The daily democrat. [volume] (Anadarko, Oklahoma) 190?-1908, 1907-08-02

fugitive succeed in retaining his free
dom for more than a day or two at
the most. The prison is situated in
the midst of a desolate moorland re-
gion and is surrounded by bogs and
morasses, which offer tremendous OBJ
stacles to the convict who makes bid
for liberty. II he betakes himself to
the few roadways he is almost certain
TO be caught because they are care
fully watched when it becomes known
that anyone has escaped. Stimulated
by the reward of S25 which is paid for
the recapture of prisoner, the farm.
ers join in the manhunt zealously.
Before nc dares enter a town the fugi-
tive must manage to exchange his
Jail uniform for ordinary clothing.
This he can obtain only by stealing it.
Destitute of money he has to resort
TO the same method to get food while
still wearing The garb that brands him
as a criminal doing time" Escape
from within the prison walls is almost
mpossible-eXcept in sensational nov
els. IL is only when fogs come up sud
denly, as they are apt tc do on the
moors, that those who arc working
outside the prison occasionally find a
chance to give the guards the slip.
A gang of GO men were working on
Christmas eve. 1897, in the rear of
the prison and some distance from it,
when a fog was observed sweeping
down upon them. Three of them.
William Martin, decided to bolt when
the mist enveloped them. At signal
given by Goodwin the three men dug
their fingers into the earth, threw
the handfuls of soil into the faces of
the guards and took to their heels.
The wardens were thrown into tenn
porary confusion but soon recovered.
Cover them; fret" shouted the chief
warder. Shots rang out; a scream
followed and Carter was picked up
dead with a bullet through his heart.
He was undergoing a life sentence for
a brutal murder of an old man and
only through the skill of his counsel
had succeeded in cheating the gal
lows. The retribution that had over
taken him. it was generally felt, was
just one.
Martin was soon afterward brought
10 bay under a tree He threatened
the warder who had run him down
with piece of granite, but was felled
with a bludgeon and carried insensi.
bic TO the Jail.
AS Goodwin leaped over a hedge he
heard Carter's death Shrek AID felt
the whizz Of bullet that just missed
his own head Not knowing whittier
he ran he fed blndly in the mist and
fast gathering darkness. For hours he
kept going, floundering often waist
deep through the bogs, imagining that
he was putting miles between him and
the prison.
When dawn broke, to his dismay.
he discovered that throughout the
night he had been describing a circle
around the jail and was still within
reach Of a rifle from the posts of OBJ
servation on the Jail. Sinking on all
fours, he wormed his way up one
side Of a tor, screening himself be-
hind the boulders, plunged boldly
down the other side and then dashed
into the thick OF the moor again. His
Christmas day was spent in picking
his way through bogs, fording rivers
or leaping streams.
When night fell, famished and
spent. he broke into a house, stole the
remnants of the Christmas dinner and
a suit Of clothes. He was far from
suspecting it at the time, but 1t was
through this burglary that he got q
chance after on TO redeem his past