The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1897-11-03

iiiihiNbEAtf StNtit " httN tiC
was doing soon became known through the
prison, and every convict began scream
ing and banging at his cell door.
The warden had called on the sheriff In
the afternoon To prepare for the emergency,
and that official was on hand with posse
OF twenty men. The fire hose was Ia keh into
thecorrido-s, and weter pla y ed on the prison
ers until most Of theta We're half-dro wned
and u'esomething likeorder wasre-
stored There We're no rim eeaders in the
revolt. The men simply acted In concert,
and right W d. GU their side. About a Oxen
men were whipped that night, but no
one deserved the lash. Among them WIS
convict Sll, WHOSE name was Thomas
Burke. lie had been sent to prison four
or five years previously on ten-year SEN
tcnce for arson. 1t was claimed by all
MS friends that he was innocent of the
crime, but, however that was, he was
Certainly a model prisoner. He had held
the position of tfusty for two or three
years, and had the Confidence of all. lie
was a man OF education and refinement,
and 1 had come 10 know and to ike him
well.
To my great amaZeme Mt the warden had
No. Sll down as the ringlea der of all, and
lie was the first to be punishe d. When I
protested l was told to mind my own bust
ness, and when insisted on learning the
nature OF the proofs against the man /
was asked to resign my position. L ten
dered my resignation and left the prison,
while men We're still being whipped and
played On through the hose. The trouble
at the prison became public, but the new
warden managed things so that he was
praised for the stand he had taken, and
he went ahead and carried things witt
high hand. He seemed to have taken Il great
aversion TO No. 81 and within three weeks
of my leaving he had punished the man
several times and degraded him from lis
condition and put him at the meanest
employment in prison.
From good tempered, patient and
willing man, anxious 10 please and ex-
erting his influence for good, No. S11
became sulky, morose and dan gerous.
One afternoon he made dash for the
gales they were opened to admit
a team, and though fired on by five guards
and pursued by dozen more, he managed
to escape into the village and secure a
hiding place. There was every proba-
bility of his being taken next day, and
10y men on the watch. Tom had but one
object in escaping-revenge on the warden
The official occupied a house about eighty
rods from the prison, and had wife and
two children there-one of the children a
babe about year old. The convict had
often been sent to the house, which had
also been occupied by the other warden,
and knew its arrangement and the lay Of
the ground. His escape was made just at
dark and he made straight for the house
and hid in the woodshed
Owing to the escape and the excitement
among the prisoners, the warden did not
leave the prison that night. At about
midnight, the wife, sleeping in room
downstairs with the two children, witt
the servant girl upstairs In distant
room, was awakened by No. s11 in the
room with Ratchet I'm his hand. She did
not know him as trUsty, and she knew
nothing OF the punishments he had under. |
gore. She had heard Of the escape, and |
naturally believed him to be the fugitive. |
The man Hohted the gas and stood before |
her and told his story. The warden had |
singled him out and vented his spite on him, |
and he thirstedfor revenge. Had he found |
Mr.. James ut home, he would have hacked |
him to pieces without mercy. AS he was |
not there he would strike at him through |
his family. If recaptured, he must go back |
to prison to he marked for victim. Rather
than softer further he would commit muir
der and go to the gallows. The warden's |
wife was quiet, sympathetic little wom-
an and had more real nerve than her hus-
band. She argued that she was not to
blame for what the husband did, and vet
at the same time did not blame the convict
for feeling a desire for vengeance. He
might take her life, but let that he enough,
and spare the children. The Oldest child
a Sirl OF seven awoke, realized the peril
of The situation and was dumb with fear
The baby was asleep, and so continued for
an hour.
AL the good and bad in the convicts
nature came to the surface by turns. The
sight of his innocent and helpless victims
appealed t. him, and the thought OF low
he had been uniustly punished made him
furious to do them evil. The woman said
hat at times he sh ed tears and was on The |
point of going away. At other times his
yves bIazpd, his teeth clenched, and lie |
would raise the Ratchet to strike her. Had
she exhibited great fear or tried to escape. |
,r had the girl cried out, the man would |
have Been excited to murder. By and toy |
he said he would orego his intentions and
eek to escape from the village, but three ,
minutes Later he recalled his degradation
md furiously commanded the woman 10 |
make ready for death He stood before
her with the hstcbet uplifted, and size lic- t
fho inf ,,f r'..;, 4 4