The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1899-12-03
THE GREAT PRISON RAFFLE.
now DONALD, THE SHOEMAKER,
MADE A CORNER IN TOBACCO.


Parted with Ills Material Posse.sions fol
the Fat Keepers watch and Put It UI
at Lottery at . Plug = Chance-Au Had
to buy Back From Him and Rate
Went skywnrd - Drawing the Ranie
Donald, the prison shoemaker had at las
acquired the fat keepers watch. For month.
that adipose day Waterman. sitting at case In
his great chair In tho corner by the gate 70 the
yard. had cnrelessly flashed II as tho lines
marched In and out. For months It's heavy chain
with tiger claw for a guard, had daneled tempt
ingly over his capadous vest awakening the
poignant regrets Of lost opportunity In the con-
Wet breast at tho thought how. under happier
circumstances. ono well-drcctcd but, might en-
able dcft fingers 10 snatch and carry away.
And for months, too, during tho long morning
hours when the Tagging was deserted and the
fat keeper had nAught 70 do but 70 sit and grow
fatter. smoking and DOING and chatting with the
occasional passcr. BY Donald had taken advan-
tage Of the liberty Of tho yard which his post gave
him to sneak In and decker for the gli,,ering pr1e
An inveterato trader was Donald, persistent
dreloss. adroit with a scent as keen az beaglc's
for tho main chance Naked he came into prison,
but naked he never went out On the contrary,
he always bore away with him for booze money.
little leather bag. which had been sccreted within
silver coin the reward Of his enterprise.
II 10 not recorded how the fat keeper became
seized Of his precious tmcpioce. Some said
that II had como from thc premiums awarded
for the purchase Of sundry packages Of tea and
baking powder; others maintained that Il was
present from the secret order OF the Sons Of Rest
Of which. a. was we'll known he was Perpetual
President Al all events be sportcd II with
pride which made II the best advertised bit Of
-hiootuy- In the prison: and the shoemaker
had long felt that II he could own II bis everlasting
fortune would soon b made
The nexouauons had been protr acted: for the
ia, keeper himsei WAS far from unthrtty: II being
Ss From f Fl. long
with tho prison he was able to m axe marketable
many useless articles BY offering them outside
actor. Honce the decker was case OF diamond
Gut diamond: End diamondeut,ing Of course
eoli.neeus lot namely: three boxes curiously
Frod shlS gold stud snchea S re sS the n .piI;
OF an opuleut svindler the day he came in. by tho
P%srsl fs s p and By him to h ssS
dish sent In BY the friends OF tho same par. pcred
individual ard called a stove" BY each Of the
with the Declaration Of Independence engraved
thereon by distinguished N kkcr OF the queer
fasors two o. which we're 81 home msnS.s n5re
the blade being nis ground down and the handle
rloar-rlass bottle, With strings coming through
tho cork, by pulling which the horses were made
70 prance and the wheels 10 20 hround
II was evident from the compi scsnt smirk that
played about Donald's tobacco stained lima and
the cunning light in his lit,l. red eyes. that no
felt that he had made the hsrgAin OF his life
Doubtless he had some we-isfinrd scheme in
his hard old Uranium, painfully elaborated during
less his stool. buried in thought el.e he would
never have investei his entire hnliing in one ad.
o.n Sa P n IN y to I doac9 a" ndc1d h
Especially must this be true. since he had no
further time fSt delibGretiop; for his term was
enjoy a brief spell OF freedom.
Donald, then straightwav entered upon his
greet design, whatever Il might he. putting he
For while, he devoted hims- II TO further exploit
i ,n the marvels Of the watch When he met
against his chest and thus hear the concealed
TICK which he declared showed "a ehroneter
the bead mailman. whom he had engaged As a
confiental assistant and who, as the ordinary
Vehicle Of prison news was wcll.nirh indispcnsa-
tinshop had revealed that the watch was pure
gold 1irty carrots f3ine," and that moreover
CLAW Such a maidonng increase OF treasure /
almost cansd the shocmakers unimelv Death; Z
n. Sns G.E int" tho bull
80 sorely beset by a predatory gang TIA, he only
escaped through the interpretation Of the quad = ,
he regarded this incident as = whole with favor ,
fema,kins 70 Shorty, with a wink that "whin !
ss,oa demand sI i2r amy oonwsbe becomes muir
=, The following day, Donald managed n elude
the eye OF tho k-cper engaged in taking the pcdi
up tho winding stairs into the hospital ipcrs
he exhibited the watch and chain u an admirins
az 10 I'd
t,a' Prc,sndnE an indifesence that they did not
ousiy. IL when was Outside iH wns . C"SS'r|p,n
at som. Old .omca, r. ;snce !hs, "i' roald "S
H Tas outside isOi Bul p0 s:n
you know man that II slocal,y that makes vsliy'
stuck in tho mud at Kimberly and On" g, u%nr
sibity. nothin hut accissibiiityi why, for in.
under amy circumstance when al in,p. IN
! YORK, but you'd cough up all you could steal /
10! Is y o was PUN ,r IN The lover r.ginss
the hospital steward, slyly: but # YOU dnn't
dispose Of the tckc- aforo YOU goes out i, loses
n" place and goes agin in'p III. flel. case class
W. You ha,nt got time to realize, and You won't |
IN. ,ound shot 10y he thing ''' 4ep"'' 'o'
ne, ne od SHOEMAKER, all odd"rs in psrportion. !
l'ut thls ere bcantyous spocmng 81 the Chrome
SfaphCal art amt Roin' 10 no private bidder
20, wnv' you ask. BrCuZ it's been inyist.d
WIN src'l a universal int rest in this community
mat II 5 become sort Of hAr-lum as tho Wars
'av, not ~ h. parted with except by ginrral con.
Unit have the sintim"nt in my nut rcnts that
: obligation rists on me 10 make no discrminn.
Ions and its in there for fais What hin ia
ne hist coors" 70 pursue? AFTER due dclihcrstion
lat, I've reached tn, concIusing TO rattle III
ne ticker, chain and gu"rl, with all their gorgeous
ipputiinances in a grand lottery, free for ALL
,ricr Of chance two plugs of tohaccer and no
lmits TO the number Of chances so long az the de-
why don't you say, price, ten cents, and be
lon" with It." asked Smithcrs ~ ~
NOW plug Of tobacco II should he cSplained
vas standard medium Of cschaU gc in the prison
passing current Tor five cents. Every Saturday
IHrnoon hc deputy, followed by hallmcn hear
ng baskets Allied with plugs visited Tie shnna
dgaye plug 10 each man whohad not forfeited
lls tight IT, thn same through misconduct Ths
apHcity Of the ordinary convict being no much
'feaier Than this dole, by Tuesday or "Wednesday
u Vie succeeding week plugs were in brisk demand
commanding nickel in the line or on The der
md many convict laid away 50 so cnch wear
y siacrlhcng his one comfort 10 his thrift Hence,
'ml!hers question was reasonable and well un.
srs bnt Tor some reason which he did not
are are To- EXPLAIN Donald declined to accept Tie
Kline don't go in this ere competitl I'm don't
'erpls' To cater 10 the bankin Interest livery
M has plug, and the fust cone the f,lst saryrd"
Don worry about the particulars Smithcrs"