Chapter XIV: Gone Home from the Scaffold (2)

S---- and W---- have both been well-behaved prisoners and have
given the jail officials no trouble whatever. The former has been
particularly friendly with the guards and others, and today he
thanked several of them for past kindnesses. He also desired to
express his gratitude to his many friends for what they had done
for him, and said he desired to do so through the _Star_. S----
has had many visitors during the entire time of his confinement
in jail, but more especially during recent weeks. Most of them
have been female relatives. They have been endeavoring to collect
funds enough to defray the expenses of a decent burial. In the
event of their being successful the body will be turned over to
them after the execution by the undertaker employed by the
government to prepare the bodies for burial.

Monday afternoon, just before the prison doors were locked for
the day, the bell rang and the guard at the door admitted a woman
who handed in her card on which was printed:

"Elizabeth Rider Wheaton,
"Prison Evangelist.
"No Home but Heaven."

She had with her a number of tracts which she distributed to some
of the prisoners. Her religious work is all done in prisons, and
she makes a specialty of laboring with condemned men. She stated
to the guards that she had traveled about 2,000 miles to see
those in jail here before their execution. The warden admitted
her to the cells. She had W---- and S---- join her in prayer and
song in the latter's cell, and the men seemed greatly to
appreciate her hour's visit. She next saw E---- S----, who is to
die on the scaffold next week. He, too, appeared to enjoy her
call.

---- ----
_Star_.

* * * * *

August, 1899.

Mrs. Wheaton.

My Dear Sister: I must write a few lines to you, in my husband's
letter, as you have shown yourself so kind to him, poor fellow. I
can see you now and hear you, in my fancy, singing those
beautiful pieces. Oh, how sad I felt on that Fourth of July as I
sat and listened, especially to the one called "Some Mother's
Child," as I looked upon my dear husband and thought of his
mother and how tenderly he had been reared by Christian parents,
and was always a good and thoughtful son and husband until by
reason of evil associations he fell into sin and kept going
further and further from God until at last he was led to do the
most dreadful of deeds. How I pity him!

O how happy I once was! Had a pretty home and everything to
brighten it. But alas, they have vanished and now I feel alone,
without anything. Did I say "alone?" No, not so, for the God that
I have served and who has been with me these twenty years, is
still with me; and I feel to say, "Though he slay me, yet will I
trust him." I feel that he will open up a way for his children.
Now, my dear sister, I would love to see you again in this life
and talk with you, but if I never meet you here I trust I shall
meet you above, where your voice will be heard with the angels of
God. Please remember me to your lady helper. Would be glad to
hear from you at any time. Good-bye.

Yours in love and the hope of heaven,
---- ----.

Two years later, while in the same city, a friend invited me to go to an open-air service and after I had sung and spoken to those who were gathered a dear lady clasped my hand and said: "I am so glad to see you, mother--don't you know me?" As I failed to recognize her she turned her careworn but lovely face so that the electric light shone full upon her and said, "Don't you remember me now?" When I still answered "No, I do not," the tears gathered in the dear eyes as she said, "My husband never forgot your singing and your prayers before he went away," and then it dawned upon me that she was the wife of the man the people hung to gratify the saloon men's greed. She said: "I do wish I could ask you home with me, but I have only a little hall room for myself and children. I am keeping boarders to make a living for myself and them." O how I wished for a home to which I could welcome them, but I, too, am a pilgrim and a stranger, and all I could do was to kiss the dear sister and commend her to the widow's God and her dear ones to the Father of the fatherless.

The letters following are from two brothers with whom I labored, and who showed much appreciation of my efforts with them and professed to be saved. I received a number of encouraging letters from them and from others in the same place before they were taken away. We can not always tell as to the sincerity of these poor men, or of their responsibility, some of them doubtless are so nearly unbalanced in mind, under such a strain, but we know the God of heaven before whom we must all stand will judge righteously.

October 18, 1903.

