INTRODUCTION

The story you are about to read is true, and stands as a grim reminder of what alcoholic beverages can do to a person. For those who indulge in strong drink, there is a pay-day, and it may come sooner than one would like to think. This story, "The Finished Product Of The Brewer’s Art," was originally published by the Lake City Baptist Tabernacle in Forest Park, Georgia. The church has since closed its doors, and no longer exists. It is our prayer that this story be used of God to deliver people from all walks of life from the bondage of strong drink, for the salvation of lost souls for whom Christ Jesus shed His blood and died, and for the glory of our risen and coming again Saviour, Christ Jesus.

PRELUDE

The following is from the Gospel tract, "A Frank Word About Booze," published by Pilgrim Press, Inc., and is included here as a prelude to this true, gripping story of a man who paid the ultimate price for indulging in the devil’s brew.

    "Many people call alcoholism a disease. If it is a disease, then it is the only disease without germ or virus, the only one that is bottled and sold over the counter for a profit and brings in tax revenue for the government, state, county and city. If it is a disease, then it is the only disease that turns our boys into criminals and our girls into prostitutes, the only one that has the official approval of the Congress of the United States which passed a resolution to enact the 21st Amendment bringing an end to the Prohibition era, thus allowing the manufacture and sale of alcoholic beverages.

    "While there are those who call alcoholism a disease, God still calls it sin. In Proverbs 23:29-31, we find that it is wrong to drink an alcoholic beverage: ‘Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? They that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright.’ Not only does God say that it is wrong to drink alcohol, it is equally wrong to give or sell it to someone. ‘Woe unto him that giveth his neighbor drink, that puttest thy bottle to him, and makest him drunken also, that thou mayest look on their nakedness.’ (Habakkuk 2:15).

    "Those who have become alcoholics did not become so overnight — it all started by taking that ‘one’ drink, and that put them on the road to drunkenness. They thought they could get away with it, but, ‘Wine is a mocker, strong drink is raging: and whosoever is deceived thereby is not wise.’ (Proverbs 20:1).

    "There probably has never been a franker advertisement in the world than that which was made by one James M. Lawrence, who opened ‘The Naked Truth Saloon’ in Boise, Idaho on February 24, 1886, and who ran an advertisement in the Boise Democrat of that date as follows:

    " ‘Friends and Neighbors:

    " ‘Having just opened a commodious shop for the sale of liquid fire, I embrace this opportunity of informing you that I have commenced the business of making drunkards, paupers and beggars for the sober, industrious and respectable portion of the community to support. I shall deal in family spirits which will incite men to deeds of riots, robbery and bloodshed, and by so doing diminish the comfort, augment the expenses, and endanger the welfare of the community.

    " ‘I will on short notice, for a sum, and with great expectations, undertake to prepare victims for the asylums, poor farms, prisons and gallows.

    " ‘I will furnish an article that will increase accidents, multiply the number of distressing diseases and render those who are harmless incurables.

    " ‘I will deal in drugs which will deprive some of life, many of reason, most of property, and all of their peace, which will cause fathers to become fiends and wives, widows, and children to become orphans and all mendicants.

    " ‘I will cause many of the rising generation to grow up in ignorance and prove a burden and a nuisance to the nation. I will cause mothers to forget their offsprings, and cruelty to take the place of love.

    " ‘I will sometimes corrupt the ministers of religion, define the purity of the Church, and cause temporary spiritual and eternal death; and if any be so impertinent as to ask me why I have the audacity to bring such accumulated misery upon the people, my honest reply is ‘Money’. The spirit trade is lucrative, and some professing Christians give their cheerful countenance.

    " ‘From the U.S. government I have purchased the right to demolish the character, destroy the health, and shorten the lives and ruin the souls of those who choose to honor me with their custom.

    " ‘I pledge myself to do all that I have promised. Those who wish any of the evils before specified brought upon themselves or their dear friends, are requested to meet me at my bar where I will for a few cents furnish them with the certain means of doing so."

     "If these words applied then, they apply equally today.

