Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1893-1920, 1907-06-05

meath the barrels and bayOncts of the
military. In the evening when they
returned TO the stockade loaded mus
kets and fixed bayonets showed them
the way Even in the stockade itself
fixed bayOnets and loaded muskets
gave them their supper. Thereafter
they We're locked up for the night in
so many small boxes lined with lodges
something more spacious than book
shelves. On these lodges they lay
down, as close as mummies in cata-
combs. until il should be > O'Clock once
more, and perhaps after time the
only sound would be the clank of his
letters as this man or that turned over
In the magnificent space of eighteen
inches that was allotted to each.
1t was the same stOckade of which
Erichscn had seen the outside on his
way 10 Castle Sullivan in the early
| part of De--@1her. He saw the inside
| by the end of FEBRUARY when Strachan
| gave him six months of ii for alb
scOnding and by so doing made open
enemies of the Sullivans. They want
| ed to have the breaking of Toms spirit
all to themselves and tried to dictate
| another fifty lasheS and the convict's
| return to service. but this time
Strachan was firm, passing. indeed. the
! most merciful sentence possible in the
| circumstances.
The six months began on Wednesday,
the last of February. in the year 1898.
First they took his name and made
| an inventory of his marks. sears and
! the color of his eyes and hair. Then
they cropped the latter and shaved off
| the yellow stubble which had lately
| hidden the hollow cheeks and softened
= the haggard jaw. and 1t was an old
mans face that saw itself with sulken
| eyes in the BARRIERS glass.
Next they took away his farm labor
| er's clothes. which were not branded.
/ and put him in a Parramatta frock and
| trousers, which We're. And now they
| claSped around his body a green hide
| belt, from which depended in front
heavy chain that became two heavy
chains at about the level of the knees.
and the two chains ended in still heav-
! Ter rings around either ankle. and the
whole made a capital Y upside down.
| In this harness it was impossible to
walk, though with practice you might
! waddle, and ii was never struck off for
a single instant on any pretext whatso-
ever. ... .... ~
They now presented him with
spoon all to himself. His knife and
! fork his pannikin and his mess kid he
was to share with five other felons.
Lastly they showed him his eighteen
inches, where he passed the intolerable
night In wondering why he had not
| given himself up as the Italians I'M
derStudy and in wondering even more
| why he still would not do so if it were
all to come over again, for he knew he
| would not. Indeed, one of the most
dreadful features of this present phase
was the tenacity with which the poor
wretch found himself cinging to life
in each emergency despite all his cool
er lOngings for the end. He lOnged
for that more than ever, but he saw
now that death must come to him.
He might sink to murder; to self muir
der he could never stoop.
Or so lie thought at the beginning Of
this term of broiing days and fetid
nights, with foul company aud heavy
irons common to both. Meanwhile
such feelings as were left him were
still tolerably keen, and it was real
thrill that toward the end of the first
week he woke up at his work to hear
the others ho0ting and turned round to
see Nat Sullivan once more riding
down the line.
The thrill became a shiver. The blue
eyes were fixed on Tom, the great lip
was thrust out at him, and before Tom
the rider refined up.
You Villain said Mr.. Nat, with in
expressible malignancy of voice and
look. You villain-Tve found you
outr
4 line of red eyes blinked and wa
tered in the sun, then fell with q glim
horseman to the prisoner accosted
Tom had already piqued such atten
ton as his new companions were II
the habit of bestowing upon any fel
, low creature, for few there We're who
, joined that morOse and fierce crew
with the stamp of such morOsencs.
= and ferocity already on them. Those
1 few were grabbed old hands, but herr
was raw youth, and yet in three Ion!
days they had not heard his voice
= Nor did they now. Tom moistened hi
palms and took n new grip of his pick
=, but that was not all. He was seen t,
4 tremble. and he nearly pinned his Owl
o foot TO the ground. What was it h.
Y had done and been found out in, thi
d cub whose teeth were always showing
but whose voice was never heard?
o A perspiring sentry strolled up, Inf
g once red swallowtail coat hanging
: open upon his naked chest and hi
c white trousers sticking to his legs. III
e was the only one whose curiosity wen
e the length of a word.
= whats he been doing OFF, said tn
= sentry, wetting his hand on his ches
p to cool his musket stock. We've onl
e 'ad i'm ERE these three days"
y "You won't have him many more,
D, said Sullivan. "The hangman wi
e have him."