My Dear Mother Wheaton:

While my dear unfortunate brother, Mr. K., has given me space in
his letter, I just wish to congratulate you for the wonderful
good you did while here with us, as we have not forgotten your
topic, "Salvation," and often speak of you and hope you will
come again at your earliest convenience. Thank God there is some
of us have the Spirit of God with us. Bless His holy name! And I
for one can praise Him for the wonderful good He has done me, and
through His wonderful love I have been granted a stay of
execution, which was to take place the 21st of this month; for
God in heaven knows I am innocent of this crime, as is also my
brother. I am sorry to say I do not know much about the Bible,
but intend to learn more about His wonderful love to man, and
will serve Him to the end. Trusting that you will look upon us as
your children, I will close, hoping to hear from you again,

Your unfortunate boy,
B. W.

* * * * *

Dear Mother Wheaton:

Received your letter and was glad to hear from you. It brought
great joy to our bleeding hearts. We think of you and wish you
could talk and sing for us every day. Your kind, loving words
bring me near to God. When I leave this world I will go to my
heavenly Father, where there is everlasting life, and if we never
meet on earth, I will meet you in heaven. I shall never forget
you and the prayer you made for me. We felt bad when you could
not come back and tell us about our loving God. Pray for me that
I may walk daily with God. I remain as ever,

Your dear boy,
A. W.

Columbus, Ohio.

THREE YOUNG MEN.

Some cases of special interest to me because of such recent occurrence, are the three young men mentioned elsewhere and from whom I received the following letters. I will first give a note very kindly written me by the son of the warden, in answer to an inquiry about the cases while they were awaiting some decision of the supreme court:

Colorado State Penitentiary.
Canon City, Colo., December 7, 1904.

Mother E. R. Wheaton. Tabor, Iowa.

Dear Mother: I have not answered your postal on account of my
absence from the city, but I hope you will overlook the delay.
The fate of the four prisoners under sentence of death is still
undecided, as their case is in the hands of the Supreme Court.
There is some doubt as to the legality of the law and it is a
hard matter to tell what the outcome will be. No, my folks did
not attend the Prison Congress this year on account of my
sister's health. The boys at the prison often speak of you and
some have started to forget the past and try to do better in the
future on account of the good words you spoke to them. I hope you
will come to see us before my father goes out of office, but if
this is impossible, I pray that we may meet at some future time.
I remain,

Yours respectfully,
Willard Cleghorn.

* * * * *

Canon City, Colo., May 3, 1904.

Dear Mother Wheaton:

I have received your kind letter and postal and I am very glad to
know that you have not forgotten me. I have not forgotten you
either, nor never will. For it was no other than you who put me
on the right road to heaven, and I know that if I do all you told
me that I will meet you there. I am praying both day and night,
and I pray from my heart, and mean every word that I say, and I
know that my sorrow is more than I can bear without God's help. I
know that God has forgiven me all of my sins, and will save me
too. I do not care who laughs at me for praying and asking God
for help. There is nothing that can ever make me quit praying and
believing in God, for He has done me good already.

With love and best wishes, and hoping to hear from you soon,

Yours sincerely,
F. A.

* * * * *

Canon City, Colo., May 3, 1904.

Dear Mrs. Wheaton.

It is with pleasure that I answer your most kind and welcome
letter that brother A. and I received some time ago. We also
received a postal card this morning. I have neglected my promise
of writing, but hereafter will write more promptly. I have not
been feeling well, but am better now. I hope you will forgive me
this time.

It does my heart good to know that you are praying for us. I feel
very grateful to you. Us boys pray and read the Holy Bible every
day. I am trusting to our Heavenly Father, for He makes right the
wrong. We are being treated most kindly by the warden and the
officers of the prison.

I will close, as Brother A. wishes to say a few words.

Hoping to hear from you again, I ever remain

Your son in Christ,
C.

* * * * *

Canon City, Colo., May 17, 1904.

Mrs. E. R. Wheaton.