    "While there are grave consequences for indulging in alcohol, the devil’s brew, there is a way of escape. You see my friend, ‘If the Son therefore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.’ (John 8:36). While A.A. may be of some help, Jesus Christ is the ultimate help, for not only is He able to give deliverance from the bondage of alcohol, He is also able to save your eternal soul for all eternity. Perhaps you didn’t know it, my friend, but when Christ died on the Cross and shed His blood, He was in fact paying your sin debt in Himself — He was literally your substitute (Hebrews 9). Having been bodily raised from the dead by the power of God, Christ is now in Heaven, and because He lives, each one who places his faith in Him for forgiveness of sin and eternal life will also live eternally with Him. (I John 5:11-13). Friend, will you now repent (turn from) of your sin, and by faith alone admit to God that you are a sinner, ask for His forgiveness and for Christ to come into your heart and be your Saviour? The forgiveness of sin can be yours. Eternal life can be yours. Deliverance from alcohol can be yours — but only in Christ!

    "Receive Christ as Saviour — TODAY!"

-Richard A. Ciarrocca

This book is being printed by the Lake City Baptist Tabernacle with permission of the family. Minor changes have been made from the original presentation but not from the wording.

It is the hope and desire of Lake City Baptist Tabernacle that this story will be used of the Lord to help enlighten its readers to the dangers of alcoholic beverages.

FOREWORD

My object in putting this sermon in booklet form is not an indulgence in sensationalism, neither is it an attempt to gain attention by feeding morbid curiosity. It is an attempt within the limitation of words, to describe the awfulness of retribution. I saw firsthand this man give his life in retribution for his sin. Few people witness such a gripping scene. By giving an account of it, my desire is that you will come to the realization that retribution awaits sinners. You may not be one of the unfortunates from whom the state exacts a penalty, but you have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There will be an accounting! You might escape punishment in this world if you have committed a crime against the state, just as your sin might go unpunished, but not in the next world. There, according to your record, awaits punishment or reward.

I want to express my personal appreciation to Warden R. P. Balkcom, of the State Prison at Reidsville, Georgia, for the many courtesies shown me. To Sgt. J. W. Robertson and members of the Reidsville unit of the Georgia State Patrol, my thanks for the many deeds of kindness. Lastly, I want to say that if it had not been for some interested Macon, Georgia, men who put at my service their private airplane, I would not have been able to visit with this man as I did. These men were: Mr. Frank Warren, Mr. M. 0. Belson, pilots for Monty’s Chemical Co., and Mr. H. S. Montgomery who put his Chemical Co. plane at my disposal for numerous trips, without charge, both prior to and on the day of execution. I am sincerely grateful to these men.

James W. Waters

This story is printed at the request of the condemned man, who wanted the world to know both "the wages of sin and the forgiveness of God." The following is a sermon which I preached on Sunday evening, November 16, 1958, at the Mabel White Memorial Baptist Church, Macon, Georgia:

I WALKED THE LAST MILE WITH A

CONDEMNED MAN TO THE ELECTRIC CHAIR

Text: John 3:16-18

I had an appointment with death on Friday morning, November 14, in the year of our Lord, 1958. I stepped out of the elevator at the Reidsville State Prison into the execution chamber, gave a quick glance at the prison guards, preparing the electric chair for use that morning, then followed the executioner through another door which led to "Death Row."

There are five cells adjoining the execution chamber in which condemned prisoners are kept until the day set for their death. Cell number one was occupied by an innocuous-looking, little grey- haired man, Mr. Otho Adams, age 53, who had been an inmate of the "Death House" for over seven months, awaiting execution. He was a convicted murderer sentenced to die for the vicious hammer slaying of his sister and her two small grandchildren.

I first became acquainted with this case when early in 1958 a niece of Mr. Adams came into my office and handed me a clipping from a newspaper. She burst into tears as she said, "Preacher, read this." It was an account of the tragedy which occurred in Colquitt County, Georgia, in November, 1957, the ensuing court trial, and the conviction of Mr. Adams for murder.

The facts in the case were well known by this time. Mr. Adams, while under the influence of intoxicants, took a claw hammer from a truck in the yard and wantonly proceeded to kill. First his sister, then her three-year-old grandchild were killed by the murderous blows from the hammer. He then walked over to a crib which held another grandchild, an eleven-month-old baby sleeping peacefully, and relentlessly drove the hammer into his brain. Three people were left dead without apparent cause.

