The Preacher of Cedar Mountain: A Tale of the Open Country
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CHAPTER LVIII
In the Death House
Shay sat calmly waiting as the big clock ticked his life away thatmorning in the house of death at Joliet. At eleven o'clock, Hartiganreceived Belle's telegram: "We have found Squeaks." He rushed to theSheriff with it. That officer was very sorry, but "no one except theGovernor had any right to order a stay."
"Why, sir," said Jim, "you are not going to hang an innocent man, whenhere is proof of his innocence."
"There is no proof in that telegram. I don't know who "Belle" is. I getmy orders from the Courts. No one but the Governor can order areprieve."
Jim sent a telegram to Springfield only to learn, as Belle had done,that the Governor had left for Chicago. He sent telegrams to every onewho had the power to help. He telegraphed Belle; he rushed to theSheriff to beg for God's sake but one hour's reprieve. He hurried to thepenitentiary to find another telegram from Belle:
Pray without ceasing for an hour's delay. We have Squeaks now.
But the clock ticked on. He literally ran to Michael's cell; the jaileropened the way. "Michael," he gasped, "we have found Squeaks; we knowyou are innocent."
Michael was the calmest of all. "Whatever is God's will I'll takewithout a grumble," he said, and sat smoking.
At a quarter to twelve the Sheriff appeared.
"Why, Sheriff, you are not going to--when you know the reprieve is onthe way. You are not going to let a technicality lead you into murder?"
"I have no change in my instructions," said the Sheriff, "and no proofthat any change is on the way."
"Why; this is monstrous," gasped Jim. "An hour's delay is all we ask, sothe Governor can be reached."
The Sheriff motioned the guard to move on, and Shay walked firmlybetween the two officers. They came into the prison yard. Thereassembled were a score of officials and newspaper men.
"Have you any final statement to make?" asked the State officials.
"Nothing, only that I am innocent and Squeaks is alive at this moment."
That was an old story--an old trick to win time. The officers werepreparing to act, when Hartigan pale and exultant, swinging the lasttelegram before the Sheriff, re-read it and for the first time truly gotits meaning. He said: "Let us pray."
They kneeled down, all of them, in accordance with the ancient custom,and Jim began to pray. His voice was broken and husky, but it grewsteadier as he appealed to the God of Justice and Mercy. He prayed andprayed; the clock struck twelve, but still he prayed. "Pray withoutceasing," Belle's message had said. His gift of speech stood by him now;a quarter of an hour passed and still he was pouring out petitions tothe throne of grace; another quarter of an hour and his voice was alittle weary, but he prayed on. Still another, and another, and theclock struck one. All those men still kneeled, dead silent, except for alow, sobbing sound from the little group farther off. The Sheriff waiteduneasily; he coughed a little and waited for a gap--but there was nogap; Jim bared his heart to God that day. He prayed as he never didbefore and all his bodily strength went into his prayer. At a quarterpast one, when he was still calling on the God of Life for help, theSheriff knew not what to do, for by the unwritten law the man of God hada right to finish his prayer. At half past one, the Sheriff moveduneasily and at length uttered a faint "Amen," as though to give thesignal to stop. As it had no effect he realized for the first time justwhat Hartigan's desperation and iron will were leading him to do, hetook cover under the technicality and played the game with him. Shaywould have a chance as long as the Preacher's voice lasted. The partyall stood, hats off, except those around the condemned one. They stillkneeled, some of them, while others in bodily weariness, were franklysitting on the scaffold. And the Preacher prayed on. His voice was thickand husky now; he could scarcely enunciate the words. The big clockticked and two was struck. Still Jim prayed, as one who hopes and clingsto any hope.
There were uneasy movements among the witnesses. The Sheriff said "Amen"twice again, quite loudly so that no one else should interrupt, but hewas under a terrible strain. It was ten minutes after two when a shoutwas heard from the outer office and a warden with a paper came running,shrieking, "_Reprieve! Reprieve!_"
Jim turned to look and closed his prayer: "...and this we ask forJesus's sake"; then he fell flat upon the scaffold.
"I knew she would, I knew she would; Belle never failed me yet," werethe first words he uttered when he revived.
The Sheriff read the Governor's telegram to the crowd:
"Reprieve Michael Shay for three days."
As they led him back to the house of death, which was to him a house ofresurrection, there was the whistle of a special train followed by theclatter of a carriage approaching the gate. Whoever it was had the rightof entry. Hurried footsteps were heard, and short, low words. Then thedoors swung wide for--the Governor himself, John Hopkins, and Belle.White fear was on their faces till they met a warder who knew.
"All right, sir; we got it in time."
"Thank God!"
"Yes, sir; two hours after the time fixed. But the minister was in themiddle of his prayer and he didn't seem to finish till it came."
The party entered the death house, and at once were ushered into theroom where Shay and Jim were sitting. Jim was weak and worn looking. Thewarden announced, "The Governor." Jim rose, and in a moment, Belle wasin his arms. "I knew you would. I knew you would. I got your message. Iprayed without ceasing. I would have been at it yet."
Mike Shay, calm until now, broke down. Tears ran from his small grayeyes, and clutching the soft hand of his deliverer, he murmured: "Thereain't anything I got too good for the Hartigans. Ye--ye--ye--oh, Goddamn it! I can't talk about it!" and he sobbed convulsively.
The Governor shook his hand and said: "Michael Shay, I think the dangeris over so far as you are concerned; all will be well now that Squeaksis found." Shay mumbled a "thank you." "Don't thank me," replied the manof power. "You may thank the loyal friends who found the trap and foundthe answer and found the Governor, when almost any other man or womanwould have given up."