The Greenville times. [volume] (Greenville, Miss.) 1868-1917, 1883-10-27
COle Denham, the Pirate.
His Escape from the Mississippi Psni.sn
tiary.

His Escape from the Mississippi Psni.sn-
tiary.
Cole was sent TO the Penitenti-
airy for seven years and had served
two. From the hour he entered
the prison walls he had been I'M.
der constant medical treatment.
and has not earned the value of
a postage stamp. He is an aged
man. One of his hands is paraly-
zed and disabled and cataract
has grown over his left eye. He
was cripple-one leg was stiff,
and by the aid of a wooden one
aud two sticks he managed to hob
BILE along. Efforts were made To
Straighten his leg, but lie said the
pain was so intense he could not
stand it, and expressed the opinion
that there was no hope for it. He
was also afflicted with asthma and
dyspepsia and was unable to sleep
except at short intervals. His
death was not unexpected at any
moment. In fact, II hours before
his escape Col. Bankston, the
Sergeant, went to his cell in per.
son Ito administer whisky aud
morphine, prescribed by the pris.
on physician. lie had every ap,
pearanee of suffering excruciating
pain, and when asked how he felt
he answered after a severe cough
by working his lips in an inaudible
tone. which led tho Sergeant to
soliloquize that he would proba.
bly, die before morning.
This being Coles condition, he
was allowed the freedom of the
prison yard, which he took advan.
tage of and prepared a perfect i'm.
age of himself. He made Il head
which was u fac simile Of his own,
ont of a piece of domestic stuffed
with moss, and getting some hair
from the convict barber shop,
glued it to the head, leaving a
bald place in the centre, just like
his own, and sprinkled chalk in it
to give the hair the gray appear.
ance of his own silvcrcd locks.
The chalk and glue were obtained
no doubt from the carpenter shop.
The body was an undershirt stuff
ed with moss taken from his bed.
The head was attached to the shirt
collar.
1t is a rule OF the prison for the
mght.watchman to make an III
speetion of the cells before the
roll is called and the prisoners
sent to bed, and see that every
thing is all right. Cole had his
false head secreteJ somewhere,
and tho moss was taken out
of his night clothes, and put
back in the mattress, where he
got it, a hole having been left fol
the purpose. On the night he es
capped, he slipped to the cell after
the Waterman had made his rounds
and pronounced everything &C
K.,r and rugged up Lis nan, whicl
took but a few seconds. lie thei
seereted himself in TIE .ard. IL,
had previously implored the night
watchman--beeause Of Lis feeble
condition and inability to sleep
I" for Gods sake,n lie said, I'D,
not wake me if you find me asleep
When you see ! am there, in thu
name of God don't wake me, bu
pass on" 1t is the duty of tn,
watclman to make each prisoner
answer his number OIL the frs
round after being locked just altel
twilight, before the sentinels arr
called off the walls.
The & uard first declined. Bu
when lie looked at the wan fea
lures of the old nan, heard lii
checking cough, saw his feeble
condition, his heart not being o
adamant, it melted and he yielded
The same ruse practiced on th'
man who took him his supper eacl
night. Put it down." feebly
whispered the old man, " when
am asleep. and don't disturb me
| will not live much longer" Oh
that particular night the man who
carried Cole his supper, set it by
his bedside, as he requested, ant
looking at what lie would have
sworn to be Cole. wrapped i'll hi'
uuitl and lying on his face asleep
he breathed a sigh Of sympathy
and tip-toed ont to keep from dis
turbing the slumbers of the ole
man. His door was then locked
as were the doors of all the othel
cells.
The night watchman who makeI
hourly rounds, and looks through
the cell door by the aid of a LAM
made for that purpose, m thu
fourth, or eleven o'clock round