This is further proof of what liquor will do to the human mind. This man was not a murderer by nature. He loved his family. I repeat that it is further evidence against the liquor traffic and an indictment against those who vote for it and who sell it.

After the tragic killings the man sought refuge in the swamps, but a posse soon located him and brought him to jail in Moultrie, Georgia, where he was later tried by a jury of his fellowmen. Their verdict: "Guilty," with no recommendation of mercy. The sentence the judge pronounced was mandatory: "Death in the electric chair." It was not long before he was transferred to Reidsville to the State Prison. He wrote and asked me to come down to see him. I called Mr. M. 0. Belson and he agreed to fly me down to the prison.

In the three trips we made to the prison, I was drawn closer and closer to this man and his problem. He was not a murderer in his heart, yet he committed a terrible crime for which he was to pay with his life. His attitude toward death was unusually calm and controlled by a firm faith which he had in God.

Once again I received a letter from Mr. Adams with a note of urgency. He stated that he wished to talk with me about something of pressing importance before he died. Mr. Belson, Rev. Luke Smith (Pastor, Highland Hills Baptist Church, Macon, Georgia), and I flew once again to Reidsville.

After lunch, we went once again to the fifth floor and "Death Row." Mr. Adams’ face mirrored his pleasure at seeing us. We exchanged pleasantries and talked of inconsequential things for a few moments. It was apparent Mr. Adams could restrain himself no longer. He had to get to the point. He said, "Bro. Waters, I am going to ask if you will preach my funeral after I am executed." I assured him that I would deem it a privilege to do whatever I could to make his last days as bearable and happy as they could be under the circumstances. Then he asked me a question which almost floored me. With an anxious, pleading look in his eyes, he said: "Bro. Waters, would it be possible for you to come down here on the day of the execution and walk the ‘last mile’ with me to the electric chair? I would appreciate it so much. Your visits and prayers and your encouraging letters have meant so much to me. No preachers have ever taken up any time with me in the past. I guess it was mostly my fault, but now I am going to die. Am I asking too much of you, to ask you to do this?"

I’m sure my face reflected some of my inner turmoil; I was repelled by the prospects of witnessing anything as ghastly as an execution. I felt a surge of blood rush to my head, my eyes blurred with tears, my body shifted uneasily as I tried hard to swallow the lump that had risen in my throat. Momentarily my whole emotional system was held in a tight grip of fear and dread. Then I recovered my voice, and with it my reason rallied, as I was brought to the realization that if God could give this man the grace to walk to his doom He would also give me grace to walk along beside him. I replied, "I will be happy to do anything to comfort you in your last hour. I shall be here on your execution day."

The man handed me an 18-page, handwritten letter. He asked me to read it to audiences everywhere. He asked me to publish it in order to get its warning message to people. This man who had only found Christ after being incarcerated in prison for a hideous crime, had no other opportunity except by this letter to obey that Christian command of publicly confessing Christ. This was his confession and his personal testimony, and he wanted people everywhere to read and hear it. It is a convicting and soul-gripping document. This man who had very little formal education managed to find the proper words to bare his heart. It tells of the evils of liquor, its fettering chains that prey on the weakness of men. It tells the power of God and the love of a Christ who said to the dying thief on the cross, "Today thou shalt be with me in paradise." I submit his letter, as he wrote it, for your edification and at Mr. Adams’ personal request.

 Death Cell

Reidsville, Georgia

July 14, 1958

Dear Bro. Waters,

First of all, I want to thank everyone that has been so nice to me, and also the ones who have been praying for me.

I want to say that I have lived a life of sin. I have felt for some time that I would not live long, but I never thought it would end up like this, which I regret very much. But I sometimes feel it was the Lord’s will for this thing to happen as it did for several different reasons. I could not have killed my sister and those children if I had been in my right mind.

I have been drinking ever since I was about 17 years old. The day I was tried, December 13, 1957, I had a pint of whiskey in the water tank of the commode and when I came into my cell after the trial I lay down and slept for a while, then made arrangements to get two more pints which I also drank.

Then I stopped and thought: Here I am facing death and still living for the Devil, so I didn’t try to get any more whiskey. I told the man who got it for me that I was through drinking and was going to start living for the Lord.

