Greene County herald. (Leakesville, Miss.) 1898-current, 1898-10-06

Granite Mountain glistened in the
glare with its thousand ruddy points
sparkling like frefies. Around the
base of the mountain the long canvas
covered sheds gave the appearance of
huge yellow snake eoiled up and at
rest. In the sheds where they were
hewine and fashioning the stones that
were to grace the walls of the State
House, the heat was even more fear
full. Tanned and leathery as were the
skins of the States prisoners working
there, they yet gave vent to an occa-
sional sigh; breath came with diff
Guilty, and exhaustion was everywhere
evident. But, since they knew that
this day must come to an end at last,
and since escape was, even in attempt,
sheer fslly, the convicts continued to
ply their hammers and chisels without
ceasing. For they knew themselves
to be mere incidents in the building
Of the great capitol that was to outlive
them and the memory of than.
y There were many among these con-
victs, indeed, Mo whom this work of
cutting granite at Granite Mountain
was IN the nature of an immense relief
from far greater evil-the Swamps.
In all the history of convict labor there
if nothing more horrible than that
chapter in which the names of those
American convicts who have died in
the swamps are recorded. These places
have all the 10 pess of the Siberian
steppes, and are plague spots besides
Consequently, when number of con-
victs were transferred from the swamps
to Granite Mountain, there to be taught
granite-cutting, these men came gradu-
ally to consider themselves as having
been lifted from hell to O heaven.
and to behave gratefully as recon-
Dense. The guards who paced up and
down at every point of the visible and
invisible horizon were rarely obliged
to bring their Winchester into actual
use; attempts at escape were few and
far between-fir firstly, because the lot
of these convicts was indubitably the
happiest in the gift of the S'rte II
Texas, and secondly because TIE Tor
nation g the country near (faniEe
Mountain was especially unfavorable
to success iii eluding the rifles OF the
outposts. II was almost possible to
, stand at any point on the mountain
itself and see every outlet of the camp
at once. When it did happen that the
sound of the chisels striking the granite
was interrupted by the sharper
"whang" of Winchesters, the question
usually uppermost in the mind was not
Did he escape?" but "Did they kill
him, OF only wing him?" Any attempts
ut escape were mostly the result of q
sort OF frenzy that convicts are victims
10; 1T is state Of mind much akin to
tho temporary insanity that juries find
30 convenient label for suicides.
When. therefore, the hot stiffness
OF that place was broken on this day
by the quick cracking of several Win
ohesters, the granite cutters merely
listened moment, sighed, and bent
down again to the veined blocks of
stone before them. In the guard
house the guards who were not ON
outpost duty smiled at each other.
Ono of them said shortly
"Ita always on these very hot
days" and the others nodded.
Out on the western ridge of the
esst red mountain, John Temple, the
ss" wheso Winchester had spoken,
- - nding over the body OF a con-
th. nn.nlay PROSTATE, gray spot on
i;.s,a Ia ua' led CT rock over which
'''us ss1eaA oi blood was trickling.