The prison mirror. [volume] (Stillwater, Minn.) 1887-1894, 1892-03-31

GAIL Is Plain NOW.s,

GAIL Is Plain NOW.''
last fall two convicts disappeared from this
prison. and the circumstances under which
they made their exit led the warden and
other officers to the conclusion that the two
missing convicts were hidden away some.
where inside the walls. Under this belief.
the matter was kept quiet. and continuous
search was kept up for few days. Then
an officer disappeared as mysteriously as
had the convicts. The guards at the gates
asserted that the officer in question had
come in the prison in the morning. but had
not gone out. Here was real mystery.
Search was made high and low for the
missing officer. but to no avail. Things
went on in the same way for four weeks
without any news from the missing ones,
the whole matter remaining shrOuded in the
prOfOundest mystery.
The work of tearing down the old shops
in the northwestern corner of the yard com.
menced. and had progressed for some time,
when in moving some old rubbish in an un.
used part of one of the shops a hole, about
parties making this discovery tried to probe
the bottom of the hole with a long pole, but
they could find no bottom. The case was
then reported to the warden who took i'm.
mediate steps to investigate the mystery.
First, shouting down the hOle-calling the
names of the missing officer and cOnvicts-
but no answer came back. Then the
warden bethought him of telephone and
large coil of wire. The telephone was put
in proper working order, the wire attached
and the instrument lowered into the dark
hole. 1t went down. down. down, until
the coil of wire had all gone down the hole.
Another coil of wire was brought and at
tached to the end of the first one. and it
went down the hole also. Another was
brought and went likewise. and so it went
ON until about 5000 miles of wire had been
let down into that hole. Then came halt,
the telephone had apparently reached the
bottom.
A slight jerking on the wire. A minute
more and the bell rang. The warden seized
the trumpet and placed it to his ear and
called out, ''Hello!'
who's that?" came back.
1.-THE warden" was the response. ''And
who are yOu?"
''I'm Guard Hawkeye."
"Where are you?"
Ill uOWu uClO duOuS tuCOC CdI udGlOuCO
MOngOlianS. l fell through this blamed
hole. Can't you do something to help
fellow out of this?"
''We'll try. Only have patience" was
the answer to the last query.
The warden then gave directions to keep
the affair secret. and Immediately started
for Minneapolis where he brought up all
the rope there was in the city, and tele.
graphed to Chicago to have all the rope in
that city sent up to Saltwater.
Machinery was at once constructed. and
the work of lowering large upholstered
chair down to the Celestial empire was be.
gun. The chair being hung in such way
that the guard frOm'the neither world could
set in comfortable position on his way up.
After several days of hard winding at the
windlass the chair reached its destination,
the guard below telephoned that he had EN-.
barked. and the return journey was began.
Relays of cOnvicts were detailed to work on
the windlaSS.
After a week of hard winding the lost
guard was brought to the surface and once
more placed on American SOIL general
shaking Of hands, and congratulations fol-
lowed.
The officer stated that he learned from
the Cinnamon that the two cOnvicts, who
dug the hole. and who had escaped through
it, had been captured by the Celestials and
shut up in temple where they were
guarded with great care. the Cinnamon be-
lieving them to be gods. ''This uniform"
he said, lis all that saved me. They mis-
took me for a British man Of-w war. and
bowed with great sOlemnity to Her Maj.
esty's supposed gun.boat."
The sequel to the above is, that the new
twine plant is to work up the rope, that
hauled the guard from the lower regions.
into binding twine. The warden has had
the hole securely arched over and covered
up. so that the place where it was is now
only pointed out to visitors.
| PROF. j. 81. S. r.