Nebraska Execution

I did this piece in 1994, on the occasion of the execution of Willi Otey.

When Mr. Otey was executed, I was one of the anti-death penalty crowd outside the penitentiary. I didn't know Mr. Otey at all, and yet I was so devastated by the experience that I knew I would never allow myself to get to know a death row inmate. No writing to death row prisoners for me! No visiting death row inmates! If an execution was this unbearably painful when I did not know the man, what would it be like to know the person, or even, God help us!, to LIKE the person!

In 1995, another death row inmate came within hours of execution. I was at work that day, in terrible pain, thinking we were "doing it again!" After work I called a friend for some mutual consolation ... and found out there had been an almost miraculous stay of execution! I could hardly believe it! And, in my wild delight, I went home and wrote a short note to this man, this Robert Edward Williams, just to tell him how happy I was that he was still alive!

And Robert wrote back.

Thus began two and one half years of correspondance (but no visits or phone calls) until September, 1999, when Robert's appeal for a new trial was denied. Then I knew I couldn't allow this man to go to his execution without at least asking if I could visit. We had become friends.

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