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He scoffed at the signs in his
horoscope, an arc of direction by Junius

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B. Smith. The young man
cast the stub of his cigarette from the

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open window and laughed, Your theories
are absurd, my dear Elton. If

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a man could always tell when to
sew and when to reap, his fortune

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would be assured exactly. Elton agreed, fingering the pages of the book on

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astrology, which he evidently had been
perusing when the other came in. After

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a moment, he continued, Naturally, you don't believe one may look into

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the future. If you want my
candid opinion, I do not. I

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may say I will have a coffee
for breakfast, but I am not certain

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of it. I may be dead
when breakfast time comes. He rolled another

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cigarette and set it alight. I
may not even finish the in my mouth,

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he added, as he tossed the
still blazing match out the window.

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Elton viewed the act with a little
frown upon his face. I'm afraid,

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friend, Hall, that to you
fate will be fate. Indeed, for

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you act without due thinking. For
instance, how do you know where that

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cigarette stub went or the match which
followed it? For all you know it

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may have struck tender, and I
may be seeking accommodations tonight, Tot tot.

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There's nothing outside but some vines running
up the wall, as they do

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over at my place, and some
flowers and grass on the other side of

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the cement walk. I saw all
that the last time you showed me your

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horticultural skills. You assume there has
been no change. You do not really

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know. The one who trusts in
chance has his destiny fixed by the stars.

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Just when and where were you born? Haul took the cigarette from his

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lips as Elton reached for a sheet
of paper on which to make the notation.

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You're not really serious, old dear. Surely you don't take any stock

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in that exploded thing. Let us
talk about something worthwhile we are doing just

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that. I am curious as to
the date of your demise. Haul shrugged

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his shoulders poppycock. If I didn't
know you as a successful businessman, i'd

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think something was wrong with your head. I don't know, but there is

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anyway. A doctor once told me
that everybody was crazy on at least one

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subject. Nobody ever told me what
subject I'm bugs on, and I suppose

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no one knows his pet failing,
nor believes anyone who tells him. So

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you think you can tell when I'm
going to die? That's rich. I

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don't know myself. You will if
you get me the information I asked by

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cracky. I believe you believe you
can tell. I'll bet you a quart

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of pink lemonade against that one lunged
flivver of yours that I outwearh your dilapidated

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tires. Maybe so, maybe so, I can't tell when you're going to

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die if you don't tell me where
and when you were born. In the

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end, Hall gave the information,
asked, and now what, asked the

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younger man. Shall I wait until
you diagnose my case? Or shall I

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return at some later date just if
you like? Elton replied, it involves

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considerable work, so perhaps you'd better
call around in a week from now.

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It was a month before Hall again
visited his friend. When he did,

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it was with no intention of learning
his fate as foretold by the stars,

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but rather upon another matter. Nor
was the subject brought up by him,

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though what he said directly opened the
question. I'm going to be married in

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September. Elton considered the statement for
a moment, but said nothing, sweetest

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girl you ever saw. Hull amplified, still no comment. You are to

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stand up with me if you will. It was that that brought me here

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today. I'm glad you came.
Elton at last broke his silence. I

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was about to set forth and find
you. Your announcement does not come as

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a surprise to me, for such
an attachment is shown in your horoscope for

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this time. But and he weighed
his words carefully. If you really want

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the girl, you had better marry
her immediately. Of course, she might

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object to being left a widow.
So soon shall I call a doctor for

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you? Elton? You talk as
if you're sick. I'm not sick,

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and I don't need a doctor.
But in all seriousness, friend Hall,

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you need a nurse or at least
a bodyguard in the very near future,

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for according to my calculations, on
the tenth of next month, unless you

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do something to prevent it, you
will most assuredly be hanged. Hall looked

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at Elton for a full minute,
then spoke, you surely don't believe that,

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bunk. If you are joshing,
I think you have gone far enough.

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I was never more serious in my
life. According to my calculated arcs

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of direction, arks of what Hall
involuntarily exclaimed arcs of direction planetary angulations we

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astrologer to calculate to tell when the
designated result will materialize. Oh, I

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see, first you tell what is
going to happen to a fellow, and

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then when. So I'm going to
be hanged on the tenth of next month.

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Quick work. I haven't killed anybody
yet, and they don't hang them

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that soon. Even if I should
go out and kill somebody between now and

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then, Oh, there are lots
of ways in which you might get hanged.

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Some over enthusiastic citizens, for instance, might string you up to the

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nearest telegraph poll or convenient limb.
You wouldn't be the first man who had

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suffered of vicarious death. Quit it, Elton, you're making my nerves jumpy.

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He moved toward the window and looked
out. I'll miss you greatly,

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Elton replied. Let me tell the
girl all about it. Maybe she'll marry

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you at once. To take care
of you, Get a bodyguard or do

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something. Believe me a fool if
you like, but don't take a chance.

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Fate has an unkind way of pulling
mean little tricks. You gloomy,

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old cuss. You're scaring me out
of a year's growth. You look as

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if you were attending my funeral already. The tenth of the following month came

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and Hull had taken no precautionary measures. Every time he thought of what Elton

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told him, he felt sorry for
Elton. His mind was undoubtedly slipping pity

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too. Genius and insanity are very
close together. He lay in a bed

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and looked up at the ceiling and
pondered about what his friend had told him.