My Dear Mother: I received your kind letter and was very much
pleased to hear from you, as all of us were. * * *

When I saw and read your letter and those little tracts, they
certainly did take effect on me. As I read them and saw the
terrible mistake I had made, it caused the tears to fall. I am
trusting in God, but I can't come right out and tell you that I
am really saved, for I don't believe in deceiving you. But I do
believe that God has laid a hand on me, and I hope He will take a
stronger hold on me. I know you will think more of me for telling
you the candid facts. I have seen lots of people who would tell
that they were really saved, when they knew they were not. But
"God help my poor soul," is my regular prayer. I realize that I
need His help in my present circumstances. I still ask you to
pray for me that God will help me to look to Him. I try my best
to do what is right, and never go to sleep a night without
praying to Him to save my soul and spare me so that I may be of
some benefit to His cause, and I do fully believe that He will
answer my prayer, for when I pray I am sure I do it with all my
heart and soul.

I am quite well at present, and hope that these few lines will
find you the same. May God bless you and protect you, is my daily
prayer. I hope to hear from you again soon.

From one of yours, and I hope, the Lord's sons.

Yours respectfully,
N. A.

* * * * *

Canon City, Colo., May 27, 1904.

Dear Mother Wheaton:

I take pleasure in answering your most kind and welcome letter
received a few days ago. I am quite well at present. I am taking
things as easy as I can and waiting most patiently to know how I
will fare. I haven't forgot to pray and read the Bible, nor will
I as long as I live. I am trusting in the Lord, for He makes all
things right. I will close, hoping to hear from you again.

Very sincerely yours,
C. P.

* * * * *

Canon City, Colo., May 27, 1904.

Dear Mother Wheaton:

I take pleasure in answering your letter. You don't know how glad
I was to hear from you. This leaves me well and in good faith and
I am trusting in the Lord, for I know He will help me if I will
only be good and do His will. I pray and read my Bible every
night and day. Oh, if I ever do get my freedom I will make a man
of myself and do God's will and make my poor wife and mother and
father happy. I will never take a drop of whiskey or anything
again. So good-bye. We have heard nothing of our case yet. The
time seems so long.

From yours sincerely,
F. A.

The following are extracts from touching letters from the aged mother and young wife of this young man:

Kansas City, Mo., July 4, 1904.

Dear Mother Wheaton:

We received your card and were indeed glad to hear from you. Oh,
I am praying to God all the time to spare my baby's life. How can
I ever live if they take his life! Why do they want it? He did
not kill any one, although the deed he did almost breaks my
heart. F. never drank until he got with those people on Market
Street. They got him to smoking hop and drinking whiskey. My dear
and only child, will God and man have mercy on him? Oh, I thank
you for going to see my poor baby boy! God bless him and save his
life.

I hope you can see the Governor and see if he will do something
for a mother to save her only child. I can hardly stand it. It
has done F. so much good for you to see him. He always speaks of
you when he writes home. Oh, I do hope the Governor will give you
some hopes, for if I could get any hopes of F. being spared it
would do me so much good! I pray day and night for my boy. He is
on my mind all the time. Hoping to hear from you soon, I am

Sincerely yours,
MRS. A.

* * * * *

Kansas City, Mo., July 4, 1904.

Mrs. E. R. Wheaton:

Kind Friend: I was truly glad to hear from you and that you are
going to see my dear husband soon. I hope it will not be long
till I see him, for it seems like years since I have seen poor F.
I hope my loved one will come out better yet, for I can never
stand it. I hope and pray that F. will have a show for his life.
How short our young lives were together. F. was always kind to me
and it almost took my life when I was robbed of my darling
husband. I was an orphan girl. My dear mother died when I was
five years old. I had a hard time all my life till I was
eighteen, when I was married to F., last September. I was so
happy with him. He was a good boy and never drank till he met
with the Market Street gang and they got him to drinking and
smoking that hop.

This is the Fourth of July and F.'s gray-haired mother and I are
here grieving over the loved one in prison. If a wife ever loved
a husband truly I love mine. I remain your friend,

MRS. F. A.

* * * * *

Canon City, Colo., Sept. 22, 1904.

