The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1890-06-12

tation-presumably in regard to whether
the coast was cIear-and as everything
seemed favorable the valise was opened
again and Rubber-ShOe Dan began the ard
uous task of spreading motley assortment
of drills, braces, and extra revOlvers on the
stage for the admiration of the audience
and the latter murmured low applause.
Handsome Bill taps the safe here and
there with his-yes, his knuckles, remember,
and having found tender spot commences
the Onerous task of drilling through the
steel plates.
Again the audience whispers softly in ap-
proval as the stage carpenter behind the
scenes CRATES on piece OF iron in unison
with Handsome Willie's drilling.
Rubber-ShOe Dan with revolver and Ian
tern goes through some peculiar antics as
he peers here and there to insure that the
coast is clear.
Ha, ha! we've got her now. Dan hustles
about the interior organization of the valiSe
and produces powder flask and fuse. A
supe throws in mat to deaden the noise
that will occur at the safes disruption and
everything is in readiness for the grand
coup that will 'heroize" the participants.
The fuse is now ignited and the partici-
pants retire to place of safety.
Bang! firecracker goes off, and spring
pushes the safe door onto the mat amid the
thunderous applause of the audience.
Handsome and Rubber-Shoe rush forth
amid the increased plaudits of the audience
pull open the inside door, scatter papers,
ill their valise with salt bags labeled
the curtain drops. Though it is the final act
of the evening the audience still pound
away their applause as if desirOus of rep
ptitiOn Of the brilliant (2) act
Now, what in the name of all that is out
side of lunatic asylum was meant by the
emphasized approval of such vicious act?
1t was not humorous. nor was it ever III
tended to be so; it did not even disclose any
talent in the presumptive thieves; no, it
was fake pure and simple, gotten up,
Barnum- like, Ito fool the dear people,"
And what was the lesson to be derived
from such scene by the many youths pres
ent there? Certainly not an advantageous
one. And yet when we take into consider
alton the innate ambition and longing for
the plaudits of our fellows that is a promi-
nent trait in the human family no one can
blame any boy for following in the foot
steps of self confessed criminals when the
latter meet with such royal reception by
the people.
Strange indeed are the tickle fluctuations
OF the public pulse. The instance spoken
of above is but one case where poetic Wrong
meets with heartier approval than prosy
Right. The same trait is noticeable in a no
less degree in many other matters of public
Importance. Take as an example the case
of the man who steals or procures by fraud
large sum of money. For a time his
crime causes furore of righteous indigna-
ton; but if he has sufficient money to dilly-
daily with his case in the courts until the
first installment of indignation is spent, the
public will overlook the affair and the pam
pered thief may 90 scott free if his case is
not resurrected and brought to focus by
the press.
If the reader will turn over the pages of
memory for year back it will be found
that a case not dissimilar to the one just
mentioned and in which quarter of a mill
| ion dollars were involved occurred in the
Flour City. But who thinks of that case
now? No one. virtually no one. The
newspapers let up on the defendant, and
between buncOmbe and the potency of the
almighty dollar the case was razzle daz-
zled out of court.
If the "Voice of the people is the voice
of God" it may truly be said-without in
territorial sacrilege-that the people place
God in very trying position in some mat
ters EX-CONvICT.