The Westerly echo, & Pawcatuck advertiser. [volume] (Westerly, R.I.) 1854-1858, 1854-09-14
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told him if he then left the shop he
never again should enter it.
"Is it far, sir, to that place 7" asked
Ruth.
"No, very short distance"
/ suppose, sir, it is prison I"
eyes, a house of detention, where
persons are confined to await their trial. -
"Then Charlie is not yet tried : he
is not yet condemned, is he Z"
" No, not yet"
" Not yet," struck like tolling bell
on Ruth's heart. s
{" \ our BROTHER" resumed Henshaw,
" wrote to you the circumstances He
told you, of course, that he was not
guilty :" ,..
"No, he did not say that"
/" He did not 20 exclaimed Henshaw,
in an alarmed tone.
"No, sir, why should he :" she asked
for the first time with an assured voice.
I" You would not ask such question if
you knew Charley as well as do" 10
"I do know him, and l feel conf
dence in his integrity-but-"
But what? Oh, do speak out" Z.
CT only hesitated because cannot
bear to distress you. I fear we shall
have difficulty in proving your brothers
innocence; but we will not talk about
that now. You have never been inside
a prison, and you must try and keep up
good resolution"
Ruth did try. But when she saw
that huge stern ediice called the Tombs,
when the massive locks were turned to
admit her, apd when the keeper, having
been requested by Henshaw to permit
the young person with him to see Charles
Halfway, scarcely noticing her, led
them along the dismal corridors with
that hardened indifference which use
gives, her heart sunk, and her feet NOV,
ed draggingly. They were intercepted
and impeded by party visiting the
prison from curiosity. 1t consisted Of
two or three elderly people, two very
young ladies from the country, full of
pleasing excitement from being for the
first time within prison walls, the scene
to their imaginations of so much possible
romance, and their cousin "a young city
lawyer who acted as exponent Of the
scene.
"Babe, the pirate" said he, "is in
that cell, No. ST."
That horrid wretch we read an
account of in the newspapers How l
should like to see him :"
"There is a still more curious mon
ster, Jane, in No. S3-the German who
burned his wife to death"
"Oh, horrors And who can that
be between them in No. 50 :"
"I don't know somebody worse than
either, l suppose. Who is it, MIR. Far
ran Z"
"Don't know his name; lad COM
mitted for stealing"
"Let us pass, if you please, ladies'"
said Ruth's conductor. Our amateur
visitors started at Ruth One said,
touching her Cousins arms, ooh, Henry,
did you ever see anything so pale as
that poor girl' Mercy do you think
that she is going to be shut up here -
} "No, that is impossible. What in
nocence, sweetness, and misery ~
Ruth's conductor was now unbolting
the door of No. 81. The youngest OF
the young ladies, impellcd by irresistible
curiosity, followed close enough to see,
when the door was opened, handsome
youth, pale, haggard, and sorrowful,
bending over sheet Of paper, on which
he was intently writing. She could not
see that the paper was wet with his tears.
Ruth darted into the cell the keeper
shut the door, and rebolting it, said to
Henshaw, cody, "You may call me
when she is ready to come out"
Henshaw, walking to and fro in the
corridor, unoccupied, presented too
tempting an opportunity to crafty the
young ladies' curiosity; and their
cousin being put to ask some question:
} they got possession Of Charles story
aud what was far more Important Hen
: shaw found out that the inquirer was
Henry sandley, young lawyer, whose
D very clever management of a ''''n'n"'