Dear Mother Wheaton:

I was glad to hear from you, which I always am, for your letters
are full of kind words and it is a pleasure to read them in my
lonely cell and know there is one true friend who prays for me.
Kind words are few for me now when I am in need and going through
the most terrible and trying time of a lifetime. But I am living
in hopes and trusting God for my future, come what may. I surely
thank you for seeing the Governor in our behalf.

My mother and wife are well. Their letter to you must have been
missent, for they wrote. This leaves me well.

Yours sincerely,
F. A.

* * * * *

Canon City, Colo., March 26, 1905.

Mrs. E. R. Wheaton:

Dear Mother: I was very glad to hear from you as I did not know
what had become of you. Well, the law has been found good and the
death watch is over us. Poor ---- was hung the 6th. Our time
begins the 21st of May. Yes, I am trusting God and I know He has
heard my prayers, and whatever comes will be for the best. P----
is getting better again they tell me. A---- is the same as ever.
I wrote to my mother today and told her I heard from you.

Yours sincerely
F. A.

* * * * *

Canon City, Colo., April 12, 1905.

Mrs. E. R. Wheaton, Los Angeles, Cal.:

Dear Mother Wheaton: I was glad to hear from you. Your letters do
me so much good, they always give me new hope. Of course you
understand what I am going through, and at times hope seems
hopeless for the time seems so long to me in this dreary cell,
and to think if I had left that horrible liquor alone and stayed
away from bad company where I could have been to-night--free and
happy, at home with my wife and my poor old mother and father.
But as it is I am sad and lonely and my loved ones are far away,
heart-broken. But I believe my prayers will be answered yet, for
I know God has heard them. But, the Lord's will be done. I know
He will do what is best for me.

Well, dear mother, the boys are well and send their best regards.

Sincerely yours,
F. A.

* * * * *

Canon City, Colo., June 15, 1905.

Dear Mother Wheaton:

I received your kind and welcome letter and was glad to hear from
you again. I will never have the pleasure of reading another
letter from you in this world, for I have been put back in a
horrible death cell again and the Board of Pardons and Governor
have refused to save me from the terrible death I am doomed for,
but I expect to meet you in heaven, dear mother, for I know God
has forgiven me all of my sins. I want to thank you again for all
you have done for me, for I know you have spent many a sleepless
night on account of me. I felt a great deal better after seeing
and praying with you the last time you were here than I had since
I've been in this trouble. I am glad things are most at an end
for I am very weary of these lonesome death cells. Of course I
don't want to die nor am I glad of it, for I have lots to live
for yet as you know, but the Lord's will be done. I know it will
be for the best. Well, I will close for this time. I am to be
hung in the next twenty-four hours, so good-bye, dear friend.
Think of me sometime in the future.

From your son in Christ,
F. A.

* * * * *

Mother Wheaton:

Dear Mother: We just received your loving letter last night and
was glad to hear from you. Oh, dear mother, my darling boy is
gone; never can I see his loving face in this cruel world. Oh, it
is terrible; it seems too hard for me to stand. Just think, my
only darling child. But I know he is in heaven. He died on the
16th. We went to see him and he was so glad to see us. He kissed
his papa and all of us and said he wanted us not to grieve any
more than we could help.... His last words were "Good-bye,
mamma," with a smile and wave of his hand just like I was coming
back again. He said he would like to be buried close to home.
Poor, darling boy; he loved to be close to home and mamma in
life, but it is hard to think that he had to spend his last days
away from us, all on account of whiskey.

Your friends as ever,
MRS. A. AND L.

(The above was from the aged mother and the young wife.)

Think you, dear reader, that these experiences are passed by lightly when I must enter into the sorrows of these mothers and loved ones who must give up their dear ones in this way? Only the grace and love of God can sustain me and these dear bereaved ones in these trials. This was one of my saddest experiences, as I was personally acquainted with the parents and the dear young wife of one of these young men, having been entertained at their home some days at a time during their sorrow. This is only another example of what strong drink is doing in our land. God pity those who in the least favor this traffic.

