Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1895-12-14

8Avo q uSuA ukB1o cup Out never 60
IS to hurt him, and "only in fun, you
know" I felt at the time that I would
never learn to appreciate Chatham
fun, but on the very next day was
convinced Of it when q man named
Farrier pulled out from his waistband
. piece of rag, and, unrolling it, pro-
duced two Of his front teeth, with the
information that certain warier, So
den, had struck him with his fist in the
mouth and knocked them out. After
many "wise saws and modern in
stances" he locked me up in the little
brick and stone box and departed, hav-
ing first informed me that would go
out to labor in the morning"
looked about my little box with q
mixture Of curiosity and CONSERVATION,
for the thought smote me with blind
ing force that for ten years at least that
little box-S feet 6 inches in length, 8
feet in height and feet in width, with
its floor and roof of stone-would be my
only home-would be, must be, and no
power could avert my fate.
On the small iron shelf I found tin
dish used by some previous occupant
and smeared inside and out with Cruel
There being no water in my jug, when
the men came in for dinner I, in my in
nocence, asked one of the officers for
some water to wash the dish. He looked
at me with great contempt and said,
Twill you have it hot or cold?'' "Oh,
cold, pleased" He went away, but soon
came back again and said: "You are
precious fiat. Lick it off, man. Before
long you won't waste cruel by washing
your tin dish. You won't be here many
days and want to use water to clean
your pint.
After dinner saw the men marched
ont to labor, and was amazed to see
their famished, wolfish looks - thin,
gaunt and almost disguised out Of all
human resemblance by their i'll fitting,
mud covered garments and mud splash
ed faces and hands. myself was kept
in and marched about by my old friend
"Nosy" to the shops and stores for
clothing, boots, etc. But the weary, al
most CHASTITY specter march had wit
messed constantly haunted me, and
said, Twill ever resemble them?" And
youthful spirit and pride rushed to the
front and cried, "Never!'
Night and supper-eight ounces of
brown bread-came at length, and I rose
up from my meal cheerful and resolute
to meet the worst, be it what it might
short of deliberate persecution, with a
stout heart and faith that at last all
would be we'll
In the morning arose, had my
breakfast-nine ounces of brown bread
and a pint of gruel-and was eager to
learn what this 'labor" meant. was
prepared for much, but not for the grim
reality. had been ordered to join par
ty S2-a brickmaking party, but work
ing in the 'mud districts. So we,
along with 1 200 others, marched out to
our work, and as soon as we were out
side Of the prison grounds saw sight
that, while it explained the mud splash
ed appearance of my spectral array, was
enough to daunt any man doomed to
join in the game. Mud, mud every
where, with groups of weary men. with
shovel, or shovel and barrow, working
in it. A sort of road had been made over
the mud with ashes and cinders, and
our party Of % men, with five other
parties, moved steadily ON for about .
mile until we came to the clay banks or
pits. Fortunately we had a very good
officer Of the name of James He want
ed the work done, and used his tongue
pretty freely. Still he was a man who
would speak the truth and treated his
men as well as he dared to do under the
brutal regime ruling in Chatham. He
speedily told me off to a barrow and
spade, and I was fully enlisted as bar
row and spade man to her majesty.
A steam milo "pug" like monster
coffee mill was used for mixing the clay
and sand and delivering it in form Of
bricks below, where another party re-
ceived them and laid them out to dry
preparatory to burning. Our duty was
"to keep the pug going''-keep it full
of clay to the top. The clay was in q
high bank. We dug into it from the
bottom with our spades and filled il as
fast as possible into our barrows. In
front Of each man was run" formed
by line of planks only eight inches in
width and all converging toward and
meeting near the '..pug." The distance
we were wheeling was from 80 to 40
yards, and the incline was really very
steep, but that in itself would not have
been SO bad, but the labor of digging
out the clay was very severe, and that
everlasting pug" was as hungry as If
it were in the habit of taking bitters to
give it an appetite.
One had no period of rest between the
filling Of ones barrow and the start up
the run. In an hours time my poor
hands were covered with blood blisters,
and my left knee was q lame duck in
deed, made SO by the slight wrench Civ
en- it each time I struck in my shade
with my left foot, but made NO com
plant Abont 10 O'Clock the man next
me, with an oath, threw down his spade
and vowed he would do no more work.
Putting on his vest and jacket, he walk
ed up to the warder and quite as mat
ter OF course turned his back to him and
put both hands behind him The warder
produced pair Of handouts and with