Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1877-01-06
A CONVICps sTOaY.

Detroit Free Press.l
He was an old man - at least
seventy = chilled through by the
raw winds sweeping the streets. lie
had crept to the Central Station to
warm himself The captain gave
him a bite to eat, and by and by
the old man grew loquocious.
81 expect to die behind the
bars" he said, as he looked into
the corridor.
"Ever been in PRISON." l asked
as he resumed his seat.
Years and years." he answered.
"Fact is, | don't feel at home out
side of the walls. | was among the
first fifty men in the State prison
at Jackson, and they've had me
there, off and on, for over fifty
years"
The old man removed his hat
combed his few gray locks with his
fingers, and mused "Less see.
was sent from Detroit for four
years, and that's four. / was sent
from Grand Rapids for eight years
and that makes twelve. | was sent
from Port Huron for three years,
and that's fifteen. went back foi
horse-stealing long enough to make
it twenty-one years, and that's
pretty fair for one man, ELI ?"
was lost in amazement at his
GOODNESS, and pretty soon he said
" Use to have some exciting
times out there. Prisoners were
whipped, showered and tortured,
and the life-cells were always full,
We knocked over a guard now and
then, and I've been in some plots
to rise and murder all the officials"
"But were always frustrated,' y
observed.
Always. When it wasn't one
thing it was another. The keepers
would be changed, or some Of the
men would peach, OF a new rule
would come out that day, and all
our plans you'd be knocked in the
hesd. We had one real goo6ehance
to clean out the prison, and it was
a singular circumstance that baf-
fled MS. III had chew Of tobacco
to keep my mouth moist I'd tell
you the yarn"
After rolling the fine.cut under
his tongue he went on:
"It is a good many years back.
The prison was new, aud the man
agement was not what it is now, Of
course. Somebody was escaping
every week or so, and it was easy
enough to smuggle in money and
tools and cook up eonspiracies.
There were 179 of us, and the
wickedest man in prison was a
horsethief and highway robber
named Ben Mason. He was in for
fifteen years, | believe, and feeling
desperate like, he was as ugly as
Satan. They had him in the
kitchen as cook, and in those days
the prisoners had little or no work
and were locked up most of the
time. Ben hadn't been in the prison
a hundred DAYS before he worked
up one Of the Wickedest plans you
ever heard Of lie was TO head &
rebellion, and we were 10 murder
every prison official, arm as best we
could, and then march down and
plunder and burn the town."
1.-THE old man paused a moment as
the door opened, and then CON
tinued:
"All the details Of the plan were
soon communicated to every CON
yict, and every single man was
agreed. Ben made u key, or two
or three of them, by which be could
unlock all the cells. Only two
guards were on duty in the corri-
dor at night, and they were at one
end. They were changed at one
o'clock at night, and it often hap
pened at this hour that the new
guards were ten or fifteen minutes
in getting in, thus leaving an inter-
val to be taken advantage Of Well,
the programme was for Ben Mason
to unlock his cell door just before
one o'clock. He could easily do
that from the inside with the locks
then in use. AS the old guard