The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1906-11-08
Out of DartmOOr
Copyright, 1906, by Ruby Douglas.

moor farm with others when the foo
came up. It came rolling across the
wide moor like a billow of smoke
from cannOn's mouth. One minute
there was sunshine over all, with the
horizon five miles away; in another the
guards were calling out to each other
and huStling the cOnvictS into line, and
no mans eyes could penetrate that fog
distance of ten feet Shelburne drop
ped his spade and ran. He was grab
bed at by other convicts, fired at by
guards, and he ran against and knock
ed over two Or three men, but he es-
caped-that is, he got away from the
bunch Of prisoners herded together like
so many cattle while the guards sent to
the prison for re-enfOrcementS to march
them in.
There have been few escapes from
Dartmoor. No man ever got away
from there unless aided by the fog. A
fog was what James Shelburne had
waited and hoped and prayed for for
five years For four years he had been
immured behind the stone walls. He
had done his best to gain the conf
dence of the prison officials, and he
had accomplished it. If he softly raved
and cursed atnight, tempted to suicide
q hundred times over, none of the
warders suspected it. By day he was
patient, respectful and accomplishing:
And SO it came to pass that when the
spring muster roll was made up of the
men who were to work on the farms
outside the gates the warden said:
Put down $500. He is one of the
most trusty Of the lot He wouldn't
leave us if he could
The convict ran blindly He fell at
every few yards, but he arose to speed
on again. Presently he came to high
way. A wagon was passing and it's
driver shouting warnings to those who
might be coming from the opposite di-
rection.
Shelburne slipped behind and climb
ed in. There were a lot Of empty bags
from the morning marketing, and he
covered himself up as well as he could
The prison bell sounded, and the driv-
er uttered a shout, but the fog held
A Dartmoor fog may last ten minutes
or two hours. After an hour of steady
jogging the team turned off the main
road. Then Shelburne softly slipped
to the ground, broke his way through
the hedge and was running across
meadow when he came upon a cot
tage. A childish voice called out:
you are one of the bad men from
the prison, but you needn't be afraid
of me. l won't hurt you"
A girl Of seven or eight years was
seated on the doorstep not ten feet
away. He had overlooked her. She
sat bumped up like an old woman, and
there was an old look to her face. She
had her hands clasped around her knees
and was weaving to and fro, and as he
continued to look at her she asked:
do you know how folks look when
they are dead?'
Eyes, little girl" he replied as he
advanced and sat down beside her.
''What is your name? Are there folks
in the house,?
81 am Nancy" she said. Father
went way, way off year ago, and
mother is in there on the bed"
"And is your mother ill?"
"Does that mean sick? No. she isn't,
but she's been awful quiet this morn
ing. I can't wake her up, and that's
the reason 1 haven't had any break
fast She amt dead, is she?'
"God forbid! Let us go inside and
see her"
"What is it when folks die?' she
asked as she led the way into a bed
room
"'They never speak again." he an
sWered as he looked into the face Of
a woman lying dead.
''Poor little girl!' he said as he bent
down and kissed her.
won't mother speak no more?"
"Never."
"And I'll have to go and live with
Aunt Sarah at the Beeches?'
eyes,
''Well, then, I'll go, but don't want
to, for Aunt Sarah don't like me very
well. You come from where they shut
up the bad men, but you don't seem to
be bad"
"Not so very bad, hope. Listen to
me. 7 have wife and little girl, way,
way off. I have not seen them for
years. I want to get to them. Will
you help me?"
'FWhy, of course I WILL" she replied.
'"They must be longing to see you. If
you are hungry you may eat all you
want to. Do you want to go home in
those ugly clothes?'
"God forbid! My little girl would
run away from me in fear"
''Then you can take some clothes
that father left. Have you got any
money!"
"Not farthing."
"Aunt Sarah sent us f1O the other
day. You shall have half of it."
The convict picked her up and, kissed
her, and when she saw tears in his
eyes she brushed them away with her
hand and said:
eff you was a bad man you wouldn't