The Middleburgh post. [volume] (Middleburgh, Snyder Co., Pa.) 1883-1916, 1902-01-09

tage near the village his wife was
scowling at the prospect Of poverty
and loss of social prestige. Already
she was bemoaning the monotony Of
the western country. Once she had ac-
tualiy tod him that he was brute
and at the same time limited that DIR.
Scott was such a dashing, handsome
fellow. Then the red spots came for
the first time. Nothing ever was SO
very clear after those horrid, carmiue
tinted disks began to dance vindictive-
ly before his eyes.
/ One day, and this he remembered
with vivid distinctness, some men took
his away. He did not resist, because
they represented some vague, unde-
fined power which he had always re-
spected. Then followed periad of
solitude in a padded cell. The re-! spots
came with greater frequency now. A
gray-clad young fellow was always
watching him. One day he eluded his
keeper and made his escape. For a
whole night he wandered about. The
next day he hid in the timber near a
stream. That night he found himself
on the threshold of his cottage. He
opened the door. There was scream
and an oath. DIR. Scott, the man he
hated, seized him. Green RENE mbered
that his wife hid her face in terror.
Then the red spots danced mocking.y.
For long time he was the center Of
a gaping crowd by day. At night he
was chained in reeking cell. Harsh,
Unconditional voices discussed the pro-
lection of society and other topics
which he could not understand. Only
once did they say anything to him.
Then he comprehended clearly what
they meant. Had he killed Scott? OF
course he had. And he was so glad Of
it that he laughed loud and long The
spectators stared. Some of them
nudged each other. Finally the judge
began talking of some awful penalty.
a sudden loathing seized him; he hated
al mankind. Springing to his feet he
defed the entire assembly and vowed
never to speak to anyone again. His
only fear was that this pledge might
some day be broken.
a key grated in the lock. The door
was flung open; food of subdued light
filled the cell. The convict pressed his
hands over his closed eyes and almost
screamed with pain. But no sound
came from his tightly compressed lips.
In silence, he was partly led, partly
dragged to his own quarters a the ex-
treme end of the line of steel cages.
Confusion reigned supreme that
night within the prison walls. Shortly
before the guards were changed at
midnight, the deputy warden detected
a dense cloud Of smoke that seemed to
be pouring up from the inner cell
house. Gaining admittance to the
prison yards he was almost. struck
dumb with amazement. Flap were
bursting from the roof Of the building.
AS he looked, the cupola, mass of fire,
fell outward upon the upper gallery,
disclosing the fierce headway the
flames were making. Even as he list
ened shrieks OF terror and yells Of
alarm came from the Imprisoned con-
victs in the cells.
Coolly he hurried to the prison gong
and gave the danger signal to the
guards. Next he signaled the peniten-
tiary fire corps. The warden now ar
rived on the scene, and took personal
command. At sign from him the
guards rushed forward and unlocked
the doors, allowing the frightened,
half-clad convicts to escape into the
prison yard where other scantily-at-
tired employees stood with threatening
rifles ready for instant use.
In order to save the penitentiary and
the lives of its inmates. the fire must be !
confined in the cell house, which COM
muncated with the remainder of the |
prison by narrow arch. Two men
scaled the wall and directed streams
OF water on the flames raging within.
overcome by heat, one of these faint |
ed, and his companion bore him from
the wall. The flames were gaining now
at an alarming rate. With word of |
caution to the guards, the warden
mounted the wall. He had scarcely
directed the stream of water on the
flames when he perceived that he had a
companion in striped suit who was
bravely fighting the fire by his side.
The flames began to grow weaker: the
lurid glare was dying out. Exhausted.
the warden turned to his companion
and commanded him to retire. Then
he started to descend. ,
No sooner had he reached the earth
than a cry of horror arose from the !
guards and convicts. a cloud of smoke
had enveloped the prisoner and in his
confusion he had fallen from the wall
into the smoking ruins of the cell
house. !,
In the gray dawn of the morning the
prison clsrk called the roll. Convict
Green did not answer.
Blackened, lifeless, still c.utchinp
the hose nozzle. Convict Green was dis
covered soon after when the heated ru.
ins cooled sufficiently to allow a search
to be instituted.