St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1888-07-12

upon the pavement and sauntered
away.
AS soon as the detective set his eyes
on the man he saw that it was the es-
capped prisoner whom he and the gov
ernor and the pardon clerk wanted so
badly.
A minute later the detective and his
assistant, both dressed in citizens
clothes, so as not to attract attention,
were on Flam's track. The escaped
bird, unaware of the net that was clos
ing about his feet, took his way to the
park that stretched in front of the cap
itol. Reaching the the park, he sat
down on one of the wooden benches
within stones throw of the executive
chamber, whence the pardon had been
issued. The detective slowly APP
preached from behind, and almost be-
fore he knew it Flam found pair of
handouts on his wrist.
"What does this mean 2" he asked of
the detective, with an air in which
amazement and indignation were
mingled in equal proportion. ''Why
am l subjected to this indignity ?"
ats no use, Flam," quietly answer
ed the detective. 81 know you and
what you've been up to. My names
-. Now L take it you'll come along
quietly, like sensible man."
'Ill go with you quietly on one con-
dition," said Flam. 81 CLAIM sff"t w
IIavo nu right to arrest me, andIf you
will promise me that if called upon by
me, you will testify that made such a
claim and resisted arrest, that's all L
ask, and I'll give you no trouble. I'm
derstand me as resisting; Pm not such
fool as really to resist, for l have no
desire to be roughly handled. But re-
gard me as resisting YOU"
The detective promptly acceded to
Jacks request, and the two peacefully
proceeded down the hill. A few hours
later they were on New York Central
train bound for Auburn, and more par
ticularly Auburn prison. AS they jour
neyed along, to relieve the monOtOny
of the trip, the detective suggested
that his companion should explain how
he had successfully managed to put up
so neat a job as his escape.
eyes, / think it was pretty neat"
said Flam, "and [ don't mind telling
you, in confidence, how [ worked the
racket, for l know you're square. Dur
ing my trial my attention was called
one day to the signature of the district
attorney who tried me. 1t was at
tached to some unimpOrtant paper. L
made out to secure this paper without
being observed, cut off the signature
and destroyed the rest of the document.
| put the signature carefully away in
my vest pocket, and transferred it to
my mouth on entering Auburn, so that
it would not be taken from me when
my clothes were exchanged for the
prison uniform. YOn see, taking time
by the fOrelock, | had formed my plan
of escape before my trial was finished.
[ was sent up for forgery, and thought
it would be good joke all around if L
could get out on what put me in"
"Sort of homeopathic-like cures
like" suggested the detective.
eyes, that was it, although l never
expressed it that way. Well, to go on,
not long after | entered the prison |
was placed in the Office, as | expected
to be sooner or later, and given some
routine writing to do. Then L watch
ed my chances and went to work. L
carefully thought out in my cell at
night the application for my pardon
which subsequently reached the COVER
nor. copied it with infinite trouble,
a sentence one day, two sentences to-
morrow, and on until | haut it done.
The district attorneys letter to the
governor was in my own undisguised
handwriting, but [ closely copied the
district attorneys signature and wrote
over the top of the letter dictated
The letter which L palmed off as COM
ing from the chaplain l wrote In what
| regarded as scholarly hand, little
cramped, kind of back hand, and not
too easily read in places. | was going
to have his letter dictated like the
district attorneys, but it occurred to
me on reflection that the chaplain s
salary probably was not large enough
to admit of his keeping a secretary.
In the warden's letter, which | wrote
in a plain, round hand, l put one or
two errors in spelling, for the warden
was not cultivated person. L die
tated' the doctors letter on a venture.
OF course, | had no difficulty in pro-
curing the signature of the warden, for
he had frequent occasion to write his
name in the office. 1 induced the
chaplain to give me his autograph one
Sunday in my hymn book he acceded
to my request willingly, being as kind
hearted man as L ever met. l had to
sham sickness two or three days in or
der to get the doctors autograph.
1t was a matter of two months COM
pleting my task. l breathed a long
sigh of satisfaction as placed the ap
plicatiOn papers in an envelope-it
took me week to get hold of that
long white envelOpe-and wrote the
name of His Excellency, Gov.
Albany, N. Y on the back"
"Where did you get your postage
stamps 2" inquired the detective.
81 didn't get them-that's what both
cred me. But L concluded that the
chances were that letter plainly di-
rected to the head of the state govern
ment, letter which looked as if it
might be an important document,
would reach him, stamps or no stamps.
So one day l tossed my unstamped let
ter into pile ready for the postman
and awaited developments. Ten days
later the warden came to my cell one
evening with eyes bullying out of his
head with astonishment and informed
me that he had good news for me.
Have L been pardOned p L inquired.
Yes said the warden, you have been
pardoned. How in the world, Jack,
was it ever brought about 2"
81 bit my lip to keep from laughing,
and answered that L was aware that
several prominent and influential per-
sons had addressed letters to the gov
ernor asking for my pardon. 1 felt
delicate about mentioning to the war
den that he was one of the persons.
Next morning shook the dust of the
prison off my feet. The rest you
know.
'Tf I'd made break for the West I'd
been all right. But lady friend at
tracted me to Albany"