Murder by Accident?

We, my sister and I were all alone in the big house. The big house was just up the road from the little house where we lived. In the little house everything was comfortable and convenient, but in the big house things were different. The big house was roomy; however, it was also dark, dusty, and scary. As Mae and I walked slowly through the big house, we were both nervous. However, we would soon be more nervous. Mae and I came around the end of the dust-covered couch, and as we walked into the kitchen; we stumbled on something that caused me to fall, and Mae almost fell. The room was so dark neither of us could see more than an outline. It looked as if there was a body lying on the floor, of course that wasn't possible no way would a body be lying in this house because we knew the good people that lived there well. Still something was definitely there-but what? Mae went after a light so we could investigate further. When Mae got back, we saw there was a body lying there! Both of us checked for a pulse, but there wasn't one. Neither of us expected to find a pulse, because of all the blood. I have never seen so much blood in one place; there hadn't been that much blood when Dad killed our beef a few days earlier. No one would have believed that a woman as small as Grandma could have so much blood in her body, but she did. Well, Grandma didn't have the blood anymore; however, she did have it earlier. I used to hear Grandpa tell Grandma, "Woman, you will come to no good end." Grandma was an ornery, stubborn, and hardheaded little woman; however, I never expected her to end up dead on her own kitchen floor. Someone had been busy, and whoever it was had stabbed Grandma 13 times with a butcher knife. The knife still stuck out of Grandma's chest.

Mae and I began looking for Grandpa; we both were afraid that we would find him dead too; however, we didn't find Grandpa in the house. Next, we began searching for Grandpa in the yard; we were still thinking that we would find him nearby. I suppose, we thought that because Grandpa and Grandma were so close and did almost everything together. We checked the entire yard before Mae finally saw Grandpa. When we did see Grandpa, he was not dead; he was coming out of the woods carrying a stringer of fish. When we first saw Grandpa, I thought that he hadn't been home when Grandma got killed; then we noticed the blood. Blood covered Grandpa from head-to-toe. Grandpa was right about Grandma coming to no good end; they had gotten into another argument, and Grandpa's temper got the best of him. Grandpa killed Grandma then he went fishing. He always went fishing when he had some problem to think about, and he definitely had a problem this time. The jury told Grandpa to spend the rest of his life thinking about what he had done; the jury also told Grandpa that he would have to die in the Electric chair.

Grandpa went fishing that day, because he knew that would probably be the last fishing trip he would ever get to take. Grandpa told me one time when I visited him in prison that he caught more fish on that fishing trip than he had ever caught on any other fishing trip. At least one good thing had come from Grandma's death. Grandpa said, "I always knew your Grandma would come to no good end, but I never expected to be the one that brought that end about." Grandpa also said, "I hate being the one, too, because I sure did love that woman." Grandpa spent the rest of his life in the big house; however, that big house is not where Grandma and he had shared many good times. Grandpa told me that he did not like living in that big house at all. Grandpa often told me, "Boy, you make sure that you never do anything that will cause you to end up in this big house. Because, it is not a place that you want to be; I would not wish this house on my worst enemy."

"The Execution"

The execution of Grandpa came about because he lost his temper one-day and killed Grandma. Grandma was a hardheaded little woman that really knew how to push Grandpa's buttons; however, she pushed them once too often. When Grandma pushed Grandpa's buttons that last time, he lost control and stabbed her several times. Grandma died on the kitchen floor where Grandpa left her lying. The jury convicted Grandpa of murder in the first degree and sentenced him to die in the Electric chair. Grandpa and his lawyers filed all the usual appeals; however, he lost all of them. Grandpa spent several years in prison--most of them on death row while waiting on his case to be appealed.

Grandpa wanted to make an impression on me so that I would never end up on death row or in prison; therefore, he wanted Dad and Mother to bring me to his execution. I remember the execution like it was yesterday; although, I was only 15 or 16 years old at the time. The only good thing that happened that day is Dad, Mother, and I had one last meal with Grandpa. Grandpa could choose his favorite foods for his last meal; he also chose mine. Mother and Dad had steaks, baked potatoes, and large salads. Grandpa and I had fried Catfish, hushpuppies, and something that I would have called fish bait, but Grandpa said its name is Sushi. The meal was a good one; however, it would have been better if we had been eating it at home. Grandpa, my parents, and I finished eating our meal; then the guards escorted us down the hallway. The guards opened a door on our left near the end of the hallway, and Grandpa stepped inside a small room; then the guards opened another door in front of us at the end of the hall. My parents and I watched the execution from that room.Two guards strapped Grandpa in the chair. One guard strapped down Grandpa's wrists, and the other one put a strap around each ankle. The Warden pulled the curtain in front of the viewing window way back so that everyone in the room could see the chair and Grandpa.

Before throwing the switch, a guard handed Grandpa a microphone that he could use to say any last words that he might have. Grandpa thanked the warden and the guards for treating him well. Next Grandpa looked at Mother and Dad and thanked them for bringing me to see him die. Then Grandpa looked at me and said, "Boy listen to me, and you listen good; you and I both have a big temper. Now watch me die, so you will understand what can happen when you lose your temper. Damon, make sure that you never let your temper get the best of you." Grandpa then handed the microphone back to the guard and the guard left the room. When the door closed behind the guard, Grandpa began jerking and trembling; his eyes widened, and rolled back in his head. As Grandpa's hair began to curl; he began vomiting and went limp. When I saw Grandpa begin vomiting, I also began to vomit, and I lost all of my supper. By the time I finished vomiting, it was over; Grandpa was dead. A couple of days later my family buried Grandpa by the only woman he had ever loved-the same one that he had murdered some eight or ten years earlier.

"It is My Turn Now"

Grandpa made me promise that I would never do anything that would cause me to be put to death in the Electric chair or even sent to prison. However, here I sit on death row waiting for my turn in The Chair. I thought a lot of Grandpa, but I have never been good at obeying orders; therefore, I followed Grandpa's example rather than listen to his instruction. Grandpa showed me the way to murder the one that I love, and that is what I have done. I am good at following examples-it seems. Soon the guards will arrive and escort me away; I will be dead within an hour and in just a couple of days, my grandsons will bury me by my one true love. Grandma, Grandpa, and my wife all came to no good end, and soon I will too. Because there are only five foouur--thhrreee--twwoo--oonnee steps left, and now I enter the death chamber.