Where did you find this?”
“I’ve been searching my papers all night. Is it any good?”
Judge Harrison didn’t answer, but continued to study the document in his hand. Finally he said, “I’d forgotten all about this law.”
“I had too. Is it still legal?”
“Oh, yes,” the petite man assured him calmly.
“Will you read it?”
“I’ll read it, Lucas,” he said as he looked the taller man in the eye, “but you must know that the possibility of a response—”
“I don’t know anything, Tom, except that you’ve got to read that proclamation,” Duncan cut him off. “I know it’s a shot in the dark, but I’m trusting God in that darkness. I don’t know how and I don’t know who—I just know you’ve got to read that paper.”
The judge studied the sheriff’s face for a long moment. He had always respected Duncan’s faith in God. “I’ll read it Duncan; for what it’s worth, I’ll read it.”
It was a sobering experience for Sean to hear the hammers pounding nails to form the gallows where he would meet his death. Sean’s window did not look out onto the building site, but as the sun passed its midpoint in the sky, a shadow was cast across the ground, giving a perfect outline of the tall structure that would see his execution.
Sean’s hand rose involuntarily to his throat as he lay down on the cot. “I know Your arms are waiting to hold me on the other side, Lord, but the thought of that rope around my neck terrifies me.”
The words were whispered, and tears stung Sean’s eyes. “Please help me to be strong. I don’t know if I’ve ever given You the glory for anything, but I want to now.”
And such were Sean’s prayers through the long afternoon. Since he knew his system would hold nothing, he hadn’t eaten a thing since before the trial. He was, in a sense, fasting and praying, and God’s immeasurable peace had settled upon him. Duncan had come and talked to him again that morning and then prayed aloud, thanking God for the opportunity to know Sean. It had almost been the younger man’s undoing.
Knowing that Duncan would write a kind letter to his family, Sean praised God. He tried to push the faces of his sisters and his nieces from his mind, but it did no good. He adored his nieces, and the thought of never seeing them again brought a torrent of tears.
Having dozed off before Duncan came to get him, Sean shook his head to clear his mind and held his wrists behind his back for cuffing.
Sean’s heart, which had been beating at normal speed, began to pound when he saw the crowd around the scaffolding. It had never occurred to him that people would care to witness such a gruesome spectacle, but there was indeed quite a crowd gathered, and it was painful to have to walk through the midst of them to his death.
The walk up the steps of the scaffold was the longest of Sean’s life. He was momentarily surprised to see the judge waiting for him on the platform, but a second later he stepped onto the trapdoor and felt the rope tighten around his neck and all other thoughts vanished.
The sun was in Sean’s face, and not wishing to see the faces in the crowd, he welcomed the excuse to close his eyes. The noises around him and the feel of the rope as it scraped the tender skin of his neck were all he could take.
“It’s been recently brought to my attention that a document needs to be read at this hanging. For some of you it will be new. For others, it’ll jog your memory from many years ago. But either way I assure you, it is legal and I will hear no discussion to the contrary.”
The judge cleared his throat and began to read. “As official of this legal hanging in the State of California, in the County of Tulare, I hereby proclaim that for the offense of bank robbery, Sean Donovan will be hanged by the neck until dead. Unless, in said case, a woman of good standing in the community, that is, not being a woman of ill repute, a child beater, or an adulteress, will hereby step forward and claim said prisoner to be her lawfully wedded spouse from this day forward.”
The announcement was met with gasps of shock and outrage from the throng. An ominous silence followed.
“Now, I should explain a little further, without having to read the whole thing, that this would not apply to the offense of murder. And since I know I’ve taken you all by surprise, I’ll read it one more time.”
The judge did as he said without looking anywhere but at the paper. If he had he would have seen the condemned man staring at him, his eyes nearly popping out of his head.
Sean would have sworn that nothing but the sight of his Savior would have been able to pry open his eyes, but when the judge began reading the document, his eyes flew open and he swiveled his head as best he could to look at the man next to him.
The judge finished reading a second later, and Sean was still so busy staring at him that he didn’t hear a woman calling from the crowd. Murmurs of “Charlie” came to his ears, but the name didn’t really register.
Sean watched Duncan’s face in disbelief as the sheriff loosened the knot and lifted the rope from his neck. Spots danced before his eyes.
“Don’t pass out now, Sean. Charlie has just agreed to marry you.”
Sean’s eyes went from the grinning sheriff to the judge, who was staring down the steps of the scaffold to a woman standing below. Sean followed his gaze and saw black spots again. With Duncan’s hand gripping his arm, he was brought back to his senses just as the judge addressed him.
“Well, son, it seems there’s been a change in the plans. Can you stay on your feet long enough to be married?”