San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1889-05-23

AlSuJ ullu Sd" Allll
The two were SO widely separated that.there
was no possibility of meeting except in the
chapel ON Sunday. The one in the chair
department was the younger by several
years.
One day when had my plans all laid en-
tered jewelry store in the city from which
the men had been sentenced and asked to look
at some watches. A tray of them was set out
and grabbed one valued at $40 and ran out.
! could have got clear off as well as not, but
my object was to be arrested On my exam
nation pleaded guilty and was bound over.
When the case came to the higher court a
lawyer was assigned me, and had l worked
with him the jury would have cleared me.
refused to answer any questions, admitted my
guilt and was regarded by some as light in
the head The jeweler did not desire my
conviction, and but for my impudence
should have failed in my purpose. A verdict
of guilty was finally reached, and his honor
gave me a year in prison, though / believe he
was ready to suspend sentence In case broke
down and promised reform
When | arrived at the prison gave my
occupation as a chair fnisher, and, to my
great satisfaction, l was assigned to that
work, and soon found myself alongside the
man was after. He was recorded on the
prison books as Jordan Hatch, No. 2,1S0 !
was down as Charles Merritt, No. 2,1S5. We
were at least thirty feet apart for the first
three weeks, and had been there a full
month before we passed a word. Then, as
We were carrying some work to the stock
room, got q chance to growl to him:
Il thought the horse thieves were put into
the slop department"
He gave me fierce look and gritted his
teeth, and next time we passed he whispered:
And thought the cheap watch grabbers
were used as kitchen mopsI"
He knew, then, as / suspected, what had
been sent for. No convict is in prison a week
before his offense is pretty generally known.
AS we passed again whispered:
"It's good thing sometimes to be laid by"
His reply to this was:
Then don't size me up for q horse thief"
During the next two weeks. owing to the
illness of one of the finishers and the fact that
dhother was pardoned, got nearer to Hatch,
but while seemed to be utterly Indifferent
to him, l several times caught him looking
me over as if interested. He was very handy,
and very tasty with brush and stencils, and
as l was equally SO, it finally came about,
after ] had been in prison about three
months, that we worked side by side at the
same platform. There was one overseer for
fifteen of US, and we had only to exercise
prudence and discretion to be able to COM
municate in whispers. l carried the idea
that grabbed the watch on purpose to be
laid by until the hue and cry over big job
had died out, and by ,abstaining from asking
him any question about his past l gave him
no reason to distrust me.
l hal been in prison for seven months
when l was called to the Office one day TO
see a friend, one of the few who were in the
plot. He had called to ask what progress |
had made. Upon my return to the shop
Hatch was curious to know what had passed,
andI informed him that l had got word that
a pard of mine who had been in the big job
with me, but who had escaped arrest, had
converted our hidden swag to his own use
and gone TO Europe.
I'D kill him" he replied. my pard
h:dn't better try that on mel"
''But he may"
Not this pull Isn't he here with NOR
1t was month before had made another
move. then feigned sickness and got fouy
lays in the hospital, and when returned to
work had some news for Hatchs 1t was to
the effect that another horse thief whose
name l could not remember, but who was in
the shoe department, had been receiving the
visits of lawyer, who was doubtless seeking
to get him pardon or a new trial
"The - he Isl" bissed Hatch, jumping to
the conclusion hoped he would.
purposely prevented any other converse
ton for several days, but it was plain enough
that my shot had told and that my man was
greatly worried. / pretended to have no in
terest in the matter, and one day when op
portunity offered he observed:
I'D give q thousand dollars to get letter
out Of here TO a certain party"
Better not try it," briefly replied, and
let him worry again for week
1t so happened then that was detailed to
the yard for a couple Of days to assist in re-
pifng some lumber, andI when / returned
had some gossip for Hatch. 1t was to the eff
feet that the governor was being worked for
a, pardon for one of the shoe men, and it was
reported that the lawyer who had the case in
hand was to get $4,000 if he was successful
could not give his name, not having heard
it, but ventured the opinion that the man
must have fich relatives at work for him.
Erich -" he replied. "He's selling some
one out on the quietr
1t was week before anything further was
said. Fhad saved my good time'and was al
most ready to go. -Four days before was
granted my liberty Hatch handed me piece
of paper on which he had written about a
dozen figures and as many letters Of the al
phabet, and said
ut is to my mother. She will understand
it. If you can get this out with you and mail
it to the address on the back, inclosing your
own address, you will receive at least 81, 900
within week. That shoe man is my pard
IF ha iS WORKING tho svOyarnor ;S to oo+