The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1886-09-04

torture, Is physically awake W Iue SIG HgeSU
movement in the court room. be notices
that the judges whiskers are longer and
whittier ON one side than on the other, and
mentally goes through the operation of
arranging them; he is acutely observant
of the actions of three or four newspaper
reporters, who, used to such scenes, Sit in
different onlookers, arranging and rear-
ranging their notes and sharpening their
pencils he hears the merry chirping Of a
bird in the branches of tree outsidethe
window; he even smiles at witty sallr of
one of the callous lawyers near him.
Yet he never for an instant forgets his
present situation. That forms the dark
background of the mental Kaleidoscope on
which these varied fancies and pictures are
outlined. How strong the evidence against
him is he has no need to trouble himself to
consider. 1t is Notwithstanding Yes,
he can see the judges face grow sternT as
he listens, and the young attorney whohas
been constituted his defender throws up
his hands hopelessly as the crushing tide of
fact pours in. At last it was finished, and
now comes the prisoners chance, so called.
Why, an innocent man would be doomed
by that defence, though it is the best the
young fiedgling of the law is capable of
making. 1t is soon over and is FOLLOWED by
the crushing arraignment of the pTosecu-
ting counsel. The judges charge to con
vict and the jury's verdict of guilty.
rendered without leaving the box, consume
but little time, and then comes the hush
which always precedes the delivering of a
sentence upon criminal
An unconscious bird sings for mJment
on the window ledge, but is frightened 0 fl
as the solemn tones of the judges voice
fall npon the hundreds of listenini ears.
Ere it has winged it's flight to the Isarest
bough the words have been spoku, the
trial is ended, justice is vindicatsdapd
bac n cd To nf
abject, brutalizing, despairing >nis6', e
| There is great confusion as tho crowd
disperses. The judge picks up his papers,
lacl1ey hands him his hat and cane and
he takes his departure with look OF gr-
tuous self satisfaction upon his face. 9he
lawyers who attend such trials for the9x-
perience move off in groups with hadly
curiosity enough to look at the prisner,
who in his turn is hustled away by bslItfs
eager to get him off their hands an get
home to their dinners.
If this had not come there NIGH have
been reclamation of human beiB and
reparation to society. Justice, hFeyer,
has been done, and the world, kowing
nothing of the might-have-beens,s salts
fed.
And yet, amid all the confusiondespite
the rough jostling of unfeeling oicers of
the law, and the audible expressios of sat
isfaction of the mob, the jeers of pine and
the rudeness of the irrepressiblecu curiosity
of others, to which the prisoners keenly
sensitive, with him are ever hose sad
eyes, the perfume of the rose and the
heart-thrilling words of a songwhich has
long since ceased to be even a echo, ex-
cept with him.
CHAPTER III.
A hideous monotony of glring white
walls, dull, black bars, tier Apon tier OF
narrow, grated cells, and rowlpon row of
strong iron galleries. The ters OF cells,
rising one above another, VIII gallery
about each, form an inner blilding in the
center of the quadrangle e,closed by the
outer walls of the prison. ]ong, heavily
barred windows in the outr walls reach
from the ground to the roofon two sides,
on the other two the wills are blank.
Cheerless cold and forhdding are the
whitewashed walls, the red brick floors
and the grated cells. OdGs of damp straw
and of cheap and not Ver-clsan food in
process of cooking max, the atmosphere
sitting. Here and ther guard lounges
idly in the halls, and every now and then
squad of pale-visaged closely-cropped
men, out of whose faces have gone all
traces of manliness, moves with the shut
fling 'locked step" across the corridors,
marshalled by guard who directs every
movement by shrill whistles
Outside in long, low sheds, ranged along
both sides of yard paved with cobble-
stones, other gangs of similar pale-faced,
unmanned-lookingm mon, wearing the same
hideous, striped garb, are laborlng I'm
ceasingly in absolute silence under the eyes
of stern taskmasters.
OF what are all these men thinking ii
their enforced silence2 Surely they think
the tongue may be trammeled but who
will essay to bind the thoughtsl Are they
thinking of home-of wives perhaps, o.
II. e ,,;, II A.
selves, of past exploits, of future plans, o
any of the countless millions of things o.
which men think when free to talk and ac
as they please! Doubtless they are. Wh(
can limit the range of their thoughts; who
can begin to picture the visions which floa
before the minds eye of these men as they
toll in silence through the long hours
Hearts are breaking here, but who cares
Who recks of the mild tumult going on il
many a mind as thoughts bitter, heart
breaking, desperate, float back and forth
The lives here are full of tragedy.
Who knows, for instance, th>t the indi
vidual whose identity is lost to all bu
himself and the prison records in tn
prison, No "2,3l9," is thinking as he labor
of balmy summer light under the shadov
of grand trees, of the perfume of roses. o
n song and a resolution! Yet such thought
are ever present with him, his sole consola
ton amid the horrors of his surrounding s
his only relief from the monotony of hi
daily existence To-day he is thinking o
them, thinking especially of the resohl tior
that he would do something to take away
the reproach from the sad eyes that h
feels are constantly watching him. Thu
dull, unceasing toll by day, the horror o
the scant, dream haunted slumber by
night have taken away from him much o
the energy which naturally belongs tt
men of his temperament and physique, bu
his thoughts to-day arouse in him some
thing of the old temper-the old aggreS
sive spirit.
He has heard something! In that mys
FERROUS way in which the jewellers il
prisons where no speech is allowed become
possessed of information from the outsid,
world as we'll as from their own dreary
world indoors, and make plots and concoc
conspiracies, he has learned of a proposed
enaeltte For days and weeks plot for
rising has been Matching among thes,
miserable creatures. They know it may
mean certain death to some Of them, in
creased misery to the many, escape only
to few. Yet they plan. In the ute
dreariness of their lives any thing tina
promises change is welcome. Besides
there is the chance of success for a few, ant
each hopes to be one of that few, ant
furthermore there is desire for revenge
mo. 2,3l9" has heard all the details of tn
plot. He has not been party to it other
wise, but he has been trusted by the con
spirators. He knows on whom vengeanc
is to be wreaked-that the warden of tn
prison is doomed, and that the rising onl,
awaits a favorable opportunity to max
that detested officer victim of the ven
geance of the conspirators. The wardei
has been a hard taskmaster, relentless
cruel, a model tyrant with capacity ia