The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1891-11-29

| course De easy enough 20 recapture MIN II
he still wore the conspicuous convict dress,
| villain such as was Peter Wimble. would
stick at anything TO possess himself OF a suit
| of ordinary wearing apparel
But as already stated no arrest was made,
and as no Information reached the authOri-
ties of robbery Of male clothing, the i'm
| preston grew stronger that Peter Wimble's
leap for liberty had miscarried and that be
had become food for fishes.
This however was a mistake. Mr.. VIM
BILE was still in the land of the living, and
| fishes, OF a sort, were food him.
The poor wretch had a terrible time of
| it. He had contrived to get ashore in
| Safety, unseen in the thick fog and after a
brief rest, being exceptionally clever in nata-
| tory exercise, ne took to the water again
and so made his way by degrees several
| miles from the starting point, and discov-
| erlng at length a most convenient little nook
| in the rocss, there he concealed himself, ven
| turing out only when he was quite sure the
coast was clear TO search for mussels to keep
him from actual starvation.
But it seemed a hopeless lookout for him
1t was autumn time and the nights were
cold, and water trickled through the roof Of
| the tiny cave in which he had taken refuge,
so that his broad-arrow branded blanket
| suit was always wet through; and though
an occasional few mussels may be palatable
enough to a person who is well fed aud at
| liberty to partake of them alone, they are
oy no means satisfying as a sole and single
article of diet. Three days and nights had
now elapsed since Peter Wimble had broken
! bounds. and well~nigh famished and IN
| ceasingly shlvering he was resolving in his
mind whether he had not best give it up as
| a bad Job and surrender, when the plying
fates apportioned him such a marvellous
slice of luck, he could scarcely believe his
| eyesight when he beheld it.
1t was early in the morning-barely
! o'clock-and he had ventured farther along
the beach; keeping, OF course, in the shadow
| of the cliffs, in search of mussels, when 10 !
there at his very feet, lay mons complete
suit, even to an excellent pair Of boots and
a black felt hat Better still, on diving the
hand in an inner pocket OF the coat (Mr.
| Wimble was not the man to hesitate in such
mattersl there was a pocketbook, and In a
trouser pocket q leather purse that yielded
to his thievish fingers three sovereigns and
some silver.
Cautiously dropping down on his knee
and gazing seward the tide was low Mr..
Wimble could make out the head and
shoulders Of a swimmer, which put beyond
doubt TO whom the property belonged.
That discovery, however, SO far from
checking the escaped convict's impulse to
avail himself of the splendid opportunity 1t
gave spur TO it and with great rapidity he
stripped, and commencing with the swim
mer's socks and shirt dressed himself COM
pletely duck favored him every way, for
the clothes were an exact fit, and leaving
his. own heavy ''ankle jacks" and his
branded unmentionables and guernseys in
their place, made a stealthy exit to the cliff
path that led to the secluded little village
beyond which was the high road
Alas! for the swimmer, who was no other
than Mr.. Widgery.
With the desperate design of evading pur-
suit he had penetrated Devonshire to this
isolated spot, and on this particular morn
ing, after a sleepless night in CONSEQUENCE
of the terrible crime which weighed so
heavily on his conscience, he resolved on an
early dip, hoping that it might refresh him
and brace his unstrung nerves But what
pen could describe his unspeakable couster.
nation when hurrying with chattering
teeth across the stretch of shiDgle to pop on
his comforting fiannels. Arriving at the
spot where he had deposited them with his
other habiliments, nothing was visible but
the shameful costume of convict.
Crime-haunted as he was. it seemed to
poor Mr. Widgery in the first few moments
OF his bewilderment that Nemesis was pur-
suing him with peculiar vindictiveness. A
felon's garb was now his proper wear, and
an awfully mysterious hand seemingly had
thus provided it, without the tedious pre-
jury.
But though he succeeded in dismissinp
from his mind this fantastical supposition,
there remained the dreadful fact that unless
he ventured to the village sartorially unin-
numbered, as was Adam before the fall, he
must don the hateful garments 1t was no
time to hesitate, for the wind had flavor
of east in it. So shuddering with disgust
he drew on the horrid things.
But not unseenl
Just as it unfortunately happened, the
village constable had turned out for duty
but a few minutes previously, and his first
stroll was toward the cliffs. And the spec
tacle that met his vigilant eyes was that
of the escaped convict, Peter Wimble, dress
ing himself on the beach below!
1t has already been mentioned that the
latter was VIGOROUSLY reckless ruffian, and
probably it would 60 hard with any one who
attempted to take him single-handed. The
constable was an individual whose quality
of courage did not run to fool-hardiness
and though he determined, if possible, to
secure the reward of five pounds, judiciously
resolved that his capture should involve as
little personal risk as possible He kept q
watch on the convict's movements, and OBJ
served that he was about to take the cliff
path that led to the village. He therefore
concealed himself behind boulder, and
grasped his truucheon firmly in his hand.
AS the figure more closely approached,
the concealed constable marked the mans
white face and look of dismay. And no
wonder. 1t was horrible dilemma for Mr..
Widgery. He was lodging at the only inn
in the village, and it was at the far end-at
least half a mile distant. and how could he
hope to make his way all that long distance
without attracting public attention-the
very thing he was DESTROYS Of avoiding-
and perhaps being followed by as many of
the early rising inhabitants as had at pres
| ent turned out!
Nor was that the worst of It. He had no
other rag of ratment except that which had
disappeared and.not a single sixpence.
"a man might as we'll be dead" he
| Rroaned aloud, just as he passed the boulder
where crouched the constable, his baton
trembling in his nervous grip. And next
on the back of Mr.. Widgery's unprotected
heap, causing him to drop before he could
utter a word or a sound.
Making sure first that his man was
| stunned and insensible, with view to pro-
| motion for al unexampled act of bravery,
the policeman took off his helmet and, plac-
! ing it on the gound, kicked deep dent in
it, and wrenched few buttons from the
front of his tunic. Then he blew his alarm
whistle, and half a dozen agricultural labor
erS from neighboring field came to his as
sistance.
The news that the escaped convict Peter
Wimble had been taken spread, of course
like wild-fire. Handouts were placed on
~ a