The Coeur d'Alene press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1906-1907, 1906-10-22
| The fffectOf a PupOse
(orlginal.l

loriginal.1
SThere are two kinds OF evidence In
criminal law, direct and circumstan.
tial I would rather take my chances
OF acqulttal in case where l had been
seen to commit the crime than in a
strong case against me Of circumstan-
tial evidence. In the former there Is
always plea of emotional insanity,
while In the latter the prosecution has
only 10 put the evidence together, true
or false, to prove the accused guilty.
'Hugh Bassett was convicted Of muir
der ON circumstantlal evidence, but
since II was proved that he had been
prosecuted to frenzy by the murdered
man he was not hanged, he was Inn
prlsoned for life. This persecution,
though II saved him from the death
penalty, was the main cause Of his con-
victlon. His prosecutor was murdered
, and who could have murdered him but
the man he had persecuted7 This Is
what twelve good ana true men de.
clded. and decided wrong Ten years
after the conviction a hardened Grim
inal on his death bed confessed to a
priest that he and not Bassett had COM
mitted the murder,
"Bassett. torn away from his wife
and children 10 be taken to prison for
n crime OF which he was innocent, had
but one thought-to escape II his escape
should cost him his life. He. was an
Ingenious man. quick to see an advan-
tage another would not see.
"But several years passed before he
saw any avenue Of escape whatever
and then very desperate chance. He
had been graduated at scientific
school and from there had taken a
| position with manufacturers of ma.
chinery, In prison the officials were
glad 10 avail themselves Of his services
In the engine room, aud on several oc.
casions he attracted their attention by
certain ingenious devices in the matter
Of repairing the machinery. In mathe-
MATES he had taken prizes long before
he became convict For good be
havlor as a prisoner he had many priv
neges, and was Above 10 have light
IN his cell long after hours,
1 Wv way EucANlN saw u AuNNnN vi
escape from the engine room which hC
had not noticed before. though he had
worked there regularly since his Inn
prisonment three years before. II In
volved possible freedom and probable
death. II also involved a very nlcC
mathematical calculation. on the accu
racy OF which life depended II was
after the conception "a hts plan that
his keepers noticed that he was burn
ing the midnight oil and laying dowr
innumerahle figures, The guards did
not know II, but the prisoner was cal
culating just when the broad belt thai
ran the machinery would stop after tbs
power had been turned of. He hat
noticed that IN the evening when tn,
men were ready 10 leave the engine
room the machinery was stopped. III
had also noticed that the driving bel
Of the engine passed over its uppel
wheel near a window high above III,
reach Of any one. Then he had learnet
that from the window one could gaiI
root from which he might reach tn
top OF the wall and thence down out
side. One day 1t occurred to him {,
ride on the belt TO the window and e.
cape.
TO do this he must mount the belt a
certain moment-that Is, ON poln
that would stop at the window. III
could see the laelngs In the belt as /
moved-greatly blurred OF course -anl
for days. weeks. months. counted rev
olutions Of the belt and At night ln hi