Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1903-02-04
A Prison
Tragedy

One OF the many prisoners received
at the Alton penitentiary when 1 was
deputy warden was man named Hor-
ton. He was editor and proprietor of
a weekly paper. He was a pretty
strong writer and made many enemies.
The article which led to it's authors
Imprisonment was five line squib
ridiculing local doctor. The doctor
called to demand a retrac tion, fight
ensued, and the editor had the misfor-
tune to kill his man. He was SEN
fenced to be hanged, but the governor
committed it to imprisonment for life.
When Horton reached the prison, he
was made librarian to the prison Ii
brary.
After year or so Horizons wife got
a divorce, his friends ceased to call,
and he was virtually dead to the world.
There was living in the town in
which the prison was situated young
lady named Calhoun. She used to
come in every Saturday afternoon at 2
o'clock, with papers or other things for
the prisoners, and sometimes she had
company and sometimes not. Satur-
day afternoon was holiday with the
prisoners-that is, all were locked up
In their cells after the MONDAY meal
and could read, write or sleep. This
order did not include the librarian and
certain other ''trusties.''
One Saturday afternoon Miss Cal
houn was an hour late. It was in
April, and the day was dark and foggy.
The order was to pass her in and out
without question. At Z o'clock in the
evening some of her friends called at
the prison to say that she had not re-
turned home.
The country around the prison was
searched all night long, and soon after
daylight the mystery was solved. The
dead body Of the girl was found in the
prison yard. On the second floor of
storehouse lay the half naked body,
while hat, dress, skirts and wrap were
In heap beside it.
About eight months after the MUIR
der, when Horton had been with us for
three years and four months, he made
his escape by means Of a tunnel which
he had been over two years digging. It
began in clothes closet off the library
and ended ninety-three feet away out
side the prison walls. What was done
had to be accomplished between a. m.
and p. m. Horton could not bar any
one out Of the library, nor could he
tell what minute some one would en-
ter. No convict ever worked for lib-
erty with such odds against him. re
simply took the one chance in a thou
sand.
You will want to know how learned
OF certain things. A year after Hor-
tons escape we heard Of him in Mon
tana. He had joined a small band of
trappers and hunters and was living
among the mountains. After he had
been located it was decided that
should be sent out to attempt his cap
ture. When I reached Gallatin,
learned that Horizons party was in the
mountains to the north and enlisted
two men in the search for him. We
We're on the trail of the hunters for a
month before we found them. One
evening we rode into their camp pre-
pared to capture or kill the fugitive
murderer, but he was not there. Two
days before he had started out alone
to inspect some traps and had not re-
turned. The rest of the party, number
ing six, had been out looking for him
on the day Of our arrival, but had
found no trace The search was re-
sumed next day, and along in the aft
ernoon we found him. He had fallen
over cliff and landed on shelf about
forty feet below. His fall had been
broken by bush, but he had been Sc
verely injured and was, almost dead
when we got him up. He had broken
leg and an arm, and as there was no
show to get a doctor we knew that
death must soon end his sufferings.
During the last day Of his life Horton
was not only conscious, but talkative
and free from pain. He insisted on
telling me all about the tunnel bust
ness, and Of course I was interested
In the details. I plainly told him that
had suspected him from the hour Of
finding Miss Calhoun's body and that,
figure it out as might, no one else
had the opportunity that he had. He
did not answer me for several minutes
and then quietly said:
II will give you my idea of that af-
fair, though of course it may be- all
wrong. When Miss Calhoun and /
separated, she started for the exit and
I for the library. There were several
TRUSTEES about, and no doubt one of
them spoke to her, and she may have
turned aside. 1t was a dark, foggy
day, you remember, and the man might
have clutched her by the throat to pre-
vent an alarm and carried her to the
storehouse. He took great risks, but
was not discovered. I have always
felt much grieved over the fate of that
poor girl"