The progressive farmer. [volume] (Winston, N.C.) 1886-1904, 1897-03-30

% 0A1 "
wise a little bit. But about Joe Butts.
They locked Joe up in the Jail. It
was a new Jail, and the cells we're as
big as room-with two chairs, a table
and a bunk chained TO the wall. There
was gas In each cell. 1t was mighty
comfortable, that hold over.
"Ot course, so good q man as Joe
Butts being nabbed brought out a lot
Of the family. l was among 'em. We
used to get word to Joe through his
girl. She was a bird, too, and she
looks soft and good with her big, tired
brown eyes. The sheriff gets dopey and
lets her come every day and talk to
Joe. She loved Joe with the love the
dogs have-the love that never quits.
She was the sort to stick to q bloke till
the prison doors pinched her fingers.
1t was through Joe's girl gets word to
jos, and he to US. Wild Willie was
what we called her.
"Our lay vas to settle; pay off the
patty his 81. 600 and give him the run
out Of town. But he gets funny and
wants $40, 600. Joe's pal, who grabbed
the roll in the bank, was still in the
town under cover and laying dead,
He still had the buudle-$4, OOO-and
he stuck that in. Ne and a fence
named Ignatious Fuchs was to put up
the other IS. 900. But Joe. on the inside,
sends out word no. We can beat en-
he says, ON the trial. They had no
evidence against him. he says, which
was true, only he forgets one thing
he was Joe Butts, a world I'VE crook.
When De Wolf, the lawyer, brings
that out, the jury took two looks, one
at each other and one at Joe. and hands
him out ten spaces ct hard labor. Then
the case goes to the high court.
about this time we made up our
minds we must get Joe out. We must
beat the Jail, too. If they ever took
him to the pen it would be Katie bar
the-door. It was the Jail or not at all.
Fuchs and I and the others had forty
talks. Wild Willie took word to Joe,
and he sent back work to US. We
We made up a bundle aud tried to do
something with the Sheriff. He was
a square man; liked Joe and felt bad
for Wild Willie, but when he saw the
glimmer of money he just gives the
gang the laugh. We couldn't touch
him.
"AIl this time Joe had been planning
and thinking. Wild Willie took him
in q bar of rubber an inch and a half
square and a foot long. It was heavy
and timber. You could knock an ele
plant down with it. The girl gets it
into the jail under her frock, and when
the guard was talking to a prisoner
who called him away she passed it to
Joe. Wild Willie wanted to give him
a gun, but Joe wouldn't have it.
~ never killed a man and never
will. Idon't want no such sin on my
SOUL said Joe.
"WIld Willie didn't say nothing,
but her eyes burned like lamps when
she told me about it, and gave me
back the pistol. 1 could see she'd put
q mans light out like drinking spring
water.
There WAS two or three things to
get ready, and Joe puss off his coming
out a week. He was to com Satur
day. The Tuesday before, as Wild
Willie is going into the Jail, the Sher
IF stopped Der, polite and kind enough.
what time will you see Joe to
morrow say the Sheriff.
lat 1 O'clock says Wild Willie.
She always goes at
Couldn't you make it IL o'clock
TO morrow, says the sheriff, and take
dinner with Joe9 I'm going to blow
Joe eff to a feed
''Wlld Willie never changed her baby
look, and dldp'G hesitate She said she'O
come at IL o'clock. But she knew that
something was up. She told Joe the
moment h got in.
Going to feed me at II o'clock,
says Joe, thinking hard; and wants
you 10 Come After q biz he says,
ask the turnkey to give you a morn
ing paper
When he looked at it, he all at once
broke out:
""Thab's ii" he says, The train goes
south at 1:35 o'clock That's the train
he takes co go to the pen. Matches
and the Sbeeney taking money TO him
made him leary, and ne takes me Il
the pen tomorrow to geC me off bis
mind. He don't have to hold me
here while the case is in the higE
nnnrt and he's going to get RID of the