The Barre daily times. (Barre, Vt.) 1897-1959, 1907-09-28
7be Times Daily Short Story.
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The dag aIl1r lin Somers was shut
up he told the. sheriff that his liver
was troubling him and asked for
lemon, 1t was given him. In closet
he found an old tin box of backing.
With the lemon and the backing box
he determined to make an attempt to
escape and hide or leave the country.
His first move was to ask for pen
and paper with which to write a letter
to his wife. Ills request was granted,
but Of course his letter was read by
the sheriff before sending it. 1t con
tanned his protestation Of innocence
and some instructions as to engaging
counsel. There was one sentence his
candle grease out of my trousers
Why Jim should be thinking OF the
candle grease In his trousers at such
time she could not imagine. The
sheriff had noticed II, but did not sus-
pect that it meant more than ii pur-
ported to express. Mrs. Somers could
make nothing of It. When taking can
die grease out OF clothes she was used
to ironing the spot with paper be-
tween the cloth and the iron. That's
what pop MEANS" said little Tom.
Put the iron on It." The mother
looked at the boy In astonishment.
Then she heated an iron and placed
it on her husbands letter. When she
took it off there were brown letters
written In a postscript
TON, u night, tie rope e. claw
hammer to cord under rear window"
The expression on little Toms face
when his mother read him this post
script was remarkable TO behold. His
eyes were as big as butter plates aud
at once took on pride and a sense OF
responsibility His fathers freedom.
his life, depended upon him. In ten
seconds he had grown ten years Older.
That night the little fellow, with
forty feet Of rope coiled over his right
shoulder and under his left arm, the
clew hammer tied TO one end of It.
stole away to the sheriff's house
When he reached the yard he stopped
and looked over the fence, expecting to |
see guard There was no watch out |
side. A deputy was asleep near the /
prisoners door, but there was no fear
except OF a mob, which might come IS /
any moment. Little Tom crawled to
the house. Reaching the rear, he hunt
cd about and soon found the end of a !
cord that looked Ike the tail of his /
kite, for It had been made of strips OF |
his fathers shirt Attaching to it the
end Of the rope, with the claw hammer,
he crawled away and waited.
Somers had one end 81 the cord in
his hand. IT had been let down
through a square In the window from
which q pane had been removed by I
digging out the putty with an edge OF
the tin backing box. AS soon as the
Jerking from below ceased he pulled
and, getting the rope and the claw
hammer, noiseessly removed the nails
over the window and raised the sash.
tanning q nail In between sash and
casing TO hold the former up. Then.
tying the rcpe to the chair, he got out
the window, pulled the chair across 1t
and let himself down.
"Pop"
"Histw
Taking his hoy by the hand, somers
stole away. lie found his wife III TIE
road, and the three went home. Then
Jim, shaved and arayed IN his wIfe's
apparel. went--nobody knew where.
Soon after tho escope suspicion for
the vmurder fastened upon another
man. Ho was tried, convicted and
confessed, Then Jim somer0 returned
TO his home and was welcomed Denl-
tently by his neighbors.
Tom Somers le the proudest boy IN
bis school; but, young MS he Is, he can't
lIyest h1 inlnd Of the narrow escape
his father had from death and gives
Ibpnts daily that he was the means by
which that death was ayorted.
E1iMALINE G. BURKE.