and now, ladies and gentlemen, literary week in brian's journal rolls on...
On the night of January 21, 1975, Gary was sitting in his cell, awaiting the guards. They were supposed to come for him at midnight and take him to his plane to Illinois.
"Man, I don't want to go," Gary told a friend by the name of Roger, in the cell next to him. "At least I don't want to go without a little noise. When they come get me, do me a favor. Raise some hell. Pound on the bars. I want everybody to know this is going down and how wrong it is."
Roger agreed to Gary's request. No matter what any of the prisoners thought of Gary, he was still an inmate, and inmates had to back each other whenever possible.
When the guards cam for Gary, Roger was asleep. Gary asked the guards if he might wake his friend, to say good-bye. They said okay.
Gary called Roger's name. His friend woke up, saw Gary standing with the guards, and started to make some noise, but Gary told him to calm down. "It's all right. I'll go quietly. I just wanted to see if you were still my friend."
Roger offered Gary his hand. "Well, take care of yourself," Roger said.
Gary took his hand. "Yeah," he said. "I'll be seeing you down the road. Right now, I'm going to go get me a couple of Mormons."
Roger thought about Gary's last words for some time. What had he meant?
A little over a year and a half later, Roger said, he had no doubt what Gary meant. By that time, Gary Gilmore was the most famous murderer in America.
-- from "Shot in the Heart" by Mikal Gilmore.
On the night of January 21, 1975, Gary was sitting in his cell, awaiting the guards. They were supposed to come for him at midnight and take him to his plane to Illinois.
"Man, I don't want to go," Gary told a friend by the name of Roger, in the cell next to him. "At least I don't want to go without a little noise. When they come get me, do me a favor. Raise some hell. Pound on the bars. I want everybody to know this is going down and how wrong it is."
Roger agreed to Gary's request. No matter what any of the prisoners thought of Gary, he was still an inmate, and inmates had to back each other whenever possible.
When the guards cam for Gary, Roger was asleep. Gary asked the guards if he might wake his friend, to say good-bye. They said okay.
Gary called Roger's name. His friend woke up, saw Gary standing with the guards, and started to make some noise, but Gary told him to calm down. "It's all right. I'll go quietly. I just wanted to see if you were still my friend."
Roger offered Gary his hand. "Well, take care of yourself," Roger said.
Gary took his hand. "Yeah," he said. "I'll be seeing you down the road. Right now, I'm going to go get me a couple of Mormons."
Roger thought about Gary's last words for some time. What had he meant?
A little over a year and a half later, Roger said, he had no doubt what Gary meant. By that time, Gary Gilmore was the most famous murderer in America.
-- from "Shot in the Heart" by Mikal Gilmore.