San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-01-16

against me, but as there is Just God in
heaven, | did not sleep on my post, neither
that night nor any night during my years OF
service A warder had once slept and al
lowed the escape of political prisoners. He
was accused of completely, and the death
penalty had been instituted.
could prove nothing. / had paced the
corridors through the night, but the prison
ers had slept and could say nothing to
save me.
Two men claimed to have passed through
the corridor as the clock struck twelve, and
upon their oaths affirmed that was sleeping.
If they entered the corridor at all, it was
while ! was at the farther end, and they
must have left before my return. In vain ]
protested my innocence. The friends of the
Duke of Elton were in favor, and my doom
seemed inevitable.
had been foully dealt with, and during a
short recess bethought me Of foul means for
escape.
l had a stanch friend in the tower, q fel-
low warder. | would risk everything and
trust to him. The infinite patience and kind
ness of a mothers love had taught me to
write, and | carelessly toyed with the mate
rails at hand, stealthily writing a word or
last it was finished, no whit too soon, for the
opportunity came at once to slip into the
warder's hand, unseen, this writing:
Haste to the clock, outside the wall. Cut, with
a saw, thirteenth notch, after the twelve, in the
striking wheel, and save the life Of
WILLIAM WoRTHINGToN.
With this paper crumbled in his hand, he
gave his evidence which awaited me naught,
save to prove that was at my post before
II o'clock, and that the usual greetings were
exchanged.
As he passed out he gave me searching
look, but its meaning 1 could not divine.
could not tell his bearing toward me- If ]
were removed my place would become his,
and was little above him. Would he risk
imprisonment foyhimself to save mes
Midnight alone could answer.
l was asked if had aught to say, and, as
though under the influence of sudden recol
lection, said
"These men claim that the clock struck
twelve while l was sleeping. At twelve
o'clock was awake, in proof of which know
this: The great clock needs repairing, for al
twelve in the night counted thirteen strokes
of the bell. 1t will probably do so again to-
night Wait and see"
Oh, the horror of those hours Of waitirgl
Threel Fourl FiveI Six o'clock, and for
che first time in twenty years, save for my
holidays, | was not in my place. Sevenl
Eight Ninel And still the hours dragged
on, YEARLY, when bethought me Of the all
absorbing issue, but much too swiftly If that
wooden wheel was untouched.
Ten and eleven o'clock struck Then came
the longest hour Of my life. Days and weeks
seemed to pass, and all the actions Of my life
in slow procession trooped before me.
longed for midnight, and yet dreaded to
know what fate it held in store for me.
'BOomI"-came the first stroke from the
great bell With breathlees lips | counted
the strokes, at each one pressing finger int
the palm of my hands SO hard that the nail.
pierced the skin. -Four fingers had thus closed
on the right hand, and over them the thumb,
recording the fifth stroke. Four more Oh the
left hand, and slowly over them closed the
thumb like a band Of steel. Elevenl The
hands flew open and | started forward, lis
tening, trembling, praying. Twelvel
could feel the very vibrations of the bell
beating against my temples as the iron
tongue struck the side. Thirteenl Thank
God! He had befriended me in my hour of
need fell faintipg to the floor, and from
sheer exhaustion slept till daybreak.
believe that the judges would have rein
stated me, could they have been allowed to
use their own discretion, but powerful enc
mics were at work against me and the freshly
sawed slot in the striking wheel of the
clock was discovered, and was again sum-
moned for further trial Tue guards sworo
that no person had access to me after my ar
,,,l k,,, Lee -, hi, i,
This doubt caused them to modify the death
sentence to solitary confinement in the lower
dungeon OF the tower. What modification
Better death than that; better to know
that ono swift stroke would end all earthly
suffering and that revengeful enmity could
never more assail me.
But prisoners had escaped from this very
tower before, and why not againi l would
wait and hope and strive; wait for the IN
folding of the futures mysterious problems,
hope for those almost miraculous changes
that sometimes shift the power Of a sovereign
in the twinkling Of an eye; strive, If could,
but what is the strife of one close kept within
q rock bound cell So in my solitude | sat
for hours, brooding upon my condition.
Then came the desire to know my surround
ings more intimately. How well | know
each stone, each line and fsSurel
l could press my hands upon a bed of yield
ing clay and reproduce the walls of my cell
80 accurately that a mold of one would fit
the other so closely stream Of water could
not trickle through between them. Each
stone | hate, save those | moved aside and
broke against each other to use as 'imple-
ments of toll.
My cell was nine feet high, five feet broad
and ten feet deep. Two bars of iron inserted
in the solid rock supported four boards six