The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1885-08-07

said Lam iH y u i66is1Sif
drag myself along, -
You'll drag yourself there, I promise
you,' replied the governor, coolly exasper.
ating.
AS he strobe away, Stephens muttered,
loud enough for him to hear:
8 am bound to be even with YOU for
this some day
This, Of course, was sheer outrage and
impudance, and Stephens was severely pun
ished For one thing, ho was placed in a
punishment cell for four and twenty hours,
which gave him the rest he. was sorely in
need Of
Next day-it was toward the epd of Sep.
tember-no gangs were sent to tho fields on
the moor, because there was local fcs ore.
vailing. 1t was merely thick mist pro-
duced by cloud settling on the mountain
plateau, on which the prison is situated.
The Jail being at least five hundred feet
above sea level, aud surrounded by rugged
chaios of hills, the clouds blowing in from
the sea often euveloped the place in dis
NAL and clammy embrace.
AS he lay in his cell the night before,
Stephens had formed desperate resolution.
A man Of violent passions, and now grown
needless of consequences, he decided to risk
everything in an attempt to escape. IF he
could at the same time wrcak vengeance on
the governor: his oppressor, why, so much
the merrier.
1t would be impossible to understand
what follows in this narrative without some
IDEA OF the courgururiuu of tug Sbut,anr,-
of the prison, and the plan Of tho interior.
All the officers quarters were placed within
the second of the two walls which guard
the place. The house occupied by the
governor, n commodious, but not preteu-
tious-looking edifice, stands close to the gate;
the doctors rooms, which he officially en-
joys whenever he is in the prison, are a
little further on, on the righs.hand side of
the interior quadrangle.
This, at least, was the case before struct-
ural alterations were made. The whole
space in the quadrangle was graveled over
The doctors apartments were not guard
ed; all that anybody had to do was to step
up to tue outer door, entcr it, and then
knock at the inner door on the left.
The governor was not quite so easily ac
cessible. There was a warder always
marching up and down before his entrance
-one Of the so-called Civil Guards.
If any convict, therefore, thought of es
Gaping from the inside Jail, he had two
barriers to pass; the first was the gateway
leading out Of this iaterior quadrangle
where porter was, Of course, stationed
The second was the great main entrau ce
gate, leading through tho massive and tow.
ering wall which girdled the prison. a
this gate there was always strong picke,
Of the Civil Guard postei-meu armed
with loaded rifles, who could b. trusted tc
use them, too, in case Of an attempted out.
break.
The space bstwcen the inner buildin;
and the outer walls, was occup pied by some
small sheds for workmen, aud for the res
was bare. Here the convicts exercised
when not allowed out in tho fields. The,
might be seen any day Of the week work
ing in gangs, pulling trucks full of stone.
along 10 part of the walls which was be
ing strengthened, or exercising under th'
control of couple Of warders.
Aud always that ominous 'outer crcls' O
men Of the Civil Guard overlooked wha
was going on-men standing watching al
around the convicts, at little distance of
their muskets resting under their arms o.
over their shoulders. Well did the Jail
birds know the meaning of that ring o
armed custodians, ever attendant upo
them.
10 return to Stephens. Nursing his fl
rious and suppressed hate, he plotte
through the whole night. BY dawn hi
plans were mstured. At six he wa
roused by the bell inside his cell ringin
vigorously.
My last day in this hole 7 he muttere
to himself.
What was his design? II was We
known, that, as rule, it was sheer NADINE,
for convict to dream Of breaking out fro,