Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1897-09-10

must not picture Auburn to your
selves merely as gloomy and
extensive prison AS one large,
solitary bulldiDg-nO! 1t is rather
an entire colony of criminals, q
sort of town or metropolis for the
wretches that the community has
thrust out.
'SAut in by immense walls, which
rise up from the level plain to
considerable height, are crowded
together large number of detach.
ell buildings s-houses that contain
the prison cells, warders' d @ellDgs,
hospital, and wOrkshops-all sal
len and fOrGldding.lOOking; and
here aud there dotted about may
be seen small patch of grass. a
few trees, and very occasionally, a
flower bed, like The last lingering |
rec llectIOns OF innocent childhood |
amongst the black thoughts OF a
criminal.
Certain events. which would
have bat little interest or you,
had led 20 my journeying
from Hamburg-my birlhplace-to
America, Immediately after the
completion OF my studies, and,
after a short stop in New
York; accepted the post of prison
doctor al Anburn, which, as yOn
perhaps know, Is situated IN tue
State of New York | was entrusted
with the medical supervision over
that part of the prison which was
SIT apart for the worst class OF
crIminaIs-wen, or | should say,
human hNenaS, whose blood, as
NJ. phlstopheles saws, had already
ceased to be "a fluid of rare quail
lty.'
Two of these wretches were des
tined to spend the rem ainder OF
their days in the prison, and they.
by reason OF their ply slcal strength
as well as by the extraordinary
cunning they had evince6 in sev
eral desperate attempts to regain
their freedom, were subj ,cted to
even closer supervision than the
rest of their companions | was an
object of particular hatred and dis
like to these two scOundrels, be
Cause | bad been instrumental iD
the discovery of humber OF lron
implements which they God only
knows how they bad obtained
possession of theml-had conceal
ed under their clothes; and again
on another occasion, because l had
refused to receive them into the
hospital when they feigued illness,
expecting doubtless when they
were once in there that they would
fnd more favorable opportunities
for accomplishing their escape.
The ruffidns we're separated and
placed in remote parts of the prIs-
on, and were laden with chains;
but in spite of ali these precau-
tiOns, one fine morning the one,
and a few days later the other,
together with their chains, had
disappeared without leaving a
trace behind them.
1T must have been almost a
fortnight after the flight of thesr
two criminals, which bad caused
the utmost CONSERVATION amongst
the authorities at Auburn, that
ordered my horse one afternoon.
and started of tor ride to CAyuga
Bridge. 1t was midday when
reached the end of my journey, al d
[ stood still tor some time cOu
templatlng with client delight the
exquisite scenery which lay
stretched out for miles before me-.
The Cayaga LAKE, Que Of those
which, together with bake Erie,
compose that vast system Of iI
land seas in the State OF New
York, lay in all its beauty at my
feet. The long slender streak of
liver wound in and out of the the
ragged black cliffs which hem ned |
It III, and which rose sheer up ont |
of the lake, facing each other like
grim opponents VINO nau loI
thousands of years bid one arotheI
defiance. Far down the lake,
which IN forty miles long, and al
this particular spost about one
broad, | could discern the enor-
nous trestle bridge, marvel OF
American engineering skill, which
carries the Auburn division OF the
New York Central Railway across,
passing on its way through the
small station OF Cayuga Bridge.
MY business in the village was
soon finished, and towards even
lug started home again. Do
you know how delightful n ride on
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