The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-04
I +De task before him, and to-day he feels

the task before him, and to-day he feels
that the hour of trial is at hand.
The afternoon of the short winter day is
waning, and storm is evidently coming
M for it is growing dark in the shops. Is
II some intuitive sense of impending
trouble that causes the guards in the shop
TO pay more than usual attention to the
eonvicts, or is it that they have Just begun
TO notice that something has changed in
the room within few minutes? Half an
hour ago the sounds of labor alone broke
the stiffness. Now the rattle of the ham
mers and the clink of steel are Interrupted
in their regularity, and in the intervals a
droning sound something akin to the hum
of a school-room, only less pronounced, is
heard, .punctuated every now and again
with Kissing sound. Looking around on
the busy groups not lip is seen to move.
The eyes of all are apparently steadfastly
fixed on the work before them, vet the
droning sound continues. Looking still
more closely at the groups, one catches
every now and again a sudden stealthy
glance cast in the direction of q guard.
The convicts are whispering.
mo. 2,3l9" knows what is going on.
With ears strained he listens intently.
Meanwhile it is rapidly growing dark.
The uneasy guards instinctively gravitate
together and converse in low tones They
keep their eyes on the striped laborers, but
anticipate the hour for getting their
charges secured behind bolts and bars.
Suddenly a shrill whistle sounds, and is
twice repeated 1t is the signal for stop
ping work, and is given by small blue
coated man who sits behind desk in the
rear of and overlooking the shop. The
strictly disciplined workers instantly drop
their tools and the work upon which they
are engaged, and with shutting step form
into three long lines. The guards grasp
their muskets and take their places at the
ends and near the center Of each line.
Once more the whistle sounds-two notes.
At tho signal the lines close up until each
mans stomach is pressed against the back
of tho man in front of him. Then each
places his hands on the shoulders of the
man preceding him and waits. For the
third time the small man in the blue coat
signals, only one note this time, and the
line nearest the door takes up the march
with the peculiar sliding, undulatory snake
like motion of the 'locked-step." An in
slant afterwards two whistles cause the
line behind to move off, and in another
moment the third line starts at the sound
of one whistle.
They file out into the prison yard and
cross it for the distance of about ten rods
towards the main building of the prison.
Lounging about in the yard are ten or fif-
teen prisoners engaged at special tasks
with little more freedom than ordinary
couvicts They hardly raise their heads as
their fellows pass them. Near the entrance
to the main building a blue coated man
wearing heavy watch chain and swing
ing a light switch stands talking to guard
who leans idly on his muSket. This man
raises his eyes as the head of the line ap-
proaches him, but does not move. The
guards in charge assume a greater vigi-
lance over the convicts, who also recognize
the warden, but make no sign.
1t has grown quite dark now. Mems
faces are barely recognizable. Suddenly
there is little confusion. A man in the
first line stumbles and the line is broken
This man is some distance from the nearest
gnard, who Immediately rusheS forward to
close up the gap in the line. The head OF
the line has however, gone on, and as the
man stumbled the rear stopped short like q
train of cars suddenly checked. The second
line, which follows in the track of the first
too closely to be instantly turned out
stumbles over the men in the first line and
receives backward impetus which it com
municates to the third.
As the lines stop they break, and what at
first seemed accidental turns out to have
been premeditated. Out of the confused
mob half dozen striped jackets bound
upon the guards to dsarm them. Yells
and curses burst upon the ear. The head
of the first line has with rush reached the
| wide doors of the main building, and the
convicts endeavorto force them shut on the
guard inside. With mad yells Others clad
in striped suits rush in dozen different
directions Half score fling themselves
| upon the blue-coated man with the big
watch chain and the guard who leans upon
the musket Both are overborne in the sud
4 den rush, and a dozen hands reach for the
J throat of the warden. He is in desperate
| hands, yet though dazed by the suddeness
of the attack, struggles violently to free
| himself. A large revolver is i'll his pocket
! but it is under him and he can not reach it,
| He is at the mercy of his assailants and IN
| their faces there is no mercy.
But across the yard from the second line
| form wearing the hideous prison CARL
bounds as soon as that line is broken. Il
| is a stalwart convict, who makes straight
for the spot where the warden is struggling
| and as he reaches it hurls his fellows aside
as if he were a giant and they pigmies
| For a moment the warden is free, bu
again the madmen rush upon him, and thi
time his stalwart defender is himsel
| Overborne. He fights desperately witt
his fellows in silence on his par
and amid a storm of oaths OF
theirs, and the warden from whom
the attack has been diverted, awaiting him
self of the opportunity, retreats a few
PAGES and drawing his revolver stands a
bay. The stalwart convict breaks away
| from the half-doZen who hold him anC
rushes to throw himself in front of tn
warden. At that instant the crack of
musket rings out the flash is almost in hi
face and the aim is true, for he leaps int
the air, turns half way around and drop
like stone face downward. A guard ha
fired without orders to protect his chic
and picked out the man he took to be tn
leader of the latter's assailants. As tn
wounded man falls the mad rush of hi
fellows is checked as if a wall had sprun!
up before them. 1t is but for momen
their confusion lasts, but before they cal
| recover from it they are covered by tn
warden's revolver and the muskets of hal
| a dozen guards who have by this tim
come to the rescue of the warden.
Throw up your hands, boys; the game
| up,n says the foremost of the gang as h
realizes that the least move on his par
means certain death. Three or four of hi
companions spurn the dead body befor
them with their feet, and hiss, Curse tn
traitor" but seeing that they have bee
foiled fall back.
The other parties who had engaged il
assaults upon the guards seem to hav
been repulsed without the firing of a sin
gle shot and few who have been car
tured. With oaths the guards are drivin
them into the most secure corner of tn
prison yard, and in few moments all ar
penned in like a flock of sheep.
1t is now so dark that faces are indis
tinguishable, but at the point of the bay
| onet the convicts are once more marshalle
into lines, marched into the inner prison
building and locked supperless in thsi
cells. The enleate is ended.