The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1898-09-12
HIS LAST ESCAPE.

Twelve at night. A stormy, blacl
night. Some flashes of lightning upol
a granite prison.
Also vision Of . man saving say
agely at his iron bars in the secon,
tier.
He stops to squeeze sponge of Of
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 tho filings. Nov
he has cut one, and Is at work upon
the last.
The window Is far above the floor
and he stands upon a stool.
He suddenly stops as a fash 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, seizes 1t In his
enormous hands, and wrenches 1t 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 a 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 bis ladder, bakery is another; he
crawls across upon his stomach, gains
the Furthermore 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 a road and tears along;
whistles shrilly with his remaining
breath. is rushed upon by two men In
coats and mufflers, 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 a dozen
times, but dozen times he has e.
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
'orest, where there is hunters hut.
Into this they carry him and hide
him. They battle him tenderly and
care for him like women. Two days
pass. He is we'll, though weak and
nervous. On each day one of the men
goes away and comes back laughing
It the tumult Starkweather's escape
las made, and bringing food with him.
They say $4,000 reward Is offered by
he State for his body, and they laugh
ii the more, and Starkweather Joins
hem heartily.
On the third day he lies partly COW
red with moss within the hut, with his
yes closed, trying to sleep off his ner-
BUSINESS. One Of the men comes back
rom the town, and after looking at
I'm a moment, goes outside to talk
nth the other, while he listens curl
usly.
One Of them says, HE is asleep"
nd then they continue. As he hears
that they say, his eyes open wide,
hey stare out Of his head. He strains
is ears, his breath forces itself from
i'm. He hears feet running, and he
es down again, and is calm and quiet.
hey look in upon him again, and
gain say to each other, He is asleep"
An hour after they awake him to say
nat there is danger, and they must 60
o-morrow, at night, and hide else
here. He smiles gratefully. To-
borrow comes. Night comes. He
ides an iron bar in his shirt, and they
ct into the wagon cautiously, one on
ach side Of him, and drive off. They
ome to road which forks. They
Ike the right He puts his hand to
is 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
i'm the horse sharply to the left, the
'rewheel gets under the body Of the
agon, and 1t is hurled over, and falls
18th crash. A shrill whistle bursts
pom the night, and fifty men and fifty
shts are on the road at once.
There is great shout, sharp cry,
scuftle with desperate blows, and
icy have him fast. He Is cut and
eeding. His two betrayers stand be-
re him, and all the rest about him.
e glares at them and gasps. His
outh is filled with dust, and he can
y nothing at first, but finally bursts
1t like a wild animal:
Look here, men!" he shouts, nod
ng at the two before him. Il heard
EN- plan to turn me over to you! I
ard them plan out the blood money
tween them! They have played me ,
lse! they are betrayers when they
etended to be friends.
They helped me out Of Jail in order
surrender me again! Curse them!
ay their souls"
He is in horrible fury; he bursts
I'm his captors with his herculean
'ength, and with the iron bar falls
on the two like a thunderbolt Two
ashes follow! Two dead bodies fall
sether upon the sod.
They all rush upon him and drag
n off and hold him tightly. Then to
tree, rope follows, knot is seen,
pale face, throw is made over a
lb. fifty lights dance in the air, fifty
outs of vengeance are heard, and a
lloncd form, writhing and distorted,
cots into the air, and struggles; it I
comes quiet and still.