I give below short extracts taken from _The Daily News_ of Denver concerning these cases:

"Not yet has the final word for F. A., C. P. and N. A., under
sentence of death, been said.

"It is likely that it will not be said for at least a week or ten
days. The Board of Pardons adjourned late yesterday afternoon
without deciding the fate of the three boys....

"But, though the tragic element was lacking, there was present
throughout the meeting an undercurrent of deep human woe. The
mother of A. was there, clad in black, with a hopeless expression
on her face pitiful to see. Beside her at all times was the wife
of A., young, pretty in an indefinite sort of way, her blue eyes
holding ever before them the wreck of her shattered girlish
romance. Both women wept freely at times.

"With the two women were a dozen of their women friends, whose
coming had been actuated by a mixture of curiosity and sympathy.

FRIEND OF ALL PRISONERS.

"Mrs. Elizabeth R. Wheaton, friend of prisoners the world over,
was there too. She sat next Mrs. A., the elder, and wept
copiously in sympathy. 'Mother' Wheaton visited the boys at Canon
City, and she told the board the impression of her visit, how,
she was sure, they had repented of their deed and had their sins
forgiven.

"She also pleaded for their lives on the ground of opposition to
capital punishment. She has been in state prison rescue work for
twenty-one years, and her silver hair, refined face and gentle
manner have brought comfort to criminals everywhere."--News, May
6.

SESSION OF THE BOARD.

The Board of Pardons met in special session at 10 o'clock
yesterday morning for the purpose of passing finally upon the
applications of the three boys for commutation of sentence from
death to imprisonment for life.

Interest in the proceedings of the morning centered around four
women, two mothers, a sister and a wife of the condemned boys.
They were Mrs. J. A., bowed with the weight of her seventy years,
who had come all the way from Buffalo, N. Y., to be present at
the meeting; her daughter, Miss A., of Denver; Mrs. J. A. and
Mrs. F. A., mother and wife, respectively, of F. A. All four were
present throughout the hearing and made personal pleas to the
Board.

After the hearing was concluded they went together into the outer
office of the executive chamber and sat huddled up in one corner
of the big room, their eyes fixed on the door which led to the
inner office where four men were deciding whether the boys they
loved should live or die.

HEARD THE BAD NEWS.

When the news of the Board's action was conveyed by Secretary C.
E. Hagar to the four women waiting in the outer office, their
grief was pitiful in the extreme. Mrs. A. very nearly collapsed.
She clung to the arm of her daughter and moaned in heart-breaking
accents. The daughter, too, was almost overcome, but controlled
herself for her mother's sake.

The mother and wife of F. A., while it was evident they were
suffering keenly, maintained an outward composure except for the
tears which welled from their eyes. They hurriedly left the
capitol building together. The young wife will go to the
penitentiary Friday to say a last good-bye to her husband.

PLEA OF ATTORNEY.

W. E., attorney for A., made a wonderfully eloquent plea for his
client's life. It was logical, pathetic and at times scathing in
its denunciation of the methods used by the police to extort
confessions from the boys. He said these methods, in their
horrible brutality, were without parallel anywhere.

"The only evidence upon which N. A. was convicted," he said, "was
the alleged confession wrung out of him by police brutality. This
confession was made after the prisoner had been 'sweated' and
intimidated. One ear had been almost torn off, he had been
cuffed, kicked and trampled upon, and then, under the influence
of threats, he made his alleged confession."

NEWS THAT SON IS TO HANG BROKEN TO AGED WOMAN BY HER DAUGHTER AND
CAUSES COLLAPSE.

Sitting and staring with a blank look into space, at intervals
relieving the tension of her misery by low moans, and then again
ejaculating pitifully, "Oh, my boy! My poor, poor boy! Can I live
and know that you died upon the gallows?" Mrs. J. A. is now
hovering on the borderland of life at the home of her daughter in
Denver.

