The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1886-10-22
The Convict's Ghost.

+ Nearly every large institution has
its ghost story, and the southern
Indiana prison is not an exception.
Many OF the tales Of ghostly vista.
tions told by highly imaginative con.
victs, and listened to by superstitious
companions, are gotten up for the oc-
casion. 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 about
in the yard resting from their labors,
the man who can tell a ghost story al
ways finds any number of interested
listeners, Convicts are, for the great
er part, very superstitious, and be-
lieve in omens, luck, etc. The story
which has gained the greatest ~popu-
larity, and which the men never seem
tired OF telling, is a rather romatic one.
Many years ago Henry Orchard, aged
about l6 years, was sent to the prison
to serve a life sentence for the killing
ofhis aged grandfather. The latter,
during a fit OF passion, beat young
Orchards mother. The boy seized a
club and with one blow felled the aged
man to the ground corpse. He was
tried and convicted.
The scene as he entered the prison
and donned the stripes will ever be
a memorable one in the minds Of
those who witnessed it. Orchard
was a pale, slender youth, with hand
some, clear-cut features. His mother
clung to him, and it seemed as if 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
endeavor to cheer him with hopes OF
pardon. The boy was of a 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, fel-
low convict and q man who is noted
for his many daring attempts to es.
cape, he said:
Jack. ii my pardon does not come
to-day | will kill myself. This life is
gradually killing me, and would
rather die all at once than endure
this torture. Ii such q thing is possi-
BILE l 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
horrifed at beholding Orchard 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 q. coward at night. Hetold
the other coavicts of the dead boys
promise, and nearly. all OF themsreally
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 cut 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 a last look at the
cell which had held him for SO many
months, and 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 OF the guard.
There was great alarm among the
other prisoners when the story be-
came known, and every succeeding
time it was told it was greatly magni-
fed. Since that time quite 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 pecu-
liar "lock-step" known to prisoners,
and stories Of clanking chains and un-
earthly means are not uncommon.