Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1902-10-25
WHEN
WOMAN
LOVES
By JOHN F. PEARSON
Copyright. 1901, by A. S. Richardson

Netter understanding II 1 confess Mt the
outset that am what the police de-
nominate Crook" | am neither Il
cial agent for people who have proper
ty to dispose of, property acquired in
an unlawful way. For instance, if a
burglar comes across bonds, shares,
notes. deeds and the like while pursu-
ing his calling lie bundles them up and
brings them to me. For Il liberal COM
mission | dispose of the papers on the
open market or deal with the loser di-
rect. Now and then | handle jcwelry.
but the gems must be valuable and the
losers wealthy to interest me in case.
1t may he of interest to know that |
was fairly good civil engineer before
| became a financial agent. Why eX-
changed professions is matter con-
ccrnng myself alone.
Ten years since friend of mine
named Dse got into trouble In a west
crn state. In trying to break away
from the officers one of them WAS shot
dead. That meant the gallows for Dee.
at once secured the best legal counsel
for him. but was plainly told that only
Il miracle could save his neck. When
his case came up, he was convicted
without the jury leaving the box, and
he was sentenced to be hung. We
made an appeal, and he went back to
prison knowing that he would be safe
for eight or ten months to come.
nj, tt
gentleman by birth, one of the hand
soonest men you ever saw. Had 1t been
Il jury of women they would have ac-
quilted him as promptly as he was
convicted 4 dozen females broke
down and wept when he was SEN
fenced. Though watching things close
ly had not put myself forward ut the
trial. Among the Interested ones l had
noticed Il handsome girl about twenty,
and the trial was not half concluded
when l knew that she regarded Dee
as an innocent man and hero. When
tho, verdict of guilty was pronounced,
she tainted away, and the incident
created some local gossip.
AS nothing more could be done for
Dee for some time was about to leave
the city, when l received Il note asking
me to call ut a certain house. ! called
and met Miss Fay, Dee's courtroom ad-
mirrr and an heircss. She told me that
she had fallen in love with Dee and
that every dollar she had was at his
disposal to save his neck. When re-
piled that it wasn't question of mon
ey and that he was almost certain to
hang after we had exhausted all legal
lodges. she asked me to remain in
town until heard from her again.
Dee was far better man in all
things than thrce-fOurths of those
shouting their morality. but l felt it
my duty to tell Miss Fay just where he
stood. | admitted to her that he was n
criminal instead of hero and that
even if his life was saved through her
efforts she could hardly hope he would
marry her and settle down. Nothing
could say would dispel her illusions,
and she actually became angry at me
for giving her brotherly advice. She
did not tell me what steps she meant
to take, but knew by the light in her
eyes that she would hesitate at moth
ing. 1t was seven days before l met
her again. and | was astonishcd at the
work she had done. Dee was confined
in the county Jail. which was as strong
and safe rs a state prison. He had n
cell at the end of a wing. and was SO
hedgcd in by bolts. bars, guards and
steel and stone walls that there was
not the remotest chance for an escape.
In a week the girl had located the
CELL rented a cottage outside the walls
and stocked it with tools and prOvi-
siOns and laid the plan to defeat jus
tice. The plan was boldness itself.
was TO find two trusty men and ell
scOnce myself in the cottage and dig a
tunnel to the cell of the condemned.
The distance was 1G0 feet, and we
must go under the street, under the
yard wall and then under the wall OF
the Jail. The cottage was one of three
and had Il space of only twenty feet on
each side of it. The other cottages
We're owned by the families occupying
them. and the people We're bound to
watch any strangers moving in. To
dig that tunnel was the work Of
months. and to run its other mouth
into cell was feat the oldest engi-
neer and the nerviest sort OF n crook
might well hesitate over. ridiculed
the whole plan at once. but Miss Fay
took it up point by point. and so we'll
did she argue that after three or four
hours | agreed that there was one
chance in a thousand that success
might be achieved.
The first move was to find a family
- occupy the cottage. 1t was not very
difficult for me to get hold of an oldish
woman who would assist us to carry
the scheme through. She opened
boarding house. but took in only three
men of us. We were supposed to be
railroad men and to come and go be-
fore daylight and after dark. Now and
then we did come and go. but it was
as we settled In the house we began
work on the tunnel and we never put
in less than fourteen hours out OF the
twenty-four. The two men with me
knew what they were being paid for
and could be depended upon. The eel
lar of the cottage gave us room for the
dirt eXcavated, and 1t seemed as II
luck was with us from the start. 1t
was winter. with but few people pass
ing on the side street, and the ground
being hard frozen there was less dan
ger of the roof of the tunnel falling In.
One can run n ditch on the surface