Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1886-10-14
The Convict,s Ghost.
Louisville Times.

Louisville Times
Nearly every large institution has
It's ghost story, and the southern
Indiana prison is not an execution
many OF Che tales of ghostly vista.
tions told by highly imaginative con-
Sicts' and listened to by superstitious
companions, are cottenup for the oc.
easIon. But they, OF course. find
many believers, and are told and re.
told until they become part of the his.
tory OF the institution. During idle
moments, when the privileged few who
are permitted to converse with
one another are seated ahout
IN the yard resting from their labors
the man who can tell a ghost story al.
ways hnds any number OF interested
listeners. Convicts are, for the great
er part, very superstitious. and be
lieye In omens, luck. etc. The story
winch has gained the greatest popu-
iarlty, and which the men never seem
tired OF telling, is ratherromatico one.
Many yearsago Henry Orchard, aged
about 10 years, was sent to the prison
10 serve a life sentence for the KILLING
OF his aged grandfather. The latter.
during a hit ot passion, beat Young
Orchards mother. The hoy seized q
club and with one blow felled the AGED
man to the ground a corpse. He was
triea and convicted.
The scene as he entered the prison
nnanGh he 90,
a memorable one in the minds OF
those who witnessed it. Orchard
was pale, slender youth, with hand
some, clear-cut features. His mother
chung to him, and it seemed as il the
parting would break her heart. When
the door changed behind her only son
the mother swooned away. Every
month she would visit her son and
endeayor to cheer him with hopes OF
pardon. The boy was of highly
sensitive nature, and all the other
convicts pitied and liked him. One
morning he had despaired of ever get
ting a pardon, and was in very low
spirits. Turning to Jack Burke, a fell
low convict and man who is noted
for his many daring attempts to es-
cape, he said:
Jack, if my pardon does not come
to-day | will kin myself This life is
gradually killing me, and l would
rather die all at once than endure
this torture. Ii such thing is posi-
BILE ] will come back after death and
make myself known to you"
The next morning when the guard
came around to unlock the cell he was
Mortified at beholding Orchards imam.
innate form hanging suspended from
! the grating above the door.
Jack Burke was always noted for
his reckless daring, but from that day
he became a coward at night. He told
the other eonvicts of the dead boys
promise, and nearly all of them really
expected it to be fulfilled. The time
passed on and Burke had thought
over the matter so much that he de.
termined to get away if possible. He
sawed the bars out ofhis cell door, and
everything seemed to favor him.
Trembling with apprehension he pick
ed up his tools and started to leave.
He turned to take last look at the
cell which had held him for so many
months, and q sight met his excited
gaze which almost chilled the blood in
his veins. With loud cry he started
down the corridor at full speed, and
ran right into the arms oil the guard.
There was great alarm among the
other prisoners when the story be,
came known, and every succeeding
time 1T was told it was greatly magni,
fed. Since that time quite a number
claim to have seen it, and one room
just over the Office which it had been
part of Orchards daily task to clean,
became known as the haunted cham.
| ber" Mysterious rappings are said
to be heard nightly in it, and bad luck
is said to come to any one who occu.
pies it. At night many claim to hear
a ghostly file of prisoners marching
through the corridors with the pec;i'
liar "lock-step" known to prisoners,
and stories of clanking chains and un'
earthly means are not uncommon.