The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1901-10-17


Hark! The jury is returning. Surely
they cannot have made up their. minds
in SO short time to condemn d fellow
man to life Imprisonment In response
to request from the judge l stand up
and face the jury. There is not a
friendly countenance among the twelve
barely hear the ominous word
Guilty" which the foreman speaks.
The shock is SO unexpected that
scarcely realize the meaning Of the
judges cruel words as he pronounces
the sentence Of Imprisonment for life.
The hour is late, and he is anxious to
be at home. He has no compassion for
me. They lead me back to my cell,
and, thanks to some unknown friend
who drops a potion in my coffee, |
soon fall asleep. Exhausted nature can
stand the strain no longer.
l am aroused in the early morning,
and a few friends come in to say fare
well. They realize the situation more
| fully than l do. A short railway jour-
ney, a ride in a boxlike carriage, and
the prison is reached. l answer a few
questions mechanically and exchange
my clothing for the striped dress of
convict. With an officer pass down a
| flight of steps and through long cOrri-
dor lighted by q single flame. l am
pushed into a small, dark, i'll smelling
cell and for the first time realize that
the judges last words to me were,
"And the first day thereof shall be in
solitary confinement"
Everything has been a dream up to
| this moment, but the awakening is ter
rible. AS hear the last echo Of the re-
treating footsteps l comprehend my
| position-alone in prison. 1t seems as
| if shall go mad. A feeling of suffoca-
ton overcomes me as in vain 1 attempt
to cry out and clutch at the bare stone
walls. My head throbs as if it shall
| burst. The widest thoughts crowd to
my brain in a confused mass. do not
comprehend them. My blood courses
| through my veins like rivulets of mol
ten fire, burning the flesh at each
pulsation. How long the paroXysm
lasts | know not, as in the darkness
can take no note of time, but when
grow calm think out the course of the
trial.
The long hours pass aAay until it
seems as if the night has come. / find
can of water and gratefully cool my
parched throat. Then | seek to lie
down for the night, but the cell is too
small. The light apparently grows
dim, and in a cramped position l try to
get little sleep. Again wild thoughts
surge through my brain, but at last
lose consciousness.
| -
Again / am wide awake. How long
have slept / know not, but am cold
and doZe until it seems as If the night
will never end. 1 never experienced
one so long before. The silence is OPP.
pressive. There is a rush of cold air,
and l feel that another day has dawn.
ed. l remember that / have eaten moth
ing since entering the prison, and also
that a loaf of bread lies beside the can
Of water. l clutch it ravenously, but
the mouthfuls choke me- Must go on,
day after day, in this prison? Is there
no help for me? How slow the hours
pass! Have they forgotten me in my
solitary cell, and will it become my
| grave? Oh, for the sight Of living
| face or the sound of a human voice,
even if it is but to urge me on to harder
tasks. Willingly will l work if l can
only be among other men.
After | have almost lost all hope of
escape / hear footsteps approaching.
AT last the hour of my deliverance is
at hand. How long it takes the jailer
to reach my cell! He is walking slowly.
He halts before my door and deliber-
ately inserts the key. The bolts move
slowly, the door swings open, and l
step forth. l devoutly offer a mental
prayer of thankfulness. l follow my
conductor and soon stand in the pres
ence of the warden, who grasps my
hand, saying: 81 have good news for
you. You are Free
tottered and would have fallen had
an officer not assisted me- / cannot re-
alize that my Imprisonment is at an
end
/ My amaZement is even greater when
George Parsons comes forward, but in
the hearty handsbake that follows we
become friends. His story is soon told.
He had received letter stating that
his uncle was seriously ill in neigh
| boring state and wished to see him. At
| first he determined to start the follow
ing day, but found that by walking
across to junction he could take an
express train that night.
Hastily preparing for the journey, he
wrote letter of explanation for his
clerk, but it was laid in book and not
found until his return. He found his
uncle dying, but arrived in time to re-
ceive his blessing and a fortune. 1t now
became necessary for him to make a
! journey west, and he left Immediately.
/ Not until his return home did he learn
of the supposed tragedy and he lost no