They had church service in the jail the following Sunday, and the preacher said if there was anyone who wanted to accept the Lord to kneel right down by the bars for prayer. I knelt down and he prayed for me and then he brought me a wonderful Bible, and I started reading and praying and I have had joy and comfort ever since.

I have lost the battle in court to save my life, but I haven’t lost with God. He is the one that counts. Friends, if you are lost and need a true friend, just turn to God and He will gladly be your friend. Please accept this advice from one who knows. God will never leave you.

I have only met Bro. Jimmy Waters three times, but I believe him to be a man of God. When I get to Heaven, I am going to talk to Jesus about him. When I am executed, I want Bro. Waters to officiate at my funeral, for I feel like he can comfort my loved ones more than anyone else. And I will be lying there in my casket at peace and at rest with God.

I want to ask the teenagers NOT TO DRINK, for you see where it has led me. . . to the electric chair; it is not a very pleasant thought. But I thank God that I have had enough time to get saved. You may not, though, so stop and think before it is too late. I have always felt I was born for a child of God and I still believe I am.

I stand at my window and look out over the fields and then think of what beautiful things God created on earth, and then how cruel we are to Him. And then He thought so much of us that He sent His only Son into the world to die for us. I can just see Jesus hanging there on the cross. I know He was in great misery and pain and then we don’t stop and think about Him. And I can see Jesus sitting back weeping, thinking how He suffered and died for us, while we are going down that road of sin with the Devil. I know. I went down that road 53 years and I knew that God was knocking at my heart’s door, but I would not heed and hear Him. So, friends, take warning before it’s too late. No question about it, I was a sinner and I had left God out of my plans. Now I am to pay the supreme penalty for my deeds. Believe me, friends, no one knows this better than the one who is paying the penalty for his sins.

As I said, I received a Bible from a preacher and with his guidance, I turned once more to God for help. I have found comfort and peace and, best of all, forgiveness of my sins. I have a new faith to face what is ahead of me. If I hadn’t had any hope as a Christian by being saved through accepting Christ as my Savior, I am not too sure as to what I would have done up to this time.

I have been eight months behind these bars, and I have had my moments of sorrow for the deeds I have done... I think of those who loved me and were suffering with me for my wrongs. Then out of this blackness and shadows has come the Word of God and promised: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself: that where I am, there ye may be also" (John 14:7-3).

I have spent many hours on my knees, confessing my sins in prayer to Jesus Christ, whose blood has cleansed me from my sins . . . (I know it). Now, "I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, . . . nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8:38,39).

Many of you today who are reading this will perhaps feel that you need not worry about your neglect of the things of God, but remember this: "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Those of you who are sowing to sin, remember that you may get by now, but YOU WON’T GET AWAY WITH IT! I TESTIFY TO THAT!

Friends, the time is set for my death. The day and the hour are not far off. I have made my peace with God and I am ready. Are you ready for death? We do not know the day nor the hour death will call. We have no promise of tomorrow. One thing is certain, we will all face death some day. So, friends, you who do not have Jesus in your hearts, pray today, this minute, and be saved. Jesus said "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (John 3:5).

If I did not know what it means to be lost in sin and lost from God, I would not have tried to send this message to you pleading with you to be saved. I could not have sent this message to you if I were not saved, but I am wonderfully happy in my soul, knowing that I am saved before I leave this world.

In the past months I have had a lawyer who has tried every conceivable means to get me freed from this death penalty, but to no avail. I am glad that I have a Lawyer at the right hand of God, interceding for me now. I write the above to you, knowing that if I confess Christ to you, He will confess me before the Father in Heaven. I pray that this testimony will help lead some to accept Christ as Savior, and that you will give your heart and life to Him and be saved.

So, friends, this is my testimony. I hope to meet you all in Heaven. May God bless you all. As ever...

Your Christian Friend

No.33557, Fifth Floor

Reidsville, Georgia

There, friends, is a letter which I hope you will long remember. Now I know that many of you came here tonight to hear the gruesome details which I promised to give you. I do this, not to satisfy gory curiosity, but in the hope that my description will deter someone who might have taken the initial step leading to the broad road of destruction.

There are more than twenty-one hundred of you here in this building. Listen as I tell you about the fruits of sin, the reaping of an ill-sown crop.

