Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1895-06-12

gradually lower and lower, and it was
nearly an hour after the passengers
first sight of the hotel that the train
drew up under Its verandas.
The convict settlement on the spur
of the mountain was invisible from
the railway track. but the convicts
were there because the railway was
there. They were hired out to the
railway company by the State govern
ment, and as the train dashed by,
sometimes the passengers were shocked
to see, standing close in by the cliffs
beside the track, twenty or thirty
black men in convict garments, some
with ball and chain attached to their
ankles. And then, as the train dashed
by, white men with rifles on their
shoulders were seen guarding the
workers on the railway.
There was no wall around the
camp, its only protection being O
small picket fence, easily leaped over.
But nature guarded the prisoners. On
almost every side the descent was
steep, and often precipitous, but q
convict would run no danger to life or
limb in making the descent. But al'
though O convict might easily have
leaped the slender barrier and might
have lodged the shots from tho men
on the wooden towers, his escape was
next thing to hopeless; he had to
climb over the mountain to got away,
and telegraph station in the convict
settlement quickly apprised all oivili.
cation outside this wilderness that
such and such man had escaped from
the camp.
The usual result of an attempt to
escape was that a week or ten days Of
ter the leap over the barrier, o gaunt,
starved man came out of the wilder.
ness and gave himself up at the first
place where he could get something to
eat. Often ho failed in scaling the
mountain, and returned after o few
days to the camp itself. The very
frailty of the fence around the camp
showed the utter hopelessness OF at-
tempting to escape.
On the particular day in summer to
which this account relates there had
been furious storm of rain in the
mountains. The clouds seemed to
have become entangled among the
peaks, and they hung over the valley,
unable, like the prisoners, to escape,
and poured thoir floods into it until
the littlo river had become wild and
raving torrent, cleaning here and
there in white among the dark trees.
Toward night the clouds succeeded
in breaking away and foated over tc
the west, but the mutter of distant
thunder showed that the storm was
not yot over, while the heat seemed
moro oppressive than ever after the
terrible days rain. When darkness
set in the watery silver sickle OF the
moon hung over the valley and filed
it with weird, dim, tremulous light.
The roar of tho torrent, increased by
the stiffness ali around, came up from
the bottom of the valley on the night
air.
The master of the penitentiary so
in rocking chair on the veranda ol
his wooden house smoking his corn
cob pipe. What little GOODNESS there
was was outside and not inside the
house. Suddenly burst of childish
laughter broke on his ear, and looking
to the left he saw his little girl lash
ing Sunshine johnson as if he were G
horse, while that good-natured indi-
vidual trotted up and down with the
child on his shoulders.
"Suushine," cried the master, "what
are you doing with Dorothy out SC
tfhaes e6bHlSfict sblS came to an instant stor
at the sound oil the master'svolce, an6
the child even hushed its laughter
Little Dorothy was much more afraid
of her stern father than of the good
natured murderer.
"Well, you see, massa, it'slike this, y
said the convict, deferentially. 'tLit
Dot had to be in lie house oil de day
on account oh de rain, sab, and it's 81
warm inside dat her mother sht
thought we could play little before
she goes to bed, and den little Dot
sab, she thought she'd like to ak you
if she nigh stay up and see dc mid
night express" D."
"The midnight express, nonsense /
exclaimed Flint. dorothy, you dom
want to stay up so lato as that!"
The little girl made no answer, bu'
clung the tighter with alarm around
the conyict's neck, and whispered in
to his ear.
"She'd like very much to stay up,
sah she hasn't seen it for q long time
I don't think it would do her any
harm"
sob, she's whispered that to you
has she?"
Tho convict laughed littlo ant
then checked himself.
"Well, massa, don't think i
would do her any harm; you SEQ it'
so warm dot de little gal she couldn'
sleep at night, anyway, and perhaps
after she sees de train den sho goes to
sleep"
"Oh, very well" said Flint; elf he:
mother said it's all right, it is al
right"
The midnight express, Flint knew
was great sight to see on darl
night. The train appeared with
long row Of lights from out tunnel
and passing by tho convict settlement
disappeared among the trees ant
through another tunnel. 1t came II
sight again on the other side OF tht
valley, its long line of lights appear
ing to crawl slowly around the noun
tain, while the roar OF the trair
mingled with the roar Of the torrent
below.
Thus it appeared and disappeared
at different intervals and at different
1o1,1, rrotno IN npo 1irao