The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1885-09-06
I" NUMBER 49,"

into the convict Jail, had always stoutly
maintained his innocence. His name was
Thomas Stephens, but this was net of so
much Importance, either to himself or his
warders, as the fact that a neat little badge
with "P. $. 10" on it was stitched on to his
sleeve. In fact, he had been allotted ten
years of penal servitude for alleged embez
element.
man of splendid physique, with light
and springy step, which even prison disci-
pine could not subdue, his bonds CALLED lim
terribly. II is not necessary here to discuss
whether he really was guilty of the offense
for which he had been originally convicted.
Many persons doubted the justice OF his SEN
tence. II was certainly uncommon for any
Lowmoor prisoner to he psrpetually inform
ing the wariers, chaplain, doctor, and gov.
ernOr-as "Numbsr 457" did.--that no was
entirely innocent. The officials treated his
assertions with indifference. What did II
matter to themg They very justly felt that
they were not a court of criminal appeal.
What seemed TO exasperats Stephens more
than anything else was the idea that such u
mean Offsnse as robbing an employer could
be laid TO his charge.
But by far the most remarkable thing
about the man, at all events from the point
of view of the Inmates of Her Majesty's con
viot establishment, was the resemblance hs
bore to the prison doctor. AT the tims OF
which l write, many years ago, DR.. Brand
occupied this position. Tie was man who
does not appear to have been liked among
the prisoners, although he was popular with
the warders and high officials. He had
clear-cut, lorid face. stood about five feet nine
inches high, and was Of au athletic figure.
In all these respects Stephens was his living
image, his almost exact counterpart, except
that h. was about an inch taller. The like.
ness between the two men was almost ridicu
l0ui. II served as a common subject Of con
versatiOn in a place where there were few
topic, of interest, where life was an unvary-
ing routine, AMI where nature for quite halt
the year presented an aspect of gloom and
m 'untainous bleakness not to be- surpassed
in any part Of tue kingdom.
1t was. perhaps, natural that DR.. Brand
should not altogether appreciate his resem.
blance to a convict. Surly as his manner
was to all the prisoners, to Stephens he was
brutal. The latter knew the cause, and
hated this Dooor for despising him. But he
did not hate him more than he hated most
of the prison wariers not half as much as
he detested the Governor, who seemed-so
he thought taks delight in tormenting
him.
There is no place in the world where, if u
person in authority wishes to exercise a
petty spite, he eau do 1T with greater effect
than in convict Jail. Capt. u, the
governor at this date, was neither a good
man nor good-natured one He meddled
good deal with prison duties which ought
to have been left to the warders, and the lat
ter, in consequence, did not like him. He
was both a martinez and man who wa'
culpably indulgent to parsons who had
gained his favor. The best road to this end
was the adoption of a cringing manner aud
passive acquiescence in the wisdom and
power of the Governor. AT u very early pc
Rod of Stephens's captivity, soon after his
transference from a London Jail, he had rea-
son 10 regard Capt. " with feelings of
strong aversion. There was, i'll fact a
mutual repulsion between the two men,
which ia a dangerous state of things where
one is absolutely at the mercy of the other.
In the wild, powerful nature of this
prisoner, Capt. " recognized spirit
which would never bow before him, which
he would have to break, as he could not
bend it.
He had theory of his own as to the best
way of tanning unruly subjects. His for
mula was, If they're strong, brawny fell
lows, who ought to be out working on the
fields, put them to stitching in the tailors'
shop, and vice versa; there's nothing makes
them SO mad as that"
No doubt he was perfectly right. Again a
fortnight of being cOoped up in stufy
room with fifty or sixty other cOnvicts, all
tailoring, Stephens's powerful frame craved
for exercise. The Governor saw it and was
delighted. Stephens asked him to be allowed
out of.doOr work. The only reply Capt.
Y gave was: -
"Don't dictate to me You'll get double
hours tomorrow in the shop for your in
science"
Stephens ground his teeth together, but
said nothing. week more of this disci.
plins made him really i'll. The Doctor
physioked him with the vilest drugs in the
PharmacOpDia--a practice of DIR. Brands
when he choose to think that a patient was
shamming." The next tune Stephens
had chance of seeing the Governor he COM
planned to him that he was i'll, and that the
Doctor refused to send him to the prison in
Urinary.
Capt. X looked at Stephens and
thought he seemed really week enough to
ID put at once on hard outdoor exercise
the other branch Of the tanning process.
The Doctor knows what's best for you,
he said. "You shan't 60 to the inarmary,
but you shall go somewhere else to morrow"
"Where's that, sir 2" asked the convict.
"To the fields"
But am not strong enough" urged
Stephens. " | am i'll; l feel as il could
hardly drag myself along"
You'll drag yourself there, | promise
yOu,' replied the Governor, cOOlly exaspera-
ting. As he strobe away Stephens muttersd,
loud enough for him to hsar
Z" am bound to be- even with you for this
some day"
This Of course was sheer outrage and i'm.
pudsncs, aud Stephens was severely
published For one thing, he was placed In
,;,I,, - f,rf ,ur aud ,trh han
which gave him the rest he was sorely In
need Of
Next day-it was toward the end of
Ssptember-no gangs were sent to the fields
ON tha moor, because there was local fog
prevailing. II was merely thick mist pro
duced by cloud settling on the mountain
plateau on which the prison is situated.
The Jail being at least fifteen hundred feet
above sea level and surrounded with rugged
chains of hills, the clouds blowing in from
the sea often enveloped the place in a dismal
and olammy embrace.
As hs lay in his cell the night before,
Stephens had formed a desperate resolution.
A man of violent passions and now grown
needless of consequences, he decided to risk
everything in an attempt to escape. II he
could ut the same time wreak vengeance on
the Governor, his oppressor, why, so much
the msrrier.
II would be impossible to understand what
follows in this narrative without some idea
Of the confguration of the buildings Of the
prison and the plan of the interior. All the
officers quarters are placed within the
second of the two walls which guard tbs
place. The house occupied by the Governor,
a comnlodous but not pretentious looking
edifce, stands close to the gate; the Doctors
rooms, which he officially enjoys whenever
he IL in the prison, are little further on,
on the righthand side OF the interior quad
rangle. This, at least was the case be-
fore recent structural alterations were made.
The whole space in the quadrangle was
graveled over. The Doctors apartments
were not guarded all that anybody had to
do was to step up to the outer door, enter
it-and then knock at the inner door on the
left. The Governor was not quite so easily
accessible. There was warder always
marching up and down before his entrance
one of the 500 called Civil Guards.
If any convict, therefore, thought OF escap.
lug from the inside the Jail, he had two bar
riers to past the first was the gateway lead
ing out from this interior quadrangle, whore
If.