Connecticut western news., 1900-05-17
BLACK JIM, CONVICT.
BY M. QUAD.
Copyrights, 1900, by c. B. Lewis.

. Copyright, 1900, by c. B. Lewis. c 8.O.o.A.u.e.1o.e.H.N.A.A.j
 The man known as Black Jim" had been sent out to the penal colony of Australia for forgery. How they came to cali him thus could never learn. He was not dark faced man. On the contrary, he was light and fair haired, and you didn't have to talk with him five minutes to realize that he had been born of gentle people and had no vi- ciousness in his nature. They sent him up to Woona Wally after his first two years of Imprisonment, and he fell into the hands of George Stebbins. In those days an Australian convict was bid off-that is, a settler in want of help would bid a price for so many men, and they were turned over to him for a certain length of time. He was responsible for their feed and care, and his word was law. He could work them as hard and as long as he wish ed. He could starve and beat them, and there was no one to come be- tween. In case of insubordination he could shoot them down, and the gov ernment simply accepted his statement of the affair. All convicts were glad enough to get away from prison and out upon the ranches, and in most cases they found good masters and were decently treated. As a member of the mounted police I knew that Stebbins was a hard man to get along with. He had been tavern keeper and bully in England, and his wife had committed suicide and his two sons been taken away from him by the law on account of his tyrannical and brutal nature. As the owner of a big sheep ranch at Woona Wally the man had sort of standing and a few friends, but there were plenty of peo- pie who kept clear of him. part of the duty of the police was to keep an eye on the hired conyicts In certain district, and we thus came to know that Stebbins had less care for the men he hired than for his dogs. On two or three occasions we had been compelled to report him for excessive punishment, and the feeling between him and the police was not altogether friendly. .-.-....
 Black Jim came up to Woona Wally with six other men, and the gang were locked up at police headquarters for the night It fell to me to take their pedigrees and post them as to their new master and what would be expect ed of them In our district we always gave a convict a fair start. He was told what would be required of him, advised to do his best to please his master and given to understand that If he went straight we would see that he had fair usage. I was interested in Black Jim at once. The law had made a convict of him, but 1t hadn't degrad- ed him. He had kept an honest face, a clear eye and a frank voice, and l hadn't filled out his blank when l was wondering how he could have been found guilty of crime. I detained him for a minute to ask for his story.
 q haven't any, sir" he quietly an- swered.
 I saw that he did not mean to give me any particulars and therefore press ed him no further. I had more frank talk with him about Stebbins than with any of the others however. I had an idea that Stebbins would be down on him from the first because of his superior plane, and I went pretty thor oughly into details. When I had fin ished, the prisoner said:
 'I thank you, sir, and shall do my best to please"
 Things came about as I feared. AS Stebbins inspected his gang he picked Black Jim out for special attention. He had little to say to the others be- yond making blood curdling threats of what would happen If they didn't toe the mark, but to Jim he said:
 "So they have sent me a gentleman,
 have they? They thought I needed
 somebody to teach me manners per haps. Mebbe the idea was for you to sit on the veranda and give me daily lessons. Well, you've come to the
 wrong shop. Look, now, I'm going to | keep an eye on you. You think your self head and shoulders above the crowd, but I'll take the conceit out of you. Just give me the slightest excuse, | and I'll break you in to beat the bandw The men were set to work clearing land. At the prison Black Jim had | been detailed as a ''trusty" and had | not come in contact with hard work.
 He took his place with the gang just | the same and was one of the most in- | dustrious workers among them. He | knew that Stebbins was watching him | and hoping for an opening, and he was determined to disappoint him. It was | two weeks before anything happened. Then Black Jim had the misfortune to break the handle of the ax with which
 he was working. Stebbins at once | seized upon the incident as a pretext | for punishment. We should not have
 known anything about 1t at the police
 station, six miles away, but for a
 black boy, who reported that Stebbins
 had one of his men hung up by the
 thumbs. l was sent over to investi- | gate. Black Jim had been hanging | by the thumbs for two hours when l reached the place and had been un- conscious for at least half of that time. ! I soon had him down and being cared | for, and had 1t hot and heavy with
 etohhins for half an hour. He con-
 cended that the man had been in- | subordinate and even threatened his | life, and some of the convicts backed
 him up in hopes of making things
 easier for theIhselves, but knew that
 1t was a false charge. It wouldn't do
 to say too much to Stebbins, however.
 Low and contemptible as he was, he
 had "pull' with the government and
 did not hesitate to threaten revenge
 on me for interfering with his disci-
 pline. Neither one of us sent in a re-
 port, but we were open enemies after | ShnA