Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-12-06
CHAPTER XIII

That was rs brown as shoe
leather and as devoid Of any
sort or kind Of vegetation. Us though 1t
were shaved every morning with some
mOnStrous razor Trees there were in
the distance. marking more than half
the skyline. rs though the place had
been shaved especially for the stock
ade. but not a solitary bush was with
In reach. And the sight Of the trees.
whose leaves they never heard and
whose shade they never felt. was one
more torment to those Of the eighty
prisoners who still lifted their heads to
look so far. The majority. however.
let their dull eyes redden by the day
together on those few hard and blind
ing yards which might chance to oc-
cupy their picks and shovels from In
the morning till the going down Of the
sun.
All day they labored In chains be-
meath the barrels and bayonets Of the
mntary. In the evening when inet
returned to the stockade loaded mus
kets and fixed bayOnets showed them
the way. Even In the stockade itself
dxed bayonets and loaded muskets
gave them their supper. Thereafter
they were locked up for the night In
30 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 1t should be o'clock once
more, and perhaps after a 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
Erichsen had seen the outside on his
way to Castle Sullivan In the early
part Of Dec.nber. lie saw the inside
by the end Of February when Strachan
gave him six months Of It for abb
sconding and by so doing made open
enemies OF the Sullivans. They want
Cd 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 merclful sentence possible In the
circumstances.
The six months began on Wednesday,
the last Of February. In the year 1888.
First they took his name and made
an inventory of his marks, scars 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 sunken
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 were. And now they
clasped around his body a green hide
belt. from which depended in front a
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 capital Y upside down.
In this harness 1t was impossible to
walk. though with practice you might
waddle. and II was never struck Off for
q single instant on any pretext whatso-
ever
They now presented him with q
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 rs the Italians un-
derstudy and In wondering even more
why he still would not do SO If 1t 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 Door
wretch found himself clinging to life
In each emergency despite all his COOL
er longings for the end He longed
Tor 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 be thought at the beginning of
this term OF broiling days and fetid
nights. with foul company and heavy
Irons common to both Meanwhile
such feelings Us We're left him were
still tolerably keen. and 1t was 4 real
thrill that toward the end Of the arst
week he woke up at his work to hear