The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-03-14
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CONVICT NUMBER 1907.
BY Laura Ellen Bedle.

gaze fell upon the grating which
served for a window. with its few
inches of the sky of liberty mocking
him through the bars, he sprang up
and took n quick step toward 1t, just
as the sweet strains of mt lc drifted Ia
from a band passing near the prison
walls. Then bell rang somewhere
In the distance.
oh. those sounds from the great free
world without How terrible they
seemed to the grlef-strlcken mani He
shuddered violently and dropped back
on to the cot.
mo, no! l must not ruin It all now.
Oh, God, help me to live through the
next two years. he exclaimed, and
burying his face in his hands, he
groaned aloud In the agony of despair.
Though he yearned for freedom with
longing that was almost frenzy, still
the notion of escape did not often
tempt him; but to-day a man had es-
capped, and the breast of every prison
er had been filed with envy and long
ing.
The year already spent behind those
walls seemed an eternity. Could he
live through two more years of such
misery? he asked himself Yes, he
could and he would, for he had work
to perform when the time of his SEN
tence should have expired. He must
go back to Oklahoma and prove his in
nocence; must live down the disgrace
among the very people who had be-
lieved him guilty, where no one
thought him innocent.
Ah, yesl there was one who had be-
iieved in him, who had stood by him
through 1t all. and the fires of renewed
courage kindled in his eyes as he
thought of Nellie, his promised wife.
How brave she had been-how staunch
and true! Even VIII II the trial was
ended, and he had not succeeded in
making the judge and jury believe his
story, she had not wavered In her 10y
atty. but again assured him of her
love. begging him to shorten his term
as much as possible by good behavior,
then to come home-he would find her
true, and together they would prove
somehow, that he had been wrongful.
ly accused.
In the year Of his Imprisonment Jack
had been model prisoner. AT times,
In the depths of his despair, he had
felt that he could not stand the mad
dening routine another moment. that
he must attempt escape or he would
surely die; but the thought of Nellie,
his sweetheart. and her confidence.
had strengthened him to successful
iy combat these hopeless feelings. At
tempt at flight, even IL successful.
meant only the destruction of his fond
est hopes and those OF the brave girl
who had risked SO much because of
her love for him.
Tonight, sitting dejectedly in his
cell, Jack cursed the fony which had
caused his trouble. Many times he had
decided TO quit drinking" but was
never staunch in his resolution. Now
he meant it, for if he had not been on
spree" he would never have been
arrested for theft. He thought of the
farm. the stock, and the neat little
house which she had planned, and
which was soon to have been their
home. He groaned involuntariiy.
when he had begun to drink" his
less prosperous neighbors mad smiled
In grim satisfaction, and when the
trouble had come. the general verdict
had been. ut serves him right" When
he Insisted that he had bought the
horse and saddle. but that he did not
know the man who sold them to him.
they winked knowingly. The property
had been stolen from the Catonsyille
postofiice, and was found In Jacks
possession. He was here in conse.
quence.
WELL" he declared mentally. sit
does serve me right, but I'll prove my
innocence to those people T. 1t takes
me years to do itw
A little before noon the next day his
attention was attracted to line of
new arrivals. walking handcuffed to-
gether In pairs, in charge Of armed
guards. AS they passed close to where
JACK stood, the look Of hopeless misery
on The Face of one of the men made
MS heart throb with pity. Perhaps
ne TOO was innocent! Just then a man
looked up and Jack gave a sudden
start. The face seemed very familiar
Surely he had seen that man before
The line passed on into building. but
somehow he could not get the face of
the man who wore the number "l3OI''
out OF his mind, ana many times dur
ing the day he asked himself, "Who is
he, and where have | seen hlm:p
When he returned TO mis- cell that
night, and the guard told him he was
TO nave company" for awhile. Jack
would have been almost surprised had
the man been other than 1907 In
the closer range of the narrow cell, he
was more strongly than ever filled
with perplexing sense that he had
somewhere seen this sullen defiant
race but where he could not remem.
Der.
In the days and weeks that followed.
during which time Joe Stretter re.
mained gloomy and remorse, repulsine
all overtures, Jack valnly racked his
memory for some clue by which 10 es.
'apiish his identity. Gradually, how.
ever the new conner begun TO "thaw
OUT little. and the two prisoners be.
come sociable, even friendly. Jack
soon learned that Joe's home was IN
inu'aia' and as he said he had never
peep III Wisconsin. where Jack had
always lived prior TO his going m Ol