Frank Warren and I left early Friday morning to fly to Reidsville. I stood at the airport, as we awaited weather clearance from the control tower. I paced the hanger with nervous steps. We were going to be late if the clouds didn’t lift enough to allow us to fly. I got away from the others standing around and prayed to God like this: "Now, Lord, I feel that you are leading me on this trip. I don’t want to go and you know it. I would do anything to get around this experience if my conscience would let me. But, Lord, you know I promised this man to spend his last moments with him before he dies. If I am to do this, you will have to roll these clouds away so we can get there. This is for your glory and for the good of this poor, condemned man that I attempt to make this trip, so have Thy way, in Christ’s name. Amen."

The clouds soon rolled back, we got tower clearance and were airborne and on our way. We were quite late getting to the prison but they were waiting for me. The legal hours of execution in Georgia, as I understand it, are between 10:00 A.M. and 2:00 P.M. of the given date. I arrived at about 10:20A.M.

Sgt. Robertson joined us at the patrol barracks and went over to the prison with us. We were greeted by my good friend, Warden Balcom, with whom we chatted for a moment. Then we were escorted to "Death Row" by the executioner, Mr. Wallace.

Chaplain Jenkins, of the State Prison, was standing by the cell of Mr. Adams when we walked in. He had been playing some hymns on a tape recorder and praying with the man who was about to die.

Mr. Adams was obviously glad to see me. He pressed his body against the bars and extended his hand in greeting. He no longer had the shock of grey hair on his head; it had been clipped as short as possible, and it now lay on the floor beneath his feet. He was walking over his shorn hair with his bare feet. He had shaved and bathed early that morning, and also had enjoyed a good breakfast.

I asked him if he slept any the night before. He replied he had slept very soundly from about midnight until dawn. His outward appearance toward the things to happen on the final day of his life reflected the measure of inner composure he had gained. There was an almost unnoticeable trace of nervousness, but this was transcended by his great faith in God which shone on his face. There was an aura of tranquility about him that bespoke the peace of his soul.

I asked him what we could do. He asked me if I could sing "Peace in the Valley." I could recall only the chorus of the song, but I sang this as best I could. Then he asked me to sing "When We All Get to Heaven." The chaplain joined me as we tried to put as much assurance as we were capable of into this comforting hymn. My heart had seemed to rise from its usual spot in my chest up into the region of my throat. I’m sure the quivering of my voice betrayed the struggle I was waging to keep my emotions under control. I have sung many times at funerals, but never before as I looked into the face of one for whom the sands of time were slowly, inexorably trickling out, and whose funeral I had already promised to conduct. After a prayer we stood there and planned his funeral. He told me a few things to say at his service, which I conducted this afternoon at 3:00 P.M. at Morgan, Georgia, 30 miles west of Albany. I have just come from his funeral service to this pulpit to preach to you.

I asked him if there were any questions he would like to have cleared up before he died. His answer left no doubt in my mind that he had not wavered, but was fully possessed by a reassuring faith and was ready to meet his God.

In a moment the executioner and another guard came to open the cell door. "Roll your right pants leg up to the knee," said the executioner. The man calmly propped his foot upon the bunk in the cell and promptly obeyed. This was necessary, as we later saw, to place the electrode against the naked, shaven leg, for a direct contact. Just before we started the walk to the electric chair, Mr. Adams asked the executioner, "May I take a moment to say goodbye to the other prisoners?" He was granted this permission. As he spoke to them I believe it was one of the most touching scenes I have ever witnessed. Here was this man who had led an erratic, dissolute life, radiating God’s grace and faith, on his way to death, remonstrating with these derelict shipwrecks of humanity who inhabited "Death Row" to surrender their lives to God before their time to die. He went to each of the three prisoners on "Death Row" that day.

We then began the slow, emotion-filled journey over that dreadful stretch known in prison jargon as the "last mile." Chaplain Jenkins walked along beside me, while Mr. Adams followed, flanked on either side by two prison guards. My Bible was open to the 23rd Psalm, my voice echoed in the prison corridors the familiar words: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me . . ." and so on I read until I finished the 23rd Psalm.

