Context and Formative Years: The Gallows

It was a cold December 1827 day in Johnstown, New York, when the jailer's wife opened the cell door to allow her twelve-year-old friend entry to visit the man inside.

“I've brought you some fruit,” the young girl said.

The prisoner surely was grateful for the kind gesture. The girl had been visiting almost daily since his arrival weeks before – some days bringing fruit, other times cakes and candy. Sometimes they talked; other days she read to him. As she had gotten to know him better, she was impressed with how gentle and teachable he was, almost like a child himself.

“How are you today?” she inquired.

Responding to this innocent question must have been difficult – how well can one be when sentenced to die at the gallows within a few short days? But it would have been inappropriate to dwell on the macabre with this young girl who had shown him such kindness.

“Oh, I'm all right,” he lied.

The dreadful reality of these somber final days, slipping like sand through an hourglass, went unspoken between the man and his young visitor.