The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-10-21

| back the heavy door to let him out, ne would
stop for n moment, trembling, and with his
lips half opened as if about to say something
more to me--then, without meeting my eye,
he would rush from the cell. Suffering as
was, suffering still more, as was about
to be, from the consequences Of his sin--l
could pity him deeply. / could fOrbear with
the cowardice which he could not confess,
for knew how priceless liberty must be to
man who, losing it, leaves his other soul in
that most heart broken of;aIl %idowhood--
the widowhood Of convict's wife. ~
She whom loved visited me many times
always bringing me sweet messages in
her pre- from the birds, and the flowers,
and the free sky outside--ulways talking
with voice intensely sustained into cheer
fulness of my acqutal, and restoration to our
old hopes. Itold her was innocent, and
she believed me. could not tell her who
was guilty. ... SIS ... .s.
My trial came on. need not pain my
self with long recital Of the throDged
court, the weary questioning and cross ques'
tonings, the audible silence Of the the crowd
while the pleas were made; the moment
whose shadow fell upon me when the fore.
man solemly said, "guilty"--that other mo.
ment, when was condemned to to the aw-
ful alienage of prison for the fifteen years
10 come.
Then parted from home and friends.-
My brother did not bid me goodbye; he lay
sick of raging fever, on whose chances
hung life. But she. the holy, the heroic
who had borne all things, came to see me
60. She clasped my menacIed hands in her
, own, she pressed one long last kiss upon
e the convict's lips; and said, with a solemn
cheerfulness, II will wait for you!" Then,
n with a superstition which, frivolous though
q it may seem, still crept into the uwfulness
n of that hour, l stopped my watch, and vowed
4 inwardly that its hands should never more
h move till we met again.
After that the gates Of my prison opened
10 let III Uub OHO io" WV Ai'S Wv
. side. The chaplain brought me lock o
: we'll known soft brown hair, and told me
.. with a tear in his eye, that an old man hat
given it to him saying, "My daughter is will
y God. She died whispering that she woul'
. wait for John Markham.
:, | endured the memory Of her death with
II benumbed patience, uncomp!ainingly, rare
~ ly weeping single drop. went throus
the unvarying round Of the day labor in tn
prison ward with steady mechanical indus
y try which surprised my task master -fcl
;" heretofore had been taunted as "the wea
u gentleman" ""white fingers" and whateve
20 other epithet or insult the hardened bullie
- of discipline are accustomed, at discretio
' and without fear Of resentement, TO confe
upon the wretched in their grasp. At ever
, ing, held up the ness into that faint tw
- light which Just Auttered through my grate
- and kissing it, seemed to see her by me
- for I could never think of her as dead. Th
>, realization was kindly spared me by the ia
tha, no new void can be felt, no new unna
W uralness, in the eternal void and unnaturo
ness of prison.
But one night coming from work, foul
an the tress gone. Asking the turnkey for
"a. | was told, "Prisoners are allowed no US
If. less articles" From that moment, kne
. that she whom loved was dead. Like wi
al. freshet the agony Of the knowledge gush
an in upon me. With it came the memory
my wrongs-the scorn of man spent up
m NV innocent head--the perfdy OF my on
N. brother--the irredeemable helplessness
all things. And shut myself up in sulle
silent madness. A most dangerous mi
~ ness it was. From the time that lost
~. | tress FIVE years were to elapse before l We
~ out, and if in that time revolt had spru
~. M up in the prison, would have died Gghti
in it's front, for,I was ripe for any crime
A. As it was, l only bade my time. Once 0
would wreak mos. condign vengeance on
-. ciety-on law--on my brother. g.
the The five years passed-fve years Of d
did and clinking in the yard Of darkness, m
oul tering, low, smothered heart burning in
.ew cell. At last, one morning, the wart
was threw open my door, and | passed out "
6ve the slow lock step which had been pr
II ticing nearly the quarter Of lifetime.
! was going to chapel with the rest-to h
no, Of the Prodigal Son and the MagdaleI
- they the guilty, but the welcomed-l the
This nocent, yet the thrust out: But the Off
stopped me with these. three words: "
: are free % ..,4f ..-a s.,.~
I did not cheer, nor wiring the mans n
- nor even smile. One grows used to fol-
these woys Of the world after fifteen W
he in prison. ..... ... ,.
TIM, But the revenge which, little by little,
Iter. streatched it's fbrous roots through the
the of my heart till every drop of life juice v
ac. to nourish the plant, now began to put
the its blossoms, and felt them bud into
wing tatic poisonous fragrance. My sweet L
vino hoped-for hour had come /! In few
ments more the despised convict sh
spv burst open his motley chrysalis, and be
take ed like winged Nemesis to settle acco
bild with world which had the start OF him
,onId fifteen years.. ats