The Redwood gazette., 1896-03-26
WALL STREETTO NEWGATE
Austin BidWells Thrilling Tale
of Life via the Prim-
rose Way.
The Tweed Ring of New York
His First Educator in
Crime.
Copyrighted by Charles Austin Bates
CONTINUED.

the ill smelling and dirty little Bible
from the shelf, and turning to the first
chapter read:
"And the spirit of God moved upon
the waters. And God said let there be
light, and there was light.
Then the book fell from my hand,
and remembered no more. My mind
had gone whirling into the abyss.
I was sentenced Oh Wednesday,. For
three days, from Thursday to Sunday,
nv mind was blank. have no recol-
lection of my removal under escort from
Newgate to Pentonville. On Sunday,
the fourth day of my sentence, like one
rousing from trance, l awoke to find
myself shaven and shorn, dressed in
coarse convict uniform, in . rough cell
OF whitewashed brick. The small win
dow had heavy double bars set with
thick futed glass, which, while admit
ting light, foiled any attempt of the eye
to discern objects without. In the cor
board let into the brickwork served for
bed, bench and table. A zinc jug and
basin for water, with wooden plate,
spoon and salt dish-no knife or fork
for 20 years-completed the furnishings.
AS was looking around in helpless
way key suddenly ratified in the lock,
and the door opening uniformed ward
er stepped in, and giving me search
ing look said in rough voice: "Come
on. You'll do for chapel You have put
on the balmy long enough. :" His kindly
face belied his rough tones, and follow
ed him out of the door and soon found
myself in the prison chapel. None was
present, and was ordered to sit on the
front bench at the far end. The benches
were simply common fiat boards ranged
in rows. Soon the prisoners came in sim
gly, marching about two yards apart,
and sat on the benches with that inter-
val between them-that is, in the divi
sion of the chapel where sat, it being
separated from the rest by high parti
tion. Soon a white robed, surpliced
clergyman came in, and the service be-
gan, but I had no eye or ear nor any
%
to what was going on. My brain was
trying to connect the past and the pres
ent, feeling that something terrible had
befallen me, but what it was I could
not understand.
When the services were over, re-
turned under the escort of the warder,
who, when I arrived at my cell, ordered
me to go in and close the door, which I
did, banging it behind me. It had
spring lock, and when heard the snap
of the catch and looked at the narrow,
barred window, with it's thick, fluted
glass, admitting only dim light, I re-
membered everything. Like a flash it
all came to me, and I realized the full
horror of my position. Sitting down on
the little board fastened to the wall
serving as bed, seat and table, I buried
my face in my hands and began to pom
der. Regrets came in floods, with re-
morse and despair hand in hand, when,
realizing that it was madness to think,
1 sprang up, saying to myself the hour
and minute had come for me to decide
either for madness and convict's
dishonored grave, or to keep the prom
Use had made to my friends-never to
give in, but to live and conquer fate.
I determined then and there to live
in the future, and never to dwell on the
horrible present or past. Then I remem-
bered the last scene in Newgate and my
promise to accompany my friends step
by step, day by day, in our readings
Finding Bible on the little rusty iron
shelf in the corner, and this being the
fourth day of our sentence, I turned to
the fourth chapter. 1t gives the story Of
Gains crime and punishment, and I
read the graphic narrative with an in
tensity of interest difficult to describe.
When I read: "And Cain said unto the
Lord: My punishment is greater than I
can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me
out this day from the face of the
earthl' I felt that the cry of Cain in
all it's intense naturalness, in it's remorse
and despair, was my own, and was
overcome. Laying the book down,
walked the floor for an hour in agony,
until fantastic images came thronging
thick and fast to my brain. I realized
that my mind was going and felt I must
do something to make me forget my
misery.
I opened the Bible at random, and
my eye caught the word "misery." I
looked closely at the verse and read:
Thou shall forget thy misery and remember
it as waters that pass away.
threw the book down, crying with
vehemence: "That's liei God never
gives something for nothing" Soon I
opened the book again and looked at the
context Those Of my readers who care
to do so can do the same. The verse is
Job xi, 16. The context begins at verse
13. From that hour I never despaired
again.
The same day began committing the
book Of Job to memory and worked for
dear life and reason. I became interest
ed, and my interest in that wondrous
poem deepened until the study became
a passion. Thus turned the whole cur
rent OF my thoughts into new chan
mel Relief came back, and with reso-
luton and courage and strength I spent