Virginia gazette. [volume] (Williamsburg, Va.) 1893-192?, 1902-01-11
qHe SILENT
CONVICT


a FTER the gaping three-inch cash
~ in the head or Prison Guard
Morgan had been dressed by the
penitentiary physician and a nip of
rye given the wounded man. he was
escorted into the presence Of the new
warden 10 tell how il an happened.
You see, IL was this ere way. war
den," he began. after ne had sa'uted
his chief and dropped into comfort
able position on the sofa in the pri-
vate room of the penitentiary Office.
six OF Us were out there By the broom
shop cleanin' up the yard a bit. Kid
Sly and Shorty were comm the rake
act. ] told Green TO take a spade and
throw some loose dirt up agin the tool
house. lie was standin' in one OF ;hem
cat fits OF his'n and paid no attention
TO me. He just rolled his eyes and
worked his arms"
Morgan paused and pressed a huge
gnarled hand against his bandaged
Uranium.
Take it easy" said the warden. SYM
pathetically.
Then" continued the guard, "I
caught him by the shoulder and gave
him a push toward the tool house. az
the same time tellin' him TO get a mill
tary move on himself. lie reached
down. grabbed the spade and whacked
me across the noggsn with IL. When
che stars scattered ont a little, I saw
that Kid Sly and two Of the other boys
were holdin' him. ] whistled for help
and had him yanked back to his cell"
Warden Hin reached for the huge
calf-bOund volume in which the daily
delinquencies Of the prisoners were re-
corded. The page allotted 10 Convict
6,1l3. Imprisoned for life. was blank.
save for the entry made in a neat,
round hand. stating that all attempts
70 make the prisoner talk since his In
carceration had been unavailing. Mur-
der was the crime and the date Of the
commitment papers showed that eight
years of the life sentence had been
served. The warden looked perplexed.
Recently appointed. he had not YET had
time TO look at the majority of tho
prisoners in his charge. Besides. more
important matters awaited his atten-
tion. He closed the volame and turned
TO the deputy warden.
Give Convict Green five days In the
dark cell on bread and water" ne said.
Ten minutes later, Convict Green,
closely guarded, was escorted to the
ha.-owed niche beneath the tier ofcells
commonly known among the pris cners
as 1.-The hole" the door was unlocked
and Green thrust inside. The bolts
were shot and the guards retired.
With inky blaekness on all sides Of
him. Convict Green pressed his sweaty
palms against his throbbing forehead
and tried to think. Dull, agonizing
pains seemed TO hover between his
temples and dart toward each eye. He
arose from the oalen plank upon which
he had been crouching and extended
both arms. His hands touched a. stone
wall on either side.
With a groan he sank back on the
damp stone floor of the dungeon ana
tried to think. For a time he was con-
scious Of only pain and anguish. but
at last the darkness which hung like a
pal over his clOuded intellect began
10 clear away. The red spots had
come again. What they were, Green
had often tried TO find out. but he
never could. The huge patches OF lurid
red came and danced before his eyes.
After a time they left, but terrible
pains remained behind torturing him
almost beyond endurance II he tried
TO find out what the red spots were
they always came back so much the
quicker.
The convict crept nearer the wall of
the dungeon ard laid first one burning
cheek and then the other against the
damp stones. The mental anguish of
the man became less wracklng: peri
DDS of Intellectual calm followed in
which detached sections of conscious
ness became clarified. Now and then
ne caught blurred glimpses ofthe past.
A few faint, half-obscured recollec-
tions of his childhood days actually
made the miserable inmate OF the eell
emile with delight. Names he no long.
er remembered, but familiar faces
wearing Peasant smiles so Different
fvcm the sccMling .yisaxes which hs