Who Had The Worst Job?

[BettyO]

Excellent questions!

I, too believe the spiritual advisers had the worst job.

While they had to console and comfort the condemned, they also had to be closeted with these folk and their families and friends for a considerable time and get to personally "know" and obviously care about them as people. They had to realize that these folk, irregardless of their crimes, were human beings who had families, who were repentant and contrite regarding what they had done, and were for the most part (regarding the three men) young - in the cases of Powell and Herold; extremely young. They had to listen to the utmost feelings and thoughts of the condemned as they talked and sobbed, witness their grief and fear and then attempt to comfort them as best they could while at the same time, taking into consideration any last minute commissions which they condemned wished to be given to parents, family and friends. Then at the last, they had to witness the deaths of these people - people they had grown to care about in such a short time. Dr. Gillette and Dr. Olds actually turned away when the drop fell, unable to watch - with Gillette becoming ill shortly thereafter with sleepless nights after witnessing the death of these four.

Of course, this was their job. They were clergy and were apparently closely attuned to death and consolation. However, witnessing the cruel deaths of four people (three of them young and healthy and one of them a woman) could be troubling in the extreme.

The rather pitying look on Reverend Augustus Stryker's face as he looks at Mrs. Surratt says it all....(Thanks to John Elliott and Barry Cauchon for pointing out Stryker on the gallows platform)