The daily morning Alaskan., 1903-03-28
A PriSOn
 Tragedy
Icnnrrirht. 1aoa. hY C. D. Ieria.l

strong writer and made many enemies. The article which led to its authora Imprisonment was Ave line sQuib r.dicullng a local doctor. The doctor called Co demand a retraction. fight ensued. and the editor had the mistor- tune Co klll hls man. He was sem tenced Co be hanged. but the governor commutCd it 10 Imprisonment for life. When Horton reached the prison. he was made librarian 10 the prison h. brary.
 After a year or SO Horton's wife got a divorce. hls friends ceased to call. and be was virtually dead to the world
 There was living in the town in which the prison was situated a 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 a holiday with the pglsoners-that Is. all were locked up in their cells after the monday meal and could mad. write or sleep. This order did not Include the librarian and certain other "trustlcs."
 One Saturday afternoon Miss Cal houn was an hour late. lt was in April and tue day was dark and foggy. The order was Co pass her in and out without question. At 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 an night long. and soon after daylight the mystery was solved. The dead body ot the girl was found in the prison yard. On the second floor of a storchouse lay the bali naked body. while hat. dress skirts and wrap were ln a heap beside t.
 About eight months after the mur- der. when Horton had been with us for tbrrc years and four months. be made hIs escape by means og tunnel which he had been over two years digging. It began in a clothes closet on the library and ended ninety feet away out- side tbe prison walls. What was done had Co loo sctompl. between a. m. and D. m. Horton could not bar any one out of the library. nor could be tell what minute some ore wOlld eu- Ger. No convict ever worked for lib- cry with such odds agoius, h.m. He simply took the oUe chance .u a thou sand
 You win want Co know how learned of certain things. A yeUr after IIor- tons escape We heard Of Eim in Mon. tlna Iir had joined a small band of trappCrs and hunters and was living among the mountains. After he had been located it was decided that 1 should be sent out to attempt bis cap ture. When I reached Gallatin. l learned that Horton's party was in the mountains Co the north and enlisted two men In the search for him. We were on the trail of the hunters for month before We found them. One evening we rode into their camp pre- pared Co capture or Kill the fugitive murderer, but be was not there. Two days before he had started out alone Co 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 ln the aft ernOOn we found him. He had fallen over a clin and landed on a shelf about forty feet below. Ills fall had been broken by a bush. but he had been se- yerely injured and was almost dead when we got him up. He had broken a les and an arm, and as there was no show to get a doctor we knew that death must soon end his su1erings.
 During the last day of his life Horton was not only conscious. but talkatlve and free from pain. He insisted on telling me all about the tunnel bust ness. and of course was interested in the details. l plainly told him that I had suspected him from the hour of finding Miss Calhoun's body and that figure it out as I might no one else bad the opportunity that be had. He did not answer me for several minutes and then quietly said:
 "I will give you my Idea Of that af- fair. though of course it may be all wrong. When Miss Calhoun and l separated. she started for the exit and I for the library There were several 'trusties about. and no doubt one of them spoke Co her. and she may have turned aside. It was a dark. foggy day. you remember. and the man might have ciutched 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
 What motive do you think the mur. G,rer h-dF' ' asked
 Probably Co dou her clothes and pass out Co liberty"
 But why didn't he carry out his plgu.~
 Probably something threw him or hls nerve as he approached the wicket. He could have gone out unquestioned. but something happened to make him suspect that be would be nabbed."
 And you will not confess, realizing. as you must. that death Is not far