Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1903-12-24
DAILY SHORT STORY
In ConVict's Dress.
copyright 1903, by c. L. Lewis.l

1t was dark, rainy evening in No
vember. and | sat in my room in East
Norwich reading book when l sud
denly fancied that there was a man
under the bed i'll the alcove. 1t was
only fancy and one l could not &C
count for, but l glanced i'll that direc-
ton, and next minute my heart was in
my mouth.
1t was i massive. old fashioned bed
stead. with valance or curtain falling
10 the floor around the front and the
foot. Just peeping out from under this
curtain was the toe of Il ShOe-a coarse,
heavy shoe with hobnails in the sole.
1t was not the shoe worn by mechanics
or day labOrers, but l spotted it in an
instant as prison shoe.
l hadn't the slightest doubt that there
was an escaped convict under the bed.
1t was sixteen miles 20 Penfield, and l
had heard nothing of an escape. but
the man under the bed was no doubt
i'll prison uniform and from the insti-
tuition named.
l had pretty good nerve in those days,
and yet as l sat there trying TO solve
the problem 1 found my mouth as dry
as cotton and my whole body trem-
bling. You will perhaps say that L
should have got up and walked out of
the room and downstairs. To be hon
est with you, my knees were so weak
that l feared they would not serve me,
and l also feared that the convict
would suspect my design and roll out
and attack me.
While l admit that 1 was unnerved.
| still had no thought of running away
By and by, as l continued to grope for
4 solution, l grew cooler, and present
ly | did the best thing under the cir
cumstances. Doing my best to steady
my voice and speaking as if to one be-
side me, l said:
You might as we'll come out from
under the bed, my man. l have known
of your presence there for this half
hour, and you must be tired by this
time"
The toe suddenly disappeared.
Il think you had better come out"
continued. You are here on an err
rand, and the sooner you accomplish it
the sooner you can go. The men from
PenfcId will be on your heels before
daylight"
Then the man suddenly rolled into
view and sprang to his feet with a
muttered curse. He was in cOnvicts
uniform, but lie was not an evil look
ing man. on the contrary. he looked
to be more of n sufferer than n Grim
inal. There was more pride in his face
than might have been looked for, and
he had my sympathy ut once.
''Well?" l quericd as he stood star
ing at me.
Il shall never go back to prison
never" he exclaimed as he looked
around the room. I'll die right here.
Zee been in living hell for ten long
years, and the other hell can't be
worse. | went to prison thinking TO do
my.best, but as l held up my head they
said | was too airy ana must be broken
down. | was punished again and again
because. l would not become Il fawning
sycophant. Il creeping, crawling thing
at the feet of brutal keeper. They
me, loaded me with chains,
dashed me till they did not dare to add
another blow. l was told that the gov
ernor rubbed his hands and laughed
over it. and | swore | would live TO es-
cape anu tSCdpC W uIlNt Il Mile llltO
his heart. l never knowingly broke a
rule of the prison. 1t was because l
would not lick the shoes of the keepers
that they wanted to break me-"
| asked the man to take chair and
l gave him a glass of wine and Il cigar.
He was nODplused at my action and
didn't know whether to receive it as
kindness or as a scheme to entrap him.
For a long hour he told me of his life
in the famous English prison. of the
beatings and starvingS, of the cruelty
and the curses heaped upon him every
hour in the day to drive him to rebel
lion. and when he had finished there
was but one thing for me TO do.
| had hundred pounds in my wallet |
made an even divide with him. l had
a rough and ready suit for fishing l |
took this from my trunk and told the |
convict to exchange suits. When i
pair of shoes had been added and he |
stood fully dressed his identity as a |
prisoner was gone. With a pair of |
scissors 1 clipped and trimmed his |
shaggy eyebrows. and strip of plaster |
was placed on his cheeks as if to hide |
a scratch. 1 cannot say that he looked |
ike gentleman when his disguise was
but no policeman in England /
would have taken him for anything