Sistersville daily oil review. [volume] (Sistersville, W. Va.) 1902-1905, 1904-01-29
IN CONVTCT'S
DRESS
Copyright. 1909. by c. 3. Lewis.I

It was a dark, rainy evening in NO
vcmbcr. and sat in my room in East
Norwich reading Il book when sud
denly tlancied that there was a man
Under the bed in the alcOve. 1t was
only fancy and one could not &C
rount for but | gl"Lced in that direc-
ton. and next minute my heart was III
ny mouth.
1t WAS Il massive. old fashioned bed
stead with valance or curtain falling
10 Tie floor around the front and the
foot. Just prepipg OUT from under this
curtain was the toe of Il shOe-a coarse
heavy shoe with hobnaiIS in the sole.
II was not the shoe worn by mechanics
or day laborers. but spotted it in an
instant as Il prison shoe.
| hadn't the slightest doubt that there
| was IN escaped convict under the bed
| Il WAS sixteen miles to Pcntield. and
| had heard nothing Of an escape. but
the man under the bed was no doubt
il prison uniform and from the inStlr
tuition named.
| had pretty good nerve in those days
and yet as | sat there trying TO solve
the problem | found my mouth as dry
as cotton and my whole body trem-
bling. You will perhaps say that
should have got up IN walked out of
the room and downSt; s. To be hon
est with you. my knees were so weak
that feared they would not serve me-
and | also feared that the convict
would suspect my design and roll out
and attack me.
While l admit that was unncrvcd.
still had no thought of running AWAY
BY ard by. us | continued to %ropp lOi
a solution, grow cooler, ana present
~ did the best thing under the cir,
cumstances. Eo:n" my best to steady
my voice and speaking as if 10 one be
| side me, said:
You might as well come out from
under the bed. my man. have known
of your presence there for this half
hour, and you must lie tired by this
time
The toe suddenly disappeared.
Il think you had better come out"
| continued. You are Ecre on IN err
rand. and the sooner you accomplish II
the sooner You can go. The men from
Pcntied will be on your heels before
daylight
Then the man suddenly rolled into
view and spranG 10 his feet with
muttercd curse. He was in cOnvictS
uniform, but he was not IN evil look
ing man. On the contrary. he looked
to be more of a sufferer than Grim.
inal. There was more pride in his face
than might have been looked for, and
he had my sympathy at once.
"Wcll:" | qucricd az lie stood star
ing at me.
II shall never 20 back to prison
never. he exclaimed as he looked
around the room. I'll die right here.
I've been in living he'll for ten lon@
years. and the other he'll can't be
worse. | went TO prison thinking 10 60
my best, but as held NJ my head they
said WAS too airy and must be broken
down | was punished again and again
brcaus" would not become fawnin"
Syc0phaut. creeping. crawling thing
at tie feet of brutal keeper. They
starved Inc. loaded me with chains.
dashed ne till they did not dare to add
another blow. | was told that the gov
ernor rubbed his hands and laughed
over it, and Swore | would live TO es-
I,;,- Enifn M
his heart 1 never knowingly broke a
rule of the prison. 1t was because J.
would not Lick the shoes of the keepers
that they wanted to break me-
| asked the man TO take chair, and
| gave him glass of wine and cigar.
He was nonplusCd ut my action and
didn't know whether TO receive 1t aS
kindness or as Il scheme to entrap him.
For Il long hour he told me Of his life
in the famous English prison, OF the
beatings and StarvingS, of the cruelty
and the curses hcaped 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 III my wallet.
made an even divide with him. | had
rough and ready suit for fishing. /
took this from my trunk and told the
convict to exchange suits. When Il
pair of shoes had been added and he
stood fully dressed his identity as
prisoner was gone. With pair OF
scissors clipped and trimmed his
shaggy eyebrows. and Il strip of plaster
was placed on his cheeks as if to hide
a scratch. cannot say that he looked
like gentleman when his disguise was
complete. but no policeman in England
would have taken him Tor anything
else but a mechanic Of the better class.
did not ask where he was going.
what he intended to do or anything
about his future. felt that be would
take care of all that. When he was
ready to go we tiptoed downstairs, and
4. = ~ Thnrn hn