The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1895-07-03

10 STE, StallOlIlS S1OSC III ny Cue Cl1lls
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 should
ers We're seen guarding the workers on
the railway.
There was no wall around the
camp, it's only protection being 6
small picket fence, easily leaped over
But nature guarded the prisoners. Or
almost every side the descent wa:
steep. and often PERCEPTIONS, but
convict would run no danger to life o.
limb in making the descent. But al
though convict might easily have
leaped the slender barrier and might
have lodged the shots from the men
on the wooden tower, his escape was
next thing to hopeless; he had tc
climb over the mountain to get away
and a telegraph station in the convlc'
settlement quickly apprised all clvlIl
zation outside this wilderness tha'
such and such man had escaped iron
the camp.
The usual result OF an attempt to
escape was that a week or ten days at
ter the leap over the barrier, a gaunt
starved man came out of the wilder
ness and gave himself up at The frs
place where he could get something tc
eat. Often he failed in scaling the
mountain and returned after q few
days to the camp itself. The very
frailty of the fence around the caml
showed the utter hopelessness Of at
tempting 70 escape.
On the particular day in summer tt
which this account relates there hac
been furious storm of rain in the
mountains. The clouds seemed tt
have become entangled among the
peaks, and they hung over the valley
unable, like the prisoners, to escape
and poured their floods into 1t unit
the little river had become wild ano
raving torrent, cleaning here anc
there in white among the dark trees
Toward night the clouds succeeded
in breaking away and tloated over tc
the west, but the mutter Of distant
thunder showed that the storm was
not vet over while the heat seemed
more oppressive than ever after the
terrible days rain. When darkness
set in the watery silver sickle OF the
moon hung over the valley and tll!e1
it with weird, dim. tremulouS light
The roar Of the torrent, increased by
the stiffness all around, came up from,
the bottom of the valley on the night
air.
The master of the penitentiary sal
in a rocking chair on the veranda oi
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 We're 9
horse, while that good-natured indi
vidual trotted up and down with tine
child on his shoulders.
Sunshine" cried the master, what
are you doing with Dorothy out sc
late as this?"
The convict came to an instant STOP
at the sound of the masters voice anc
the child even hushed its laughter
Little Dorothy was much more afraid
of her stern father than Of the good
natured murderer.
s'Well, you see, massa, it's like this,
said the convict, deferentially. Int
tie Dot had to be in house all de day
on account oh de rain, sab, and its so
warm inside dat her mother she
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 might stay up and see de mid
night express. !"
"The midnight express, nonsense. :.
exclaimed Flint, Dorothy, you don't
want to stay up SO late as that"
The little girl made no answer, but
clung the tighter, with alarm around
the convict's neck, and whispered IN
to his ear.
'.She'd like very much to stay up,
sab; she hasn't seen it for a long time.
I don't think it would do her any
harm"
"Oh, she's whispered that to you,
has she2"
The convict laughed a little and
then checked himself.
';Well, massa, I don't think il
would do her any harm; you see it's
so warm dat de little gal couldn't
sleep at night, anyway, and perhaps
after she sees de train den she goes to
sleep"
ooh, very we'll. said Flint; If her
mother said it's all right, 1t is all
right"
The midnight express, Flint knew,
was great sight to see on a dark
night. The train appeared with a
long row of lights from out tunnel,
and passing by the convict settlement,
disappeared among the trees and
through another tunnel. 1t came in
sight again on the other side of the
valley, its long line of light appear
ing to crawl slowly around the noun,
tain, while the roar of the train min
gled with the roar of the torrent be-
low.
Thus it appeared and disappeared
at different intervals and at different
levels, sometimes going in one direc-
ton and sometimes in another, but al
ways getting further and further down
like an enchanted train that had be-
come entangled in the mountain
slopes.
It was nearly time for the train
when Jackson Flint was startled by a
cry from his child. What he saw the
next moment simply paralyzed him for
the time. Sunshine Johnson had
picked up lantern which stood on
the platform in front Of his quarters,
and shouting to Dorothy, Run in de
house, honey, run in de house, ''eaped
the fence and made off into the woods.
The little girl clung to the palings OF
the fence and cried for her comrade.
The clear voice OF Jackson Flint
startled every one in the camp:
Come back, you scoundrel, Where