The morning call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1878-1895, 1893-01-29


ing in his watch. with dozen ships loom
ing dark all round. This was extra
ordinary. Butler reported his conduct to
the owners of the Chanticleer. and the man
lost his berth. But on your sweetheart
learning that ROtch had been married
shortly before sailing and that child had
been born to him during his absence at sea,
he went to work TO procure his relns ate
ment, or to obtain another situation for him,
and was successful. There may be other
motives; but here is point that must go
far to confirm Buffers declaration that he
is the victim Of a conspiracy"
listened greedily; kept my eyes. smart
ing aud burning fastened upon my uncle's
face.
what is scuttling a ship?" asked.
ibid l not explain? II is boring a hole
in her so that she may sinh"
who says that Tom bored hole In his
Ship"
"Rotch and Nodder and two seamen."
ibid they see him bore the hOle?
"They affirm that they saw the holes
which he had bored and discovered tree
nail auger in his cabin"
ION. he would not G o it!' / cried. 1T Is
a lie! He is Innocent"
Here my aunt advised me to go to bed
and said that she herself could sit up no
longer. But | detained my uncle Tor an
other half hour with many feverish, mpas-
stoned questions before / could force N.Y.
struck l through the stiffness OF the snow
ing night as | went to the bedroom that had
been prepared for me.
NV uncle was 10 see Tom next morning
at Newgate, and told me- he would inquire
the rules ard hiring about meeting between
nv sweetheart and me as speedily as pos
sible. After breakfast my box was put in to
a coach and drove to my house in Stepney.
Mr. Stanford came into the hall 10 speak to
me. | forced wild smile and hurried
bow and pushed past; | could not address
him nor listen to what he had TO say.
When | went upstairs and set down In my
own room, the room IN which Tom and WEI
had dlned with me. where | had passed
hours in sweet musings upon my lover.
where there were many Little things he had
given me-a picture had admired a screen.
a little French chimney-clOck, above all his
mniature-I believed my heart was break
ing: | went and wepf. | could not stay my
tears. My maid stood beside me, careSSed
and tried to control me. then drew off and
stood looking at me. afraid
By ana by / rallied. and since activity
was life to me, for sitting still and thinking
was heart-breakiug aud soul wtbering to
one situated as / was, without father or
mother TO carry her or ef To, with ut an In
innate friend II open herself 10, / considered
what should do, and then reflected tn at
all the money which | could scrape tOgeth er
might be needful for Toms defense There
upon | went straight to the bank into which
my trustees paid my money and ascertalned
how my account stood. | saw he manager
of the hank and asked him 10 what amount
he would allow me 10 oYerdraw should the
need arise. and he told me that | was at
liberty To overdraw 10 a considerable sum
against the security of the title deeds of my
house, which were in his possession and
which had been originally lodged at the
bank by my father.
This and other errands wentupon helped
I'll a . Il IL. al
little good. In the afternoon before It was
dusk | walked rs far rs Ludgate Hill and
turned into the Old Bailey and went q little
distance up Newgate street, aud continued
walking there that l might be near Tom. |
crossed the street and looked al the horrible
walls, dark with the CRIME Of London, and
at the spiked gates and at a huddle of mis-
cradle tattered wretches at one of those
gates, as though they yearned in the starva-
tion and misery for the prison food and the
shelter of the cells within. and | wondered
in what part behind those fOrtress-like
walls my sweetheart was, what his thoughts
were. That he was dong. il he was think
ing of me as | was of him, until | stamped
the pavement in sudden agony OF mind.
and crossed the street to the walls. and
went along the pavementclose beside them.
to aud fro, TO and fro.
The dusk drove me away at last, and be-
ing very weary | called coach and went TO
my aunt's that might get the latest news
of Tom Ny uncle had had long inter
view with my sweetheart in the morning.
''Iie is fairly cheerful and hopeful" said
he lyon will scarcely know him, though.
His anxiety during the long voyage home
in the man-of-war has piuched and wrin-
kIed and shrunk him. You'll see him to-
morrow we will 60 together"
Uncle, you will employ the very best
people on his side" He named we'll
known Old Bailey pleader If those days.
n. not inf A I
have in the world is Toms" said.
1.-The deuce Of il is, exclaimed my uncle.
humping his knee, 1--WE have no witnesses
to call except as TO character It's four
tOngued positive swearing on one side. and
singe-tongued negative swearing on the
other"
SO ran our talk Il was all about Tom.
AS on the previous evening so now again /
kept my kind-hearted uncle up till past
midnight with my feverish questions. Ny
aunt had asked me TO sleep in their house,
and | gladly consented, partly that /
might be instantly ready to accompany my
uncle to Newgate at the appointed time,
and partly because | dreaded the loneliness
Of my home, the long and dismal solitude Of
the evening and the night in a scene crowded
with memories OF my father and my
mother and my sweetheart, of my child
hood. of the sunny hours OF my holiday
rambling and of careless merry days Of in
dependence. / could not sleep through
thinking of the morrOw's meeting. 1t was
seven months since Tom and | had kissed
and parted; he had sailed away full of hope.
he had written in high spirits. and now he
was prisoner in Newgate, his ship taken
from him, the prospects Of the voyage
ruined. his innocent manly heart UNANIMOUSLY
shamed and degraded, charged with a crime
which might Danish him forever from Eng
land.
do not be shocked" said my uncle in the
10 I'D
20 speak to him face TO face. You will
presently see what | mean. 1t is mere
prison routine-a quite necessary discipline;
there's nothing in it,"
After all these years | but vaguely re-
member as much of this horrible jail as we
traversed. My heart beat with pulse of
fever; my sight fell dim in the whiteness of
the day outside; l seemed to see nothing,
but looked always for my sweetheart as
we advanced. / recollect little more Of
Newgate JAIL with its thanking of huge.
black, f0rtress-like wall the iron-grated
windows. the heavy open doors faced with
iron, the dark passages, in one OF which
hung an oil lamp. and the strange sight
beyond this gloomy passage of Il stone
floor touched with barred sunlight flow
ing through an iron grating. Many
structural changes have been made
days. We entered a passage walled on either
hand by gratngs and wirework. Some
warders in high hats and blue coats-war-
ders or constables. l know not which-stood
outside this passage. My uncle was at my
side. and we waited for my sweetheart 10
appear. There WAS but one prisoner then
present: ne was coDversng through the
grating with a dark-skinned. back-eyed
woman of about 80. immensely stout and
dressed in many bright colors. He was
clothed In the garb OF the feon. and was
enormously thick set and powerfully built;
you saw the muscles of his arms tighten
the sleeves of his jacket as he gesticulaied
with Hebraic demonstratveness to the
woman, whose voice was as harsh as par
rots. His hair was cropped close; where
his whiskers and beard were shaved his
skin was dark coarse blue; he was deeply
pitted with smallpox, his nose lay somewhat
fiat upon his face with very thick nostrls,
$500 l.laal- - L. = -. ...a..i.. LIZ