The Rutland daily globe. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1873-1877, 1873-06-18
tFrom the Saratoglan.l
One OF Mansfield walworth,s He.

One OF Mansfield WalVvOrth's IIc-
rOcs.
In one of Mansfield Walworth's later
novels, "Dclaplainc," he makes the hero of
the story lad who, at the opening Of the
book, shoots couple of the keepers at
Sing Sing, rushes out of the prison, plungcs
into the Hudson and hurries away for dear
life, unscathcd by the bullets that are fired
after him. He eludes his pursucrs, and is
picked up when almost exhausted by the
captain of yacht who happens to be sail
ing by. The bluff captain knows that the
boy is flying from prison, but he sympa-
thizcs with him, and his wife and daugh-
ter nurse the youth and when he is revived
the captain asks him to tell the story of
his escape. "Out with it," he says, like
q man. IL there arc any extcnuating facts
in your case, am the friend of boys, and
will do all in my power to help you" The
boy then tells the story. We quote from
the book
To the amazemcnt of all, the boy sprang
w itSts iiuilCu uo llC vas Ill tlt tlOuh,
his eyes kindlcd with terrible emotion, and
regarding the captain with bold, free
glance, as if there was no discrepancy in
their ages or positions. He looked as fear
less as the untamed eagle of the crags. 81
am innocent sir, God knows. They were
dragging me to prison. l killed two of
them; I'd kill fifty before I'd let them take
away my liberty. God made me, and gave
me fresh air and sunlight nobody shall
shnt me up and make me work for them
They can kill me, but they nor no other
man can make me work for them. | am
innocent, sir; never stole no money.
was messenger boy, sir, for Deems,
Barnes & Co. They missed a roll of bank
notes and some of the money was found in
my hat allyn in the window of their Of
flee, right before their eyes, and they
thought | was fool enough to steal their
money and then put it right under their
nose, where put my hat every day; yes,
sir, right in their window,-that's where |
put my hat every daylight there. Why,
any fool wouldn't do that. You know
that, sir. You wouldn't steal money, sir,
and then lay it right in your hat that was
lying in the window with the other hats
where everybody couldn't help seem it..
Somebody did it to ruin me, sir; and then
they swore away my character is all
a poor boys got. and the judge said as how
I'd got TO work at six years at hard labor
in the States prison. And that's how /
came to kill EN-, and I'll kill all the men
on earth before they put me in there.
They've no right to shut me up; I'm in
nOcent."
The amazement caused by this brief
speech, delivered with all the fire and ra-
pidity of youth, was overpowering, and for
moment no one replied to the little ora
tor as he stood there so resolute, wrapped
in his cloak. Then the captain exclaimed:
you've done they'll hang sS You t sGre. what
"That would be mercy, SIR" replied the
boy advancing straight up to the captain
and looking in his eye. 1T is better to
die than to be convict six years, and then
come out in disgrace; it would be a mercy,
sir, to kill me; but it's worse than death,
to be innocent and have the light taken
away, and the air taken away, and my lib
erty too, when God gave them to me and
amt done nothing to forfeit them. Would
you stand it, sir, If you was in my place ?
Amt it agin the law of God to shut up al
innocent boy and break his mothers
heart Would you let EN- put you in there
SIR"
"That's a difficult question you pre-.
pound" replied the captain II believe
that / could fight pretty hard for my lib
erty, If l was innocent. But you talk
bravely, my little orator. You look like
an honest boy, and shall screen you sure,
If you satisfy me you are"
will you read the evidence, sir ?" said
the boy eagerly. ''Do read tread it care
fully, sir. You will find it all in the news
paper; you will say am innocent, -
know you will"
Eyes, father, read it," interrupted the
captains daughter, coming up to him and
sure he is innocent. See how earnest he
is! The face is not the face of thief. |
believe him-cvery word"
Then follows brief dialogue as to the
boys previous life:
II was a target boy sir, at a rifle gallery.
l kept the targets clean, and picked up the
balls and moulded them over again, and
sometimes loaded the rifles"
care you marksman yourself 2" in
quired the captain.
'They said at the gallery, sir, was a
capital shot. often rung the bell a dozen
times hand running"
That's very fine shooting, my lad"
'Well, sir, can do it."
And how did you kill the men that
were dragging you to prison, Alfonso?'
81 shot EN-, sir. The muskets were
standing inthe room where they dragged
me to, and snatched 'em up and fired
the first time they took their hands off
me-"
"Your practice in the gallery made you
a dead shot 1t appears"
The boy made no response. His eyes
we're studying the face of the captains
daughter. Then his teeth commenced to
chatter again, and shivered repeatedly
The chapter concludes with a converse
ton between the captains wife and daugh-
ter, ending as follows:
The mother smiled at this appropriate
quotation, and then, arranging herself COM
fortably for the night against the luxurious
cushions of the cabin, covered her face with
the shawl, and was soon asleep. But Made
lene sat long in a rcverie beside the sleeping
convict, looking out through the little cabin
window upon the waters sparkling and
dancing in the mOonbeams, and perplexing
her youthful brain with the arguments re-
garding the several instances of justifiable
homicide.
The boy is ultimately struggled out of
New York, wrecked on the coast of Persia
and becomes mighty parsonage. We do
not know that young Walworth ever read
the story of Delapldine, but if he had done
30 the impression that he would have re-
ceived was that the young prisoner did right
In shooting his keepers rather than surren-
der his own liberty. If it was "justifiable
homicide " in his case if there were sex
tenuating circumstances in the instance of
the hero of " Delaplaine," then assuredly
is the son of the man who wrote the book
as much OF hero in fact as young Alfonso
Debaena was In fiction.
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