The St. Mary banner. (Franklin, Parish of St. Mary, La.) 1889-1931, 1903-04-04

| ~ bar grating that admittc,
"a s3' 1sa an; sHa a;; f. into small %s,a,;s' ps'
the fast fading light, and waitin. /;
coming hour, and as he stood there
gulping the clear evening air into hi.
cramped lungs his emotions grew 81
strong in him that to keep himself frou
crying out from sheer excitement As
Grasped the bars of the grating witt
such force that the knuckle bones OF
his hands seemed on the point OF
breaking through his skin.
The man was Convict 73. He was
described in the prison register as
Samuel Henscott, fifty-three years
transferred from Pentonville, under
sentence Of eight years p. S. three
years expireD for stealing money in.
trusted to him as cashier of Statenforl
Bank.
The cell in which Convict 73 was con-
fined was the worst, from an official
point of view, in the prison. No other
cell in the place afforded such facilities
| for escape, and for this reason the COM
| partment was seldom used. But ii
happened that at this time the accom-
modations of the prison We're taxed to
the utmost, and. it being necessary
that the cell should be occupied by
some prisoner, 73 was turned into it.
Resigned" was how the chaplain
had described % after their first inter-
view, and it really appeared to the
other officers that Samuel Henscott
was satisfied with the justice Of his
penalty.
He was not resigned; never was man
less SO, but he had played the part,
waiting for what he was waiting rs he
stood painting with excitement at the
cross-bar grating, longing for revenge
on the man he knew had committed
the crime for which Samuel Henscott
had become Convict 73.
The work before him was not ted
ious, for he was prepared for this hour,
occupying his secret moments in loos-
ening the cement which formed the
lower stone Of the easement in which
the ends of two bars Of the grating
were irlbedded. This stone removed,
the grating lost it's fixity and the two
perpendicular bars We're soon forced
out Of the upper sockets, which left the
two horizontal bars sufficiently wide
apart for Henscott to squeeze himself,
feet foremost, between them.
fjronro1 81 h
wide gutter, just succeeding in main
tanning his balance. and crept along
round the corner to the buttress he had
noticed from the exercise yard.
He passed over the outer wall, en-
countering no one. and along a road
for about 200 yards, when he turned
and went he hardly knew where
When he found himself in a large.
well-kept garden. and before him he
saw the dim outline Of house and
some trees behind it, looking like a gi-
gantic skull with one bright yellow eye
"a yellow window blind through
which strong light flooded onto the
dewy lawn beneath his feet That was
the window, he thought, behind that |
blind-in that strong light sat the man |
he had broken jail to meet.
1t was long French window, and it |
stood ajar, and the soft night breeze |
stirred the blind slightly.
Henscott cautiously crept to the win
dow, crouched down and pushed the
blind little aside so that he could |
see into the room between the blind
and the framework Of the window. He |
saw a man sitting at table reading,
and he started to his feet.
"Riverley," he whispered, painting.
Noiselessly he pulled open the win
dow, and for moment he" stood with
his foot on the threshold, striving to
control his intense excitement. Then
be dashed the blind aside and bounded
INTO the room.
II have come. Riverley," said 73, in
/ low voice, trembling with suppressed
passion; II have come to reckon with
vou, as see by your face you under
stand"
"Wlfere have you come from?' Riv-
.rley said family. 'But You need not
answer, for l can guess. You have
escaped from prison. you're being
lunted and want me to assist you.
,anno:, dare not"
You know better than that, Jack
Riveriey. You know that if I were
notwithstanding. and you stood by
ne with the most tempting foods.
youE not beg crumb from you! No
no! have escaped, and am prob
lbly pursued; but it is not assistance
IN seeking here, but revenge and
'ou know it, you know it. You cannot
LAY the innocent as you played the
riend. Riverley. But II you wish to
|ear the story of your perfdy and
rime from me-from me. you shall.
- aAyA 80 4