The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-05-23
The Anarchist


Syndtcate.1
John Cunningham had been gov
ernor of Dartmoor prison for thirteen
years, and during that long interval
not a convict had succeeded in making
his escape. The governor fattered
| himself on this fact. He lived four
! miles from the prison, and the less he
visited it the better things were run.
| Governor Cunningham finally decid-
| ed to write book on crlmlnOlogy.
That was a perfectly natural thing,
since he had so many specimens at
hand. He meant that book to be a
| standard and to contain matter to as
tonish the world. He was entirely ig-
norant of his subject, but he went to
work like man who means business.
To get his data he had to have prison
ers brought before him to be question
I ed and to have their heads examined.
i The governor had boosted more than
once that he could tell predlsposed
criminal ten rods away.
One of the prisoners called before
the governor was James Broughton,
who had received a sentence OF i've
I years fol embezzlement. The family
was a respectable one, and this was
! the first offense for a hundred years.
Broughton himself had anything but
criminal tendencies. He was well edu-
Gated, we'll appearing and was remark
ed for his intelligence. The governor
found in Broughton the acme for
| - II MI M
man who was born with the IN
stincts Of a thief. He did not credit
him with ordinary intelligence. he
found him victim Of hOmicidal mania.
Broughton had entered prison de-
ter1nined to make his escape II 1t was
within the possibilities. After years
good conduct he was named for the
agricultural gang, the TRUSTEES VINO
moved the meadows and raised q
share Of the fresh vegetables consumed
in the prison. He had friends outside
to aid him in so far as furnishing him
a suit of citizens clothes and small
sum of money He had made up his
mind to go to South America, and he
: must have several hundred dollars.
! raise the money prevented his escape
for months. 1t was not until after the
governor had made him a choice speci-
men of criminology that brilliant idea
came to him. As the agricultural gang
marched back to prison one evening
Broughton was missing. and the alarm
was given. He had found the suit, had
, been met by a friend with horse and
buggy, and by the time the guards
were securing the country for him the
, convict was at the governors house.
A rather queer thing had happened
to the governor ten years before and
as the incident had been published it
was common property in prison and
out He had made a trip to Russia,
5 aided an anarchist without knowing
{ what the man was, and after being
shut up in a fortress for month he
had been given his liberty and escorted
to the frontier. This humiliation ran
killed. in his breast, and he was not
backward about saying to freeman or
convict that he would do most any
r thing to get square with the Russian
t government He had been so Outspo-
: ken that he had received a hint from
. his own government to moderate his
. speech. He took warning by it, but he
! still chafed. The telephone called the
: governor up to inform him that con-
yict had escaped, and while he was
i fussing about it the card of a stranger
S was brought in. The name was that
{ of Russian, and the governor at once
E thought of anarchists and nihilists and
arbitrary measures and became hot.
There was a confab lasting an hour.
The Russian did not hesitate to contide
u in the governor. He informed him
6 that a plot was on foot to Overturn
q the government and raise a republic
; on it's ruins. He was asked to assist
: in the conspiracy. He knew that such
action would make him amenable to
. the law, and yet he remembered the
dreary days and nights in that cell in
the fortress. He had never talked with
/ a more intelligent man. He had never
S met with another foreigner who spoke
the English language SO correctly.
The warning received by the great
man was ringing in his ears, but he
n thought of the miserable food, the wet
r straw and the manner in which he had
- been bounced out of the cars domin-
ions and warned to stay out. The tele-
phone gave him the particulars of the
= ccnvict's escape and inquired about Of
. fering reward, but he was too busy
|, to attend to such trifes. He first said
O no, but as the Russian rose to leave
e the house the governor brought out a
@ bag containing $500 in gold and placed
it on the table and turned his back
!, and began to hum the air of tune
y The Russian tumbled to the subscrip-
Il ton and murmured his thanks. With
the gold he picked up one of the gov
r. ernor's cards. An hour later train
; was bearing him to Liverpool. He was
v stopped on the way and stopped again
4 as he went aboard a steamer for South
America, but that card Of the governor
! tod 1, y,