The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-11-13

wise one. don't know IL YOU eNtl
trained a kid or not, but let me zen
YOU there amt anything nicer IN ms
world than fashionin' a youngsier
with brains. It's just like tralIln d
Kid O, your own. You watchin, HIM
gettin' next. day after day. an you
Eeen sayin' to Yourself. I'm dom
this. They got to give me credit Tor
him It's discouragin' as the devil
when the Kid amt smart, but that KID
= had was smart as they make en-.
He'd catch on to what | was descrlDln
10 him fore I'd even finished what /
was sayin'. L see. | see. he'd say, an
| could 90 on to something else.
.What surprised i'm most was the
privileges a bloke can get III the pen
# he knows how. | had i'm out Q the
oundrv an in the feather pickln
deDartment-the sOftest snap in the
Dlace-a week after / took hold OF
him. There wa a detective I had the
run O the place. an he an the warden
grated together. The fly cop I'D lind
out which prisoners could ralse the
stuff to make it intereStln tor nm 70
90 to the warden an ask faVOrs fol'
sem. and then he and the warden nd
divvy. | knew the fly cop from way
| back. an worked him without
/ money. ne Knew l. was fi>'NS 49,
an he came to me one day an give
me straight steer. Says he. 'MckloWd.
if You'll put me next to anything that
YOU knows goin' on outside, I'll stand
for sOmethin' soft here in the pen.
He knew t | knew the blokes outside
an was likely to be able to tell him
what they was dom. an he wanted t.
get wise off me. [ pretended to take
the tip, an he began shown me
favors. I amt done such tall lynn in
a tenner as | did to that copper: but
be never got on to me. I'd say to
him: There's goin' to be a safe blown
open out in Chicago next month. an
YOU want to get next. He'd thank
me an tell the warden to do some
thin for me t | wanted, and then 90
galivantin' all over the shop. Course
the safe was never blown. but all |
had to say was that the crooks had
prob'ly got scared off, an he took IT
all in.
81 ever think that could a got TIL
kid out O. the pen through that cop
per. | might a had to put up a little
cash to grease things. but the fellow
had an ALFRED big pull. He knew
bout the warden bein' crooked, an
the warden knew bout him. an both
had to square each other. See? But
[ didn't try to spring the KID: JUS
kept on t%rainin' him. You know what
he is today. We old uns call him the
Michigan Kid. but the cOppers al
know him as the fly Detroit crook.
He amt been in prison in the last tel
years. an yet he's dom stunts RICH
along. Hes got a block O houses il
Frisco. an owns a big gamblin' join
in Chan ! guess be CRAFTS ten thou
1851 -, .~.,, >~,,1o. H.. - c1,a
they can't touch him. He shows up il
Detroit evry now II then. an they
lock him up as a suspicious charactel
if it's a circus day or there's some big
convention on. but they have to lie
him 90 in a few days. There's bloke:
that call him a freak: they say t III
had luck. That rot. If all the crook:
in this country had that kids brain:
they'd be just as successful. [ tel
You. brains count for as much in thi:
business as they do in bankin'. If yol
amt got 'em YOU can't be Al.
II saw the kid about a year agt
over in York. an he told me t hi:
govrnor had a reward out for an,
one t give him news of his sou. Ii
read about it. he said, in a Western
paper. lie asked me if | thought h,
ought to write to the old man. I tolt
III. iO hIu. l says. you uttlOet
bout that way back when YOU an N
was III the pen together. You couldn'
stay home if YOU Went there. 50 VIII,
make a bull an show up at aIl?'
~ hate to make the gov'nOr fee
bad. he says.
THAT ma be. Kid I saws. 'bu
YOU ought to "a thaught out year:
back. It's too late, now He agreed
with me-
Once again the bolts Of the door no
Of heaNen were shot back. and thi
time there vas no letter to be deliver
ed.
All ready. BOYS" the sheriff called
his honOr's waiting on YOU"
The men and the boys were hand
cutfcd together in couples.
COCO luck, ~fellows,' we cried afte
them.
And in solemn procession. with tn,
sheriff at the head. they went to thei
fate. Some of them are still ''doin,
time, Others are again waiting 70
sentence day. and a few have passe,
into the final court from vhich Their
IS no appeal. and which they dreat
least of all.