to murder him." . As the warden's secretary I had to attend and make a record of the executions. A soft youngster of 17 would make an ugly job for me. , I knew the, facts in this case. The ' evidence "was strong against the kid. lie and a hoy friend had gone down to the Sclota river one Sunday afternoon to take a swln. It's True, Says Boy, Hat Not AU. . . The Kid eamj back alone the other boy was missing. Three weeks later a body was found burled la the mud far up the riv er. ; It was decomposed beyond the possibility of recognition. The face had been eaten away. The parents of the missing boy had been haunting the morgue. They looked at the remains, found a birthmark on the decomposed body and established the Identity of their son. The Kid was arrest ed. Witnesses clamored the court room. They had seen two boyu on the Scotia and the Kid was point ed out as one of them. The bov had been Quarreling. Suddenly the Kid had grabbed his companion by the arm, araggea him down to the river, shouting: "I'll drown you for this!" Two men sod a woman had heard the threat. The Kid was condemned on their evidence. "Yes. : sir, that's true." the youngster, looked at me. with his gentle eyes and put his hand on mv arm as he had on Porter's. That's true, all right but that ain't alL" (Continued next week.) encouraging this st-nti- who are mentj Between the most moderate and the most exereme nationalists there is tig one point of agree ment, that the decision of the Irish people themselves mutbe supreme. Submission of their at titude to the electors and the en dorsement of that attitude by the couontry's voters, is the basis on which Sinn Feiners rent their case. They say that endorsement must stand? There is a considerable section of the populace, however, who be ing to give the new home ml ai-t a trial. w Sir Edward Carson, for Ulster. ha8 accepted, but Sinn Fein has Housed the act. In neither case have the people themselves been consulted aa to what they think of 1L v There Is even among Sinn Feln ers a number who believe that it would be good tactics to accept the act as far as it goes, secure the election of Sinn , Feiners to the southern parliament and obtain as much control of the Irish govern ment as possible I n the same way sh consultation of the popular !5!ifJe loca au,thorIties. They t " "4 would then use ther new position 1. The suggestion Is made that as the basis for a fresh advance lieve "the time has arrived for a'! a they haTe obtained control of fresh will. a lormai referendum should be, - The argument Is heard that de taken as to whether the doodIa r,Ur. . ,i ..uu Auuur urtii.in couia till adhere to the , uncompromls- j do more for the cause in executive ing republican policy, or are will-1 office than In Jail., but that is not the dominant Sinn Fein view at any rate among the "responsi ble" leaders of the movement. Hence the suggestion to consult tht rank and ile. t'OlXllXT FOOL THK juk.i: An old bailiff in Scotland where no legai vnowTedge or ac quaintance with court proced ure is required of the bailies who preside at the police courts had a very short way with motorists. A country gentleman was charged with furious driving. "You have heard the charge against you." 1 said the bailie. "Are you guiitvi or not guilty?" Not guUty."t "Not gniltv!" exclaimed the baiiie.j "What's the good o leeln?"v 1 1 seen ye mysel'. Twentv shillings or thirty days." Manchester uuardlan. A BIG. LOAD-OF COAt Isn't necessary to provs out kind's superiority. Only a short trial will convince yon that our coal burns better and cleaaer and lasts longer than 'ordinary grades. When yon hart had this proven to your own satis faetlon we shall expect the on der for your entire supply. LARMER TRANSFER , PHONE S30 P.f'ieclflnJ Arle In TVit - Ctnpmin Drlnrr DftMi!f wiuooiiiuu nuoi III lie OiaiCOlliail Ulliiw I1GOUI13 - ii ii II . ii ti it i n i Aim ifiroir fcir wv aa RELIEF IS SOUGHT IRISH CHIOS General Sentiment Favors Any Settlement To Restore Peace . DULIN Feb. 7. There Is a great weight of general sentiment throughout the country In favor of any settlement which will end the present chaos. Irish Catholic bishops are foremost among those 1r aI Oil 2 FOR, THE PRICE OF 11 unoy Severn Determined iJdre! Days- Count Them To Beat All Records; J he i ! .i "1 We Have Added Silk M everal Lines of yETCALF S ixed Worsted Suits of J Jw LI VERY LATEST DESIGWS Moc lels f of Men and Young Men '.... ed iu m and Heatiy Weig hts, Dark Paitp.ns ALL SazeS 35 TO 48 R eg u lap I y From S40 to FOR SEVEW AYJ ..1 FOR THE PRICE OF (d)(Q) 0 (BHD