The National tribune., 1893-08-10

most Indifferent. I found my man wheeling
ashes and refuse from the cookhouse. In this
occupation he had been engaged for II years.
The long years of prison life had had their
effect. The prisoner was an old man broken in
body aud mind, although he told me his age
was 42. Explained that had permission to
talk with him and would like to hear about
his history. He smiled the weak smile of en-
feebled intelligence sat down on his wheel
barrow and began with pitiful obedience,
which plainly bespoke the prison discipline.
How did ] feel when l heard / was par
doned? Well, it was student like | JUS had
to sit down. l had give up all hope of ever
Gettin' out long ago, but Mandy was true grit,
she wus, she never give up"
His next words were unusual u don't
blame nobody but myself for bein' here" he
went on. Who ever heard Of a convict before
who attributed to himself the blame for being
in the peuitentiary2 Most convcts are the in
nocent victims of villainous conspracies.
They never did any wrong in their lives, and
especially they never even dreamed of commit
ting the crime for which they are serving sem
tence Such virtuous, upright, and deeply
wronged set of men can be found nowhere else
in the world as in prison.
" 1t was all along of nay bulheadedness but l
guess I'd better go back to the beginnin' of my
story, if you want to hear it all. When / was
about 10 years old Jason Scott and me took the
job OF elearin' so acres of land close to whore
Pauldn' is now. In them days the town was
only clearin' with few log shanties Jase
WAS couple of years younger than me. His
father an mine had come West from Column
banner County and settled in Pauldin'. We
was the only boys in them parts then-the
only young folks, exceptin' Mandy Pitcher.
We fggered on clearin' our land Winters, as
our fathers agreed to give US the time after
corn -huskin' was done, providin' We helped
them good Summers Jase and me built q
IA = a.
was doin' our chopin and clearin'. There
was lots of snow that Winter, and it come
early. Oh, how hate the Winter. The snow
lynn out there in the pris0n-yard brings the
hull thing back to me, and how happy Jase
and me was. workin' and talkin' about what
we was goin to do. | can most see the cabin
now, with the door open and the snow all
around as it looked that Winter mornin'. Jase
and me was goin' out huntin' that n,ornin'.
took my gun aud started out, leaviu' Jase to
follow. i walked out little ways. and then
looked around to sec if Jase comm. He
warnt, and / waited and hollered until got
all out of sorts with him. crazy idee struck
me, and ] JUS thought I'd shoot toward the
cabin for fun, and mebbe that would fetch him.
God knows | didn't mean to do any harm.
wss jus great big foolish boy, and l got tired
of waitin' and thought I'd shoot for fun, and
mebbe that would fetch him."
l looked at the man, and he was one in
agony. His face was drawn, and pallor was
there which added to the prison tan and made
it chastity His voice, peurile from the disuse
of 20 years, had sunk into hoarse whisper.
He was staring at the great stone wall in front
of him with dull, vacant eyes. He seemed OBJ
Ivious of everything and kept repeating 81
didn't mean any harm. l only thought I'd
shoot for fun, and mebbe that would fetch
him."
have looked into murderers' faces on the
verge of eternity while the death warrant was
being read in order that might tell the pub
lie next morning whether the lip quivered
the eye grew dim, but as gazed at this picture
of weakness and misery on the wheelbarrow in
front of me, it made me sick. The victim of
an act done in the name of fun land this
was fun!
The man presently came to himself and went
on:
"As I shot, Jase come into the door, and
when the smoke cleared away saw him lynn
just outside in the snow. face downward. l
member pickin' him up and carryin' him in
side, and then startin' out to Pauldn' for help.
After that l don't remember nothin' until
found l was lynn down on the ground and q
crowd of men standin' around me. | heerd one
of 'em say: He must have tripped up on that
dry grapevine and hit his head on the root of
the tree 1t pears as if Washburn and Scott
must have had a racket--over that GAL most
likely-and WASN'T burn killed Scott l found
out afterward that huntn' party had
stopped at the cabin and found Jase lynn on
the floor, dead, with my bullet through his
heart. They looked for me- and finally saw my
tracks in the snow and followed them. They
found me couple of miles away in the woods,
lynn at the foot of tree where fell.
Some believed my story, and some didn't.
Them as didn't b'lieve it said twarn't likely
if what / said was true that would "a tried
to run away. ALI know is meant to set out
for Pauldin', but it pears as If I'd gone wrong
some way.
The Jedge, as he said. wanted to low mo a
fghtin' chance and give me the privilege of