Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1897-01-02

and a bunk chained to the wall. There
was gas in each cell. 1t was mighty
comfortable, that hold over.
"Of course, so good n man as Joo
Butts being nabbed brought out lot
OF the family. I was among 'em. We
used to get word to Joe through his
girl. She was bird, too, and she
looks SO soft and good with her big,
tired brown eyes. The Sheriff gets
dopey and let's her come every day and
talk to Joe. She loved Joe with the
love tho dogs have-the love that never
quits. She was the sort to stick toSa
bloke till the prison doors pinched her
fingers. 1t was through Joe's girl wo
gets word to Joe, and he to us. Wild
Willie WAS what we called her.
sour lay was to settle; ray off the
party his $4,000 and give him the run
out of town. But he gets funny and
wants $4,000. ]oe's pal, who grabbed
the roll in the bank, was still in the
town under cover and laying dead. He
still had the bundle $lO00-and he
stuck that in. Me and fence named
Ignatious Fuchs was to put mp the
other $4,000. But Joe. on tho inside.
sends out word mo. We can beat 'em,
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, world over cook.
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 at 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 JUL, too. If they ever took
him to the pen it would be Katie. bar.
the. door. 1t was the jail or not at all.
Fuchs and and the others had forty
talks. Wild Willie took word to Joe,
and he sends back word to ua. We
made up big bundle and 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.
Gall this time Joe had been plan.
ming and thinking. Wild Willie took
him in bar of rubber an inch and o
half square and a foot long. It was
heavy and timber. You could knock
an elephant 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 il To Joe. Will Willie wanted
to give him gun, but Joe wouldn't
have it.
:" Il never killed man and never
will. 1 don't want no such sin on my
soul, said Joe.
"Wild Willie didn't say nothing.
but her eyes burned like lamps when
she tod me about it, and gave me back
the pistol. could SEQ she'd put
mans light out like drinking spring
water.
"Thero was two or three things to
get ready, .and Joe puts off ais coming
out week. He was to come Saturday.
The Tuesday before, as Wild Willie is
going into the Jail, the Sheriff stops
her, polite and kind enough.
What time will you see Joe to.
morrow says the Sheriff.
"'At o'clock, says Wild Willie.
She always goes at l..
Couldn't you make it II o'clock
Tomorrow says the Sheriff, and take
dinner with Joe? I'm going to blow
Joe off to feed
"Wild Willie never changed her
baby look, and didn't hesitate. She
said she'd come at II o'clock. But she
knew that something was up. She told
Joe the moment she got in.
"'Goiug to feed me at II o'clock,
says Joe, thinking hard. And wants
you to come After bit he says,
ASK the turnkey to give you morn
ing paper.
"When he looked ut it, he all at
once broke out.
"'That's' it,, he says. The train
goes south at 1.35 o'clock. That's the
train he takes to 60 to the pen.
Matches and the Sheeney taking
money to him made him leary, and he
takes me to the pen tomorrow to get
me off his mind. He don't have to hold
me here while the case is in the high
court, and he's going to get rid OF the
risk of me. If I get out, it's got to be
tonight. See Matches and do your
part all right, and to night will do as
we'll as any
"rhat night, at 8 o'clock, the Jail
guard inside yelled, Lights out!
Then he made his rounds. The light
in Butts's cell was burning.
"'Turn out your gas, Joe, he says,
through the CRATE.
Turn it out YOURSELF says Butts,
from where he lays face down on his
bunk.
"The guard snorts out IN oath, and
begins unlocking the cell door. Butts
sets up, looking shaggy and ugly.
Just as the guard doused the glim-his
side and back was toward Butts-he
gets slap with the rubber billy on
the neck. 1t loltcd the blood up into
his brains, and he dropped like he'd
heen hit with mallet. 1t made a
scuffle, and the prisoner next door be-
gins to sing Rock OF Ages to cover
the row.
"'rhat song will be worth more to
that bloke than ever one OF Jenny
Lind's, once l cast lose from here"
says Joe, as he winds up the guard in
about yards OF bed tick rope he's
made. The man couldn't sing, neither,
more than crow.
"Joe gagged his party and laid him
on the bunk as stiff and helpless as n
poker. All he could do when he got |
over his daze was to look at Joe with
his eyes and froth where the gag filled |
his mouth. Joe takes the guards
keys and hat aud looks him in.
"When Joe gets to the cage where
you so out he raps with his key for
the outguard to open the outer doors