It was not until noon yesterday that Mrs. A. was told that the
pardons board had refused to grant her son, N. A., a commutation
of sentence from death to life imprisonment. Up to that moment
when the terrible knowledge became hers she had a mother's hope
that the pardons board must save her boy. From the moment she
heard from her daughter's lips that the son and brother must die,
Mrs. A. has been verging upon a semi-comatose condition, and
under the constant care of a physician.

She was illy prepared to hear the news yesterday, for she had
spent the night previous without closing her eyes in sleep. It
was not until 5 o'clock that slumber came to her mercifully, and
even then she merely slept in a fitful doze until 8 o'clock.

SUPPRESSED EMOTION.

The serious phase of Mrs. A.'s condition, her physician regards,
is that with her it is all suppressed emotion. She does not cry
out or rave, but endures her intense suffering in quiet. It is
but seldom that tears come to her relief, and the only vent her
emotion has is in her low moans for her "poor boy."

After the news was broken to her, Mrs. A. spent most of the day
in bed. Late last night she was still in the same condition, and
the gravest anxiety is felt by her relatives.

Mrs. A. is 70 years old. She lives in Buffalo, N. Y., and made
the long trip of 1,500 miles to personally plead with the State
Board of Pardons for the life of her son.

TO TEST GALLOWS.

Warden C. will today test the automatic scaffold upon which N. A.
and F. A. will be executed next week. He will see that
everything about the device is in perfect order and will make a
final test just prior to taking the first of the two to his
death. The execution house, where the men will be confined until
the final summons, is 28x30 feet. It contains three condemned
cells and across the hall from these are two large rooms. In the
center of one is a large iron plate and on this the condemned is
asked to stand after the noose and cap have been adjusted. The
weight of the man causes the plate to drop about an inch. This
closes the circuit of a current connecting with a bucket of water
which stands on a shelf in a closet in an adjoining room. By a
magnet arrangement a plug in the bottom of the bucket is pulled
and the water begins to flow out. As soon as the vessel is empty
an automatic connection releases a catch holding a bag of sand on
the end of the noose.

The sand, being heavier than the man, falls, causing the body at
the other extremity of the rope to be jerked off the floor to the
height of three feet. The sandbag is in the room containing the
closet where the bucket is and the rope from the noose reaches
that room over a pulley and through a hole in the wall.

The condemned man does not see any of the details of the
execution when he enters the death cell. The iron plate in the
floor and the noose around his neck are the only parts he can
see. He does not hear the dropping of the water nor the working
of any of the mechanism.

The instant the man is jerked off his feet and suspended at the
end of the rope his neck is broken. The time intervening between
the pulling of the plug in the bucket and the falling of the sand
is usually about a minute. The suspense to the prisoner, however,
is not regarded as any more cruel than that experienced by a man
in the electrical chair or on the scaffold while he awaits the
fatal current or the springing of the trap.

The hanging apparatus was invented by a convict fifteen years
ago.--_News_, May 20.

As shown by foregoing letters these cases were continued till June 16. Such is the suspense, sorrow of heart and grief through which many are constantly passing in this world, all on account of sin. What are we trying to do to lend a hand of relief?

Such, dear reader, are a few of the many, many cases of this class with which I have had to do in these more than twenty years of ministry to those that are bound. Some were hardened criminals, others innocent of the crime for which they were condemned and others no more guilty than thousands that the world honors. For all, Christ died; and many others beside these I have mentioned have given evidence of saving faith in the blood that is able to cleanse the deepest stain that sin has made.

One case is just as near and dear to my mother heart as another and yet how different in many respects are these condemned men--different in their natural inclinations and unlike because of their different circumstances in life. Among them are found the refined, the educated, the gifted, the beautiful as well as the low, the ignorant, the degraded. All must share the same fate. All are shown in the worst possible light to a gaping, sensation-loving, curious world. Let us, dear reader, take these cases home to our hearts as if they were our very own and so learn to have that charity that suffereth long and is kind. Even Moses and David took life, yet they were forgiven, and Moses who in haste slew the Egyptian, became the prophet so wonderfully used of God because of his meekness of spirit; and David in his thankfulness declared, "This poor man cried and the Lord heard him and delivered him out of all his troubles."