The Kootenai herald. [volume] (Kootenai, Idaho) 1891-1904, 1891-07-18
A FUGITIVE.

COmely mistress Sally Suydam sat on
low bench beneath the apple tree in
her back yard, Smelling peas. Delicate
petals from the fragrant blossoms over
head dropped upon her; the blue bird,
perched upon the hollow stump hard by,
sang to her a song of spring and sun
shine; the fresh morning breeze, that
made ripples all across the golden sur
face of Flushing bay to mark its prog
ress, came to lift caressingly the soft
brown curls on her temples. Before her,
on an upturned pail, rested gaunt old
man, with white hair. and long, bony
/ fingers that were interlocked over his
knobby knee.
"Indeed, spoke Mistress Suydam, con-
tinuing her conversation, sit is hard
that Abner should be SO long away from
his home and in peril of his life, but he
would be no true American did he lag
at his wife's apron string when his coun-
try has need of him. And, of truth,
instead of repining, l should rejoice
daily that he is still alive and at liberty.
think would rather hear that he had
fallen on the field than that he was
prisoner in the cruel hands of the Brit
| ish"-
''In that Jersey prison ship. Verify,
1t is wondrous that men endure to live
in that hell upon earth if the half that
is told of it be true"
1.-The half of it's horrors hath not been
toldr exclaimed a suppressed but dis
tinct voice from the clump of lilac bushes
behind Mistress Suydam. The good dame
gave little jump and an exclamation
of alarm, while the gaunt man sprang
to his feet. Peering in the direction of
the voice, they saw under the bushes,
close to the ground, the haggard, yellow
face of man with great, wild eyes and
tangled hair and beard.
"Who are you, and what want you
here?" demanded Mistress Suydam,
stoutly.
Robert Jameson; a fugitive from the
Jersey prison ship am l, and sore in need
of all that man may need to live.s
Come forth, man; come forth. You
shall need no longer here responded
the old man, earnestly, going toward
him.
"Back-back! Keep your distance,
mani There is death in my garments
the poison of the prison fever. Stand
aloof; but | pray you lay some food
where | may get it without coming
anigh you
While he spoke Mistress Suydam re
Elected, and when he had ceased, quickly
took the ordering of affairs in her hands
Giving to the old man-who was none
other than the patriot parson Egbert
Elisa suit of her soldier husbands
clothing, she instructed him to see that
the fugitive, after casting away his in
fecteo garments, bathed in the creek at
the foot of the garden, and then put on
the clean raiment, by which time she
would have a good breakfast ready for
him-and with the clothing she sent a
generous glass of rum to keep him warm
in his bath.
When Jameson's hunger had been APP
peased, he told his story: a
II was taken prisoner through the run
ming down of the boat | was in on the
Hudson, and was put aboard the prison
ship three months ago. The night be-
fore last sprang overheard, being will
ing rather to die than live longer there;
but coming ashore little below the tide
mill, managed to make my way into
the country, and since then, hiding when
/ could, and running when | dared, |
have fed thus far, eating nothing until
now. How anxiously listened to your
speech, to learn if ye were friends or
foes |"
Is life on the prison ship indeed SO
terrible as men say r asked Mistress Suy-
dam.
'Only the dead have learned all its
horrors. but the living there know
enough to madden them. Twelve hun.
dred men are crowded in a space tina,
would not suffice for the healthful keep
ing of one-fourth so many. They are
scantily fed upon tainted meat and yer
min infested bread. so that violent and
fatal disorders are rife among them.
The dreaded fever hath broken out, and
so RACES that at times as many as two
hundred die of it in night. Through
sheer malignity the British officers re-
fuse water even to those parched with
the fever, and find sport in seeing their
burning thirst drive them mad. Often
in the inky darkness of the lower glu.
deck, where they are confined at night,
the startling cry is heard, Look to your
selvesl One here hath gone mad and he
hath knife And the mailman, know
ing not what he does. slashes right and
left with his weapon, until in self de-
Tense they must kill him-and all that in
the dark. And that much amuses the
British officers"