At that point we paused. We were standing on a patio affair with the bars across the front and overhead in the small room. The sun was shining brightly upon us; the birds were singing; the green pines glistened in the sunlight. Autumn shades filled the eye; the brown fields that had given up their harvest all were a silent testimony of the greatness and goodness of God. The moment had an element of incongruity. I thought of the remark of one of the men who had come with me. He said, "It seems so strange to be talking with a man in perfect health who in a few short moments will be dead." The prison bars that cast a shadow patchwork were all that stood between this man and the peaceful scene on the outside. Very soon at the end of the short journey, he would have his freedom; his body would lie in a country cemetery some miles away. The chaplain was saying, "Son, look up, look up at the heavens into which you are going. Look for your last time upon the world God made, the world you are about to leave."

The man looked out, drinking up the scene. Tears welled in my eyes, blotting out my vision so I could not see his face It was a soul-stirring, drama-packed moment. He looked all about him, then slowly we resumed the walk to the execution chamber.

There were a few guards, two doctors, and a few others who were there to witness the execution. We led the way to the big oak chair from which almost five hundred souls have been hurled into eternity. The chair is painted white and stands a little higher from the floor than any other ordinary arm chair. A little pedestal is at the front of the chair attached to the floor. The feet of the prisoner are placed upon it.

Behind the chair there is a little partition and behind that is a panel of switches (three in all) which are thrown upon a given signal. Three men were standing by the switches. Over on one side of the chair is the embalming room, where the body of the prisoner is laid after execution and is prepared for burial. All of this is seen by the prisoner as he is placed in the chair.

Mr. Adams walked unhesitatingly to the chair and sat down unassisted. He was calm and deliberate in his movements. He was about to receive the wages that sin exacts. He was about to reap the harvest of the flesh.

The executioner and the guards went to work immediately. They tied him in the chair with mesh-type bands about the size of an average belt. They fastened his arms to the arms of the chair. They tied his legs together, then tied them to the big posts of the chair. Then they tied an additional band, about as wide as two hands together, around his body and to the chair.

Then the executioner belted the sponge filled, watersoaked steel electrode onto his leg. He then attached a large electric wire, about as large as your little finger, into the steel electrode, then made a final check of all equipment to be sure it was secure. All the time this was being done, I continued to read from the Bible. I read the 46th Psalm, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble . . . ." I also read from other familiar and comforting passages, as they readied him for execution.

Just before the big steel cap was placed over his head, the executioner said, "Do you have a statement you would like to make?" The man answered: "Yes, I want to say goodbye to all of you. I want you to know I am ready to die. I want to thank Bro. Waters for coming to see me and for being here today. I know I must pay for the wrong I have done. I am sorry for the terrible thing I did. I hope those people who still hate me for what I did can find it in their hearts to forgive me. I hope to meet all of you in Heaven."

With that the executioner stepped to the back of the chair, holding a towel in his hand which he would place over the man’s face. During those moments I stood by the chair, holding the man’s hand and reading from the 14th chapter of John: "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again. and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also . . . ." As I quoted the scripture he fastened his eyes on me. He never once blinked an eyelash for those two minutes. I shall never be able to erase the look in those eyes from my memory, those eyes that would in the next three minutes be closed in death. They had some of the look of a cornered animal - - desperation, helplessness, hopelessness, wistful longing, and I suppose, resignation. It seemed he would have reached out, if possible, and with a pleading gesture said, "Help me, please, please, please!"

I could not restrain the tears that coursed down my cheeks. Almost every man in that room was moved to tears. It was a suspenseful moment, when time seemed static, the air heavy with tension; every man sat breathlessly. Seconds seemed to drag as endless hours.

The executioner placed the towel he held in his hand over the man’s face, then placed the big iron cap over his head. The cap came down over his eyes and all the way back over his shaven skull. Then the big, heavy wire was attached to the electrode on the head and tightened well. After everything was double-checked, the executioner gave the signal and the three switches were thrown. The man’s body surged up into the straps when it hit.

For about one minute the room was filled with the ominous buzz-z-z-z of the electric current. The reaction of the body of the man was terrifying beyond words to describe. Huge

blisters rose up around the electrode attached to his leg. The little wisp of smoke rising from his head, the distinctive odor of burning human flesh, told the rest of the story. His hands, legs, arms, all began to swell as though they would burst open. His fingers were strutted by the force coursing through his entire anatomy. We could not see his face but I am told that the terrible distortion of the face, tongue, eyes while the electricity is being applied is something that no person would desire to see.

