Democratic Northwest. [volume] (Napoleon, Ohio) 1869-1894, 1890-05-08
YHE FREED PRISONER .


judge said the doctor.
1T will establish a bad precedent
The prisoners will think ell they have
to do is to get sick go as to get free,
said the judge testify.
1T is but question of time, and 6
very short time too, before a greater
judge even than you will give HIM his
discharge, and not only him, but 9
good many others besides, said a doc.
tor, much provoked.
'Eh, is that so?' said the Judge, ig.
noring sarcasm, lis there really so
much sickness in the jail2'
"A good deal, and chiefly confined
to the United States prisoners. Spot.
ted fever RACES with fatal effect
among them.
That is strange. How do you &C.
count for it2 Is illicit dlstilling an un-
healthy occupationT
When it reaches its natural result
of landing the operator into jail, there
to sicken, 1t may be called decidedly
unhealthy. But, jesting aside, these
mountain fellows suffer more than the
other prisoners for the reason that
they have always lived free life in the
open air, therefore the close con6ne-
ment of the Jail proves very irksome
and they sicken under it. This spot
ted fever Is, I think, the result of lack
of proper circulation of blood. 1t is a
sort of epidemic among the mounti-
neers. Some of them have died of it
and others are very low, and they will
die too, if they stay in that jail. The
thought of going home is all that will
save them now-Jack Bigby, cspeci,
ally; release is the only hope for him.
He has no one to thank bu. him
self, said the Judge. why did he
meddle with illicit distilling?'
4 grant all you say; but death is q
severe sentence for few gallons of
mountain dew said the doctor.
'True said the Judge after pause
I will suspend sentence in his case, and
let him 90 home. Here is his re-
lease, said he, as he filed out blank;
take it to him-a new sort of physic,
truly But tell him he won't get off
so easy the next time he NEEDLES with
the revenue.
Thanks said the doctor as he took
the paper. 1T will be many day if
ever before he will feel like playing
with edged tools. Judge this is the
first time l ever envied your high po-
sition-when l see the mercy you can
show.
y
The sick man lay on his bunk IN
his cell; his fever scorched tongue was
stiff and blackened 30 that he could
scarcely speak. 1t was difficult to
recognize in the wan shadow lying
there the stalwart mountaineer of a
few months ago. His blue eyes were
sunk deep into his head; his matted
hair and beard were bleached from
the sun burnt yellow to sickly straw
color, and over the hollow caverns of
his cheeks the white skin blanched by
prison damp, was tightly drawn. On
its bloodless surface the red blotches
of the spotted fever showed with
startling vividness.
Gould this be Jack Bigby, the man
who could out jump out shoot, out
ride and out dance any of his COM
rades2
Old Blgby, otherwise Pap, as he sat
by the bedside of his sick son, felt
dazed and stunned by the change. He
had only arrived this morning, and, in
the few hours that had passed, failed
yet to realize it. Could that be Jack?
He was changed in his ways as we'll
as in his looks. How strange he
talked!
Set whar I kahn see ye, Pap
he said, when his father had arrived.
The sight Of ye is good for sore
eyes,
.And as he said it. all at once the
father had choked up and felt like cry
ing; he didn't know why. But he
hadn't done it.
'Hit war powerful curious. Jes' te-
think O. Jack sayin' sech a thipgl
Rough an ready Jack ter wanter lay
thar and look at his ole pap!
Mr.. Bigby 1t is true, was not very
beautiful object, nor one of which
most people would crave to feast their
eyes. He looked as if the summer
sun had shown upon him very hot and
the winter rain had beat upon him
very hard. He could, in fact, be
called weather beaten. His long iron
gray hair and beard were guilt
less Of barber or comb and brush eth.
or for that matter. The seams and
rugged lines Of his face caused his
countenance to look like a bit of roll
ling landscape. But all scanned and
rugged as 1t was, to the homesick
eye of bis son it was more beautiful
kL~~ q 20