Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1898-08-08
HIS LAST. ESCAPE.

| ui6ut. Ooule udSu6S VI ll5ululuS upon
a granite prison.
Also vision Of a man saving saw
agely at his iron bars In the second
tier.
He stops to squeeze a sponge Of oil
upon the glittering saw.
He has sawn two above, two below
and two on the left on previous nights
and secreted his work with bits Of SOIL
ed bread, rubbed into the filings. Now
he has cut one, and is at work upon
the last.
The window Is far above the floor,
and he stands upon q stool.
He suddenly stops as flash comes
upon him; he sinks back out of sight
and buries his face with his hands.
An instant passes. He RECEIVERS. He
reappears at the CRATE. selzes 1t in his
enormous hands, and wrenches it mad
ly. 1t yields, breaks, and he staggers
back with 1t in his hand, and falls upon
the floor, stunned and bleeding.
Although murderer, he prays to
some power which he blasphemously
calls his God, and leaps to his feet and
grasps bunchy. tattered coil of strip
ped bedclothing, affixes 1t to a stump
of remaining bar, and plunges out
ward and downward by the wall.
1t Is the work of minute. His palms
are scorched; but he forgets them.
reaches the end Of his rope, trembles,
shuts his eyes, and-drops.
1t is but few feet. He dashes for
the outer wall. A shed Is one round
of his ladder, bakery is another; he
crawls across upon his stomach, gains
the furthermost edge, and throws him
self downward in the midst of horrid
burst of sound a glare of light, and
ten thousand shouts of alarm.
Nothing stings him, no shot has
struck him of the six hurled at him.
| He plunges through the water to his
lips, gains road and tears along;
whistles shrilly with his remaining
breath, is rushed upon by two men in
coats and mufIlers, is seized, thrown in
to wagon and whirled away.
His name Is Richard Starkweather.
A man so fierce that they have caught
and Gagged him for his crimes dozen
times, but dozen times he has es-
capped
This last time he has been shut up
and guarded with great closeness; but
this time, also, like all the rest he
has broken out and Is flying rapidly.
Two friends have communicated with
him in some mysterious way and sup
piled him with the necessary imple-
ments, and these same friends now are
driving him off to safety.
He does not know where they drive
for he has nearly tainted. They know,
however, and rush onward and into a
forest. where there is hunters hut.
Into this they carry him and hide
him. They bathe him tenderly and
care for him like women. Two days
pass. He is well, though weak and
nervous. On each day one of the men
goes away and comes back laughing
at the tumult Starkweather's escape
has made, and bringing food with him.
They say $4,000 reward is offered by
the State for his body, and they laugh
all the more. and Starkweather joins
them heartily.
On the third day he lies partly COW
cred with moss within the hut, with his
eyes closed, trying to sleep off his ner-
vousness. One Of the men comes back
from the town, and after looking at
him moment, goes outside to talk
with the other, while he listens Curl
ously.
One of them says, "He is asleep"
and then they continue. AS he hears
what they say, his eyes open wide,
they stare out of his head. He strains
his ears, his breath forces itself from
him. He hears feet running, and he
lies down again, and is calm and quiet.
They look in upon him again, and
again say to each other, HE is asleep"
An hour after they awake him to say
that there is danger, and they must go
tomorrow, at night, and hide else
where. He smiles gratefully. To-
morrow comes. Night comes. He
hides an iron bar in his shirt, and they
get into the wagon cautiously, one on
each side Of him, and drive off. They
come to a road which forks. They
take the right. He puts his hand to
his breast, and says:
Take the left!'
They stare at him, and keep on.
He orders them again:
Take the left, or haiti"
They suddenly seem to comply; they
turn the horse sharply to the left, the
forewheel gets under the body of the
wagon, and it Is hurled over, and falls
with crash. A shrill whistle bursts
upon the night, and fifty men and fifty
lights are on the road at once.
There is great shout, sharp cry,
a scuffie with desperate blows, and
they have him fast. He is cut and
bleeding. His two betrayers stand be-
fore him, and all the rest about him.
He glares at them and gasps. His
mouth is filled with dust, and he can
say nothing at first, but finally bursts
out like a wild ANIMAL:
Look here, men!" he shouts, nod
ding at the two before him. II heard
them plan to turn me over to you! l
heard them plan out the blood-money
between them! They have played me
false! they are betrayers when they
pretended to be friends.
"They helDpd mo Out Of faiI In ordar