Santa Fe new Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1898-1951, 1898-03-19
eyer to foruet YOU, eud I never shall.

went to prison thinking to do my best, but
as / held my head up they said | was too
airy md must be broken down. l was
punished again and again, but because /
would not bend you gave orders to break
me. They starved me, loaded me with
chainH, dashed me till they dared not strike
another blow. was told that you rubbed
your hands and laughed over it, and l
swore ] would live to escape, and escape
only to drive a knife into your heart. L
have waited for II long years. but l am
here at last
"You are mistaken in your manu-
said as he finished. Colonel Hampton
used to be governor Of the prison, but l
am not he"
Don't say that to me!'' he almost
shouted. "D'you think l could ever forget
the face Of the man who gave orders that
/ should DO beaten like q dog beaten to
death If l did not give in""
"But you are mistaken. The colonel
and I are about the am age and build,
and some people have seen a facial resem.
blance, but you are all wrong"
Course you, nor he Missed. my eyes
are not what they were before I was bro.
ken by your orders, but they tell me that
you are the man I want! I'm going to
make you suffer-In kill you by inches!"
Trying my best to repress any sign Of
fear and continuing to speak as l had be-
gun, l told him my name and address. In
my valise were letters addressed to me-
by good fortune an epistle from Colonel
Hampton himself. / had my cardcase,
my initials on my watch case. The man
.-o, nt,%i,ok, 6,,% H. I,! 30 t,o1;o,1 H.
could have nothing against me, but in his
disappointment at being batied Of the re-
venge he had looked forward to SO long he
would have murdered me had ! given him
provocation. For time he had it in
mind, / believe, to do for me-, but after
awhile be grew calmer, and then said:
"If they used you too roughly in prison,
l am sorry for it. Now that you are out,
I hope you may get safely away. You
came here to kill the colonel. He is not
here and may not return for three or four
days. You should be moving"
"But where tor" he demanded, with a
great oath. II am in convict dress, l have
nj money, no friends to hide me. I never
| thought to get beyond this. l came to
kill the governor and let 'em hang me for
1t. Is his wife herel Has h, a child2"
"He has neither wife nor child. You.
were sent to prison for "a heinous crime.
You have long been a convict. l may go
further and say that I believe you to be
as wicked as a man ever gets, but / will
give you a square deal"
"As to how? No nonsense now to trick
me, Or it'll be the worse for you"
"You can keep your word as well as the
next man. Give me your word that you
will not betray me, and I'll help you to
get of"
eff you are setting a snare for me, then
look out for yourself, " he said after look
| ing at me for a moment.
l had an even 41O0 in my wallet. I
made an even divide with him. When
he had the money in his fingers, he
laid away the knife for the first time and
appeared to believe in me. I had brought
down a rough and ready suit for hunting
and fishing. ! took this from the valise
and told the convict to exchange suits, I
walked over and stood by the fire while he
did SO. My suit was a tight fit for him,
but would do. l had no shoes to give him,
but passed into the colonel's room and
found an old pair in a closet which he
COulu RcU III l6CU HUI. IL tIeS5 i duuGu
a cap which had seen its best days, and
when the change was complete the con-
viot's identity was gone. He gathered up
his cast off uniform and tossed each gar
ment into the hearth fire, and by and by
there was nothing left to trace him by. l
gave him a pair Of scissors and told him to
clip his shaggy eyebrows, and when this
was completed I put a strip of court plas-
ter along his cheek as If to hide a scratch
and felt sure he was SO disguised that he
could pass safely. Where should he go he
asked. l left that matter to him, but gave
him a hint as to where be might lie by in
safety for three or four days. When he
was quite ready, we tiptoed down stairs,
and I let him out Of the front door. Then
he took my hand and said:
"God bless you, sir, but I wouldn't "a
believed that n man would do the likes
fer another. 1 only hope the time may
come when I can repay you"
So he passed out into the night and was
gone, and all hour later Hampton Hall
was aroused by a band Of police looking
for convict No. 1890. He had escaped
from Dartmoor by a bold strategem and
had so managed that pursuit was made In
a false direction and much time lost. He
had been finally heard Of in the direction
of the hall, and the keepers remembered
his threats against the colonel and tele-
graphed the police to lose no time. The
grounds and outbuildings were searched,
and I vas among those questioned. At a
hall window on the second floor was a
stout ivy, and the police examined this by
daylight and were almost sure some one
had used it to climb up. They searched
the castle from cellar to garrett, but ther
found no clew. How could they? They
were SO sure that the convict had come
that way that they gave up grudgingly,
and, being guilty, I thought they regarded
me with suspicion. All England was
searched for No. 1890, and a larger reward
was offered than for any prisoner who had
ever escaped, but the police did not even
find a hot trail. The man got safe away
to America, as I have the best reasons for
believing, and 1t was only three or four
years ago that he died in a western city.
Why did I help him awayp Well, first, he
might have used his knife on me and 9th
ers in the house to get revenge, and, Sec
ond, I had heard that Colonel Hampton
was a hard hearted man with his prison.
ers. II there was a third, / would say
that l always take the side of the under
dog and want to see every man have a
| chance for his life. N