I fell to my knees and prayed: "Oh, God, give this man grace to die! Help him, Father! Receive his soul, oh, Lord." I have never found it so easy to pray, nor have I felt it so important and necessary, as when watching a soul leave this world.

The switch was thrown at exactly 11:00 A.M.; the electricity was applied for about sixty seconds. Then all was quiet for about five or six minutes. No one made a move; we just sat silently and waited. The man’s body seemed to take on a purple hue as he sat there motionless in death.

Seven minutes after the switch was thrown a guard came and pulled his shirt open. One of the doctors in attendance examined him carefully. When he had finished, he stepped back and the other doctor applied his stethoscope. He was officially pronounced dead at 11:08 A.M.; actually he died during the first moments. Think of it: ONE MOMENT WITH US . . . THE NEXT MOMENT WITH GOD, hurled into eternity in the twinkling of an eye.

We were directed to an elevator where we were returned to the first floor of the prison. We did not stay until the body was removed from the chair. I had seen all I could stand for this time. I pray to God I will never have to witness another execution. I would go again if I were called upon, but I hope it never happens. To me these were moments detached from reality, with reality so horrifying the mind could not assimilate it. The look in the man’s eyes as they placed the steel cap on his head is indelibly imprinted on my brain.

This Sunday afternoon, November 16, we closed the book and wrote the last earthly chapter in the life of Mr. Otho Adams, No.33557, Georgia State Prison System. We held his funeral service in a little white church in Morgan, Georgia, and laid his body to rest beside his parents in a little country graveyard. Now we wait for the morning of the resurrection and life in the world to come.

My text for the message is John 3:16-18. The emphasis is on verse 18: "He that believeth on Christ is not condemned, but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God."

The person who is unsaved is in worse condition than Mr. Adams. To be unsaved is to be condemned to eternal death. It means one is condemned right this minute, lost, undone, and on the way to a Devil’s Hell. He is going there by his own choice. Christ stands in the gap, but the unsaved friend is pushing Him aside and condemning his own soul.

"Condemned" is a legal term. It means all future rights and privileges are forfeited. It holds its meaning right on through in the spiritual sense. "He that believeth NOT is condemned ALREADY . . . ." Therefore, for one to be saved from condemnation he must have a pardon from the parole board or the governor. This would mean freedom and forgiveness and it would never be held against him anymore. So it is in the spiritual; God will pardon and forgive any sinner, for Jesus’ sake. All you have to do, friend, is confess your sins to God and ask forgiveness. You will be freed from guilt and condemnation forever.

I plead with you to take Christ as your Savior and enjoy forgiveness, fellowship, and joy in the Heavenly Father. To refuse this love is to take your future into your own hands.

Through this experience, I have made several observations. I will list a few of them here: (1) "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." (2) "The wages of sin is death." (3) The liquor traffic is a far greater threat to our way of life and security than Communism. (4) The human mind cannot be trusted under all circumstances; it will betray you sometimes under certain conditions. (5) It seems incongruous that, under existing laws in our land, one man kills three people with a hammer, while admittedly drunk, and is electrocuted for it - - while another man gets drunk, kills three people with his automobile while driving drunk, and is sentenced to serve one to three years, gets out in four months, free to do the same thing over again. Therefore, if a man has enemies he wants to get rid of, let him buy himself a car and a bottle, instead of a gun and a bottle, and he has it made. He can get rid of his enemy, collect insurance for his car, and buy more liquor with the money and drown his feeling of guilt.

The great thing I have learned from this experience is the deeper meaning of the grace of God - - how He can love a murderer, forgive him, put joy in his soul, and give him grace to die. What He did for this man He can do for you. Your sin might not be murder, but it is sin just the same. If you will confess it to God, He will forgive you and remember it no more. Don’t go stumbling blindly on through life. Let Christ become the Light of your life, while your reasoning power is still on the throne. While you are thoughtful, while you are convicted, let God speak to your heart.

Let us pray: "Our Father, let Thy Holy Spirit breathe on us just now. Let Thy conviction seize hold on our hearts and especially deal with those who have pushed the matter of Christ and salvation out of their lives. May they in this hour surrender themselves to Thee and accept Thy Son as their personal Savior right now. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen."

-Richard A. Ciarrocca