Waterbury evening Democrat., 1888-06-07
A BREAK FOR LIBERTY.


 Ill as nearly his own language as can re- member it, this is the story, and have no doubt the true story, that Peter Landis, 8 clerk at the East St. Louis stock yards, told to me.
 People who picture bloodhound as @ mas- tiff iu:ignified about two diameters, tawny colores!, with muzzle like keg, and paws the size of small hams, have derived their idea i~nnl Uncle Toms Cabin troupes, and En"'v '.orhing about the real article. Blood hound, used in the penal institutions of all ,he southern states, but nowhere as exten- sivciy in Texas, where the raising of them and their sale to sheriffs and wardens forms quite industry. I happen to know good deal about the beasts, although I was rever dog fancier or an officer. The truth is was O convict.
 1 look back on it with sorrow, but without shame, for was convicted of something do not consider crime. I had been employed as a COW puncher on ranch south of Fort Worth, on the Rio Grande, and we were ta.s- ing a bunch of cattle north to the Panhandle district. At little town called Hayman Junction a sheriff's posse stopped us to search for some stolen horses, and one of the depu- ties claimed my pony. 1 had raised the an-
 
 nate, so we had words, and he finally snatched up Winchester. I protest I had no wish to hurt the man, but believed was in danger, and, to make long story short, 1 shot him in the shoulder, was ar rested, tried, and, in spite of all my friends could do, sentenced to the Northern peniten- tiary for two years. The charge was assault with intent to do great bodily harm" and there was considerable prejudice against cowboys in the place where was tried.
 lhad never been a bad young fellow, and this was heartbreaking to me, but had still my self respect and determined to serve out my sentence patiently. The penitentiary was at Huntsville, 400 miles away by rail, and there were eighteen of us to go. The method used in transporting us is the method still in vogue i'll Texas, and I challenge penal history, with the exception of that of the galleys of Toulon, to furnish parallel to it in brutality. Iron collars, weighing at least five pounds, were riveted around our necks, we were stood in double file and then yanked, two and two, to long chain that ran down the center. Imagine vertebra with eigh- teen ribs, and one has a fair idea of the ar- engagement, but words can convey the sense of degradation, the brutalizing horror and shame that even the most callous feel upon becoming part of this sad and sinister procession. Handcuffs were snapped on each man and, bending and stumbling under our chains, we were driven through the jeer- ing crowds up to smoking car side tracked for us, and the journey began.
 It was terrible one The central chain was long enough to stretch from seat to seat as we sat, two abreast and nine rows deep, but if any man moved his head he would jerk the neclls of those before and behind him, and a culver would pass along the whole line. Ill fact, the last two men were chained up so short that they could barely sit on the extreme edge of their seat by craning their necks as far front as possible, and in this posture they rode the whole 400 miles. To sleep was out of the question, and when one moved the whole clank1ng. cursing, miserable mass moved with him. We got some bread and meat once on the trip, which lasted ex- actly twenty-si hours
 When we finally reached Huntsville, I was trembling like a child, tears of sheer agony were running down my face, and tried as 1 best 1 could with my manacled hands to hold the cruel collar away from my neck, which | it had chafed raw. The rest of the men were in scarcely better shape, and our joints were so stiff from sitting nearly mOtionless for a day and a night, that we could with diff culty walk. As we were getting out of the car stumbled and pulled over another man. half strangling myself at the same time Instantly the nearest guard rained down a shower of kicks upon me.
 i've noticed you shamming," he shouted "Wait till we get you ill the walls"
 ''The walls" was the slang name for the prison, and this little episode fixed my status I was reported as a sly, cunning rascal, fond of subterfuge, and ill this light my conduct was viewed, and all my little mistakes ano failures were prejudged It was not long be fore the constant misery of my life plotted out every sentiment except dull determina tion to escape at the first opportunity. ! was put to work for while in the stove factory at Huntsville, but as the summer opened a gang of were let out to con tractor to work in q wood camp about fifty miles away.
 "Be careful of this man," said one of tn, deputies, pointing mo out to the contractor 'he's slick conniver and apt to make yo, trouble"
 ''rn bore O hole through him if he does replied the other. So with this recommendation was intro duced to the camp. It lay in the midst of thick belt of woods, and was guarded by cordon of sentries, exactly ss military post The men slept in log barracks and the wor] consisted altogether of chopping and cording The tasks were severe, the punishments ex cessive, and the food and sanitary arrange ments of the place abominable. Althoug chains and shackles were dispensed with there were no escapes, for not only were tn l guards instructed to fire unhesitatingly il such a case, but in one corner of the cam
 was a kennel containing twenty blood hounds. None of the convicts were allowe to give these dogs food or become familia with them on pain of flashing, but ofte saw them, and they looked very much ik , settlers, dead liver colored, small in size an sleek of hide, with rather sharp pointe
 noses. Thier was nothing at all formidabl about their appearance, but dreadful storie were circulated of their ferocity.
 Fall was coming on and it was gettin cold, when one evening l escaped It wa
 unexpected. I had gravitated into wate carrier, and had gone, just about dusk, to spring near the outskirts of the camp. As } neared it the guard at that point passed m
 and said as he passed me: "Jim, Pm gla you're here. I've been feeling sick" The ;. THE EVENING DEM0CRA. ! 2-CENTS-2 lI GnDV