The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1886-11-24
FETTERED TO DESPERATE

ans French by birth, and my name
i Francois Thierry. viii not burden
you with my early history. but viii begin
by stating that | was sent to the galley-
and ind myself to-day an exile. Brand
ing was not out Of date AT thai time. and
until die, / shall bear some fiery letters
Oh my shoulder
was arrested, registered, condemned
and sent 10 Paris. AsI left the court Of
justice my terrible sentence rang in my
ears. On the road from Paris to Bicetr.
ID day and a night-the duh rolling OF
the prison wagon on the pavement re
peated j. Ia me- think / must have
been stunned by ;heseverity Of my doom
for have not the slightest recollection
of the particulars Of that journey. Hard
labor for life | heard nothing else. l
could think Of nothing else Late in the
afternoon of the third day the wagon
drew ap al the prison door and entered.
My name was then written IN q large
book. banded with iron. as though ii
was fettered.
Number 2G7. green said an officer.
Then l put on the uniform of the gal
ley-slave. I was no longer Francois
Thierry. but No. 90. The officer was
present while was engaged in dress
ing.
Hurry up its getting hate he said,
and you must be married before din
ner7
Married - ! repeated
He laughed a. he lit cigar. was led
into big court where wild looking
men with clanking chains were walk
ing up and down before the muzzles Of
cannon.
Bring No. 306 and call the priest.
cried the officer
Number POS came in, dragging heavy
chain behind him. and with him q robust
blacksmith
The ring Of an iron chain was put
round my ankle and forged together with
a single stroke Of q hammer like ring
bound ray companion Each stroke re-
echoed through the arches ike the
laugh of demons The officer now drew
a small red book from his pocket, and
said
Nunber2o7, listen To our prison laws.
If you attempt flight and fail. you viii
be bastinadoed If yon succeed in get
ting TO the harbor and are there captured
YOU will be doubly chained for three
years- A. soon as you are missed three
cannon shots will be fired and signals Of
alarm will be hoisted on each bastion-
Telegrams will be sent TO the harbor
guards. and to the police throughout
France
And after the officer had read this he
reIit his cigar and went out.
was now prisoner, forged To anoth-
er prisoner. As glanced at HIM found
his ewes turned toward NE. He was a
sinister-lookine fellow, about 40 years
old. not any taller than !. but Of Her
culean build You arr in for life, he
said.
~H1w do you know that p exclaim-
ed angrily.
I can tell by your cap. Green Is for
life. Why are you here
= oonspired against the govern
ment.r
He shrugged his shoulders contempt
uously
Then you're an elegant one. We 9TH
er prisoners hate such aristocratic com
pany.
| made no answer
This j. the fourth time that I've been
here" my companion continued Per
haEs You have heard OF tiasparo, the
counterfeit.r
| had heard of the daring criminal, and
drew. back trembling from his gaze. An
uneasy locok in his eyes told mahe had
noticed this shrinking From that mo-
inent he hated me
Ciasparo and /, with two hundred 9TH
er prisoners. went to work in stone quar-
raw. on the other side Of the harbor Day
after day from sunrise 10 sunset, the
rocks resounded with our blows. The
spring and summer passed, and autumn
came Ny fellow-prisoner was a Pied
lnonteSe. He had been eounterfeiter,
thief. inoensiiary. and when be last fed
from prison be committed murder.
Heaven alone knows how my suffeTings
we're intensified by this terrible compan-
ionship. How shrank from the touch
Of his hand What l1athing took pos
session of me at night when / felt his
breath on my cheek tried To overcome
this ioathing. but in vain. He knew II
a. Sell as l. and took every opportunity
70 revenge himself However, If would
have been of no avail to put myself in
orrsosiflon to him. and any eflrnr,iaint Ia