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This was the day he was to
be hanged. He never felt any

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further from death than he did that
very minute. Of course, he might

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walk out on the street and something
unforeseen befall him. All in all,

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perhaps it were better to remain in
his home all day in bed, even

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only that seemed plumb foolish. On
second thought, he would remain indoors.

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There was no use taking chances.
As Elton had pointed out, there was

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nothing he had to do, so
he might as well do it at home

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as elsewhere. Of course, Elton
had wanted him to provide a bodyguard,

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some sort of companion who would cut
him down perhaps, but that was beside

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the question. What need did he
have for a bodyguard? The bodyguard might

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hang him. His mind began all
sorts of queer gymnastics. He was nervous

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in spite of himself. He crawled
out of bed when the sun shining through

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the open window drove him to it. After a shower, he slowly dressed.

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Suddenly an idea hit him, Elton, So cock, sure I'm going

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to die today? I believe I'll
phone him and tell him to come over.

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That's killing two birds with one stone. He'd make an excellent bodyguard,

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that is, if he isn't crazy, and we can play chess, which

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will while the hours away. Yeah, I'll get him on the phone immediately,

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and he did. Was just coming
over anyway, Elton told him.

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Haul made some toast and poached an
egg. His appetite wasn't very keen.

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Living alone in a two story house
and doing his own cooking when not eating

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in a cafeteria was getting monotonous,
to say the least. He was glad

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he was to be married in September. It would be different when he had

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a wife to take charge of the
home, which had been left him by

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his parents. His frugal meal finished, he ran upstairs to get his chessboard

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and men. The sunlight was pouring
through the window. In added volume,

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it was too beautiful a day to
be cooped up, But he'd forget all

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about that when he and Elton got
to playing chess. He decided he might

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as well make his bed while waiting
for Elton, and busied himself in that

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occupation. Then he went to the
open window and looked out. Elton should

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be coming any minute now. Speeding
autos flashed to and fro. The hank

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of an occasional horn sounded warning.
An old horse pulling a still older express

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wagon rattled past. The driver hunched
on his seat. A bicycle or two

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added variety, and men, women
and children sauntered, hurried, or ran

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along the walks according to what each
was intent upon doing. Hall wondered if

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any of those down upon whom he
was looking would turn aside long enough to

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hang him. His face lighted with
a rather amused smile. He'd have to

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talk to the doctor about Elton.
It wasn't good for a man to get

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such crazy notions into his head.
His eyes drifted to his immediate yard.

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A bird cooed and scolded its fledglings
in an evergreen tree not a dozen feet

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away. He watched it feed its
young. A humming bird whizzed past his

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face, its invisible wings fanning the
air with great rapidity. Frown flower to

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flower, it darted on the creeping
vines beside the house. He watched it

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00:11:15,039 --> 00:11:20,399
lazily, fascinated by its beauty,
its daintiness, the music of its flight.

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Was it possible that he, in
the midst of life, was on

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the threshold of death? Into his
reverie broke the hum of a motor strangely

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familiar to his ears. It was
Elton's car, He had no doubt.

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He strained his eyes to catch sight
of it and confirmed his guests. Then

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he turned to go downstairs and let
Elton in. On the morning of the

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tenth Elton became very uneasy. He
was sincere in what he told his friend

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Hall. He feared, however,
that Hall would disregard the warning and come

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to disaster. Since in most likelihood
Hall would not provide himself with a bodyguard,

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why not be that bodyguard himself,
so Elton reasoned. It was precisely

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at the time when he made up
his mind to attend Hall, all that

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day that Hall telephoned him, he
got his car from the garage and inspected

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the right front tire, concerning which
Hall had been kidding him on more than

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one occasion. It was about ready
to go out, but this was no

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time to change it. He could
do that when he got to Hall's place

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or later, or let it go
until it did blow out. He was

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just slowing as he drew close to
Hall's residence to make the turn into the

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driveway on the north side of the
house when the tire went out with a

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loud bang. He turned into the
driveway on the rim, stopped and quickly

147
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changed the tire. He might as
well get it over over with before going

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into the house so he could wash
up. When he did go in,

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the tire changed. He went to
the front door and pushed the bell.

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No answer came. He knocked long
and loud, still no answer. Worried

151
00:13:18,320 --> 00:13:22,360
at the silence, he started along
the cement path that led to the rear

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around the south side of the house
and paused to stand aghast at what he

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saw when he turned the corner.
As Hall turned with intention of leaving the

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open window to admit his friend,
the latter's tire had exploded. Hall,

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whose nerves were jumpy as a result
of his friend's dire foreboding, started,

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lost his balance and fell backward out
the window. He clutched at the vines

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held to the side of the wall
by metal netting, but they gave and

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tore away and let him continue to
fall. And then one more tenacious than

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the rest, held, but it
raped its sinuous length around his neck.

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00:14:07,759 --> 00:14:13,559
He fought and clutched the wire like
fiber, but the noose slipped only tighter.

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He was almost dead when Elton cut
him down. The end of an

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00:14:24,000 --> 00:14:28,120
arc of direction by Junius B.
Smith