Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1908-10-07

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Lake Hammond penitentiary had
been built on an island in the lake from
! which it took its name long before the
campers discovered what lovely place
the lake was. At the time of its build
ing Hammond had been fifty miles
from the nearest town of any size. and
only a spur. track ran down to the
shore of the lake, connecting with the
fat bottomed boat that ferried the
freight cars over to the island. Now
the south shore fairly bristled with
camps and huge hotels. Even on the
north the beach and the numerous lit
tie islands were dotted with white
tents and weather stained log huts.
The campers objected to the presence
of the penitentiary, with its great gray
barracks and it's forbidding iron bars
across the windows. That the peniten-
tiary was there first did not alter the
situation. The permanent campers
wished the prison removed that they
might enjoy their three months in
camp unterrifed by the thought of a
possible Jail delivery.
No stone walls surrounded the island.
Only here and there guard hut dotted
the white expanse of the stone pier,
which had been built entirely about the
island, ready to shoot at any prisoner
who might rashly try to escape. Few
tried. 1t was good two miles to the
nearest shore, and in the winter the
white expanse of ice made a back
ground against which convict~would
become a fair target for the guns,
Nancy Barlow liked to run her boat
in close to the wall and wave her hand
to the prisoners sullenly working on
the new wing. They could not wave
| back, she knew, but she liked to believe
| that this sign from the world outside
cheered them in their work. The
| guards all came to know her and the
| trim little racing motor boat. They pre-
scented arms with grin as she sped
past the wall, and Nancy had the feel
ing that they answered for the prison
erS.
Her little motor was the fastest boat
on the lake, and she spent her days
speeding up and down the placid sur
| face. She consumed vast quantities
of petrol, but the outdoor life was
bringing back the roses to her cheeks,
and James Barlow would have run a
pipe line to the lake if necessary to
bring about that result. Ee had re-
| fused his consent to the marriage of
Nancy and Fred Wilmer, but he felt
vaguely troubled when he saw how the
girl had dropped. She was all he had
left in the world, and he could not lose
her too. 1t was as much this as a
tendency to wildness on Winners part
that had led to his refusal, and could
he have found Wilmer he would have
reconsidered his determination
But Wilmer had dropped from sight,
and none of his old acquaintance
knew what had become of him.
| Nancy had learned to handle a motor
under his guidance on the lake the year
before, and her devotion to the boat
was in part due to that fact AS she
| guided the little craft among the chan
nels he had shown her, she liked to
dream day dreams of the time when
they two should share a boat again.
So real was the imagined presence at
times that now, as Nancy pulled past
the prison island and looked on the
parade ground, she rubbed her eyes as
she noticed the leader of a file of con-
victs making their way along the edge
of the wall
1t did not seem possible that it could
be Wilmer, but, as the little file came
nearer, she was certain. Wilmer had
never worn a mustache, and there was
no installing the face. She even fam
cied that she caught a CLEAN Of recog-
milton in his eyes, as he passed with
hrm tread. She shut off the power and
turned to look after the men in the
| striped suits. 1t came as a shock to
her that Wilmer was wearing the
stripes. She was certain that he had
done nothing to deserve Imprisonment.
1t must have been all a mistake, and
he had been too proud to call upon his
friends for aid. She turned her boat.
determined to visit the prison office and
md out something about the causes
which had led to his incarceration.
AS she did so there was a sudden
commotion in the line. The even tread
OF the lockstep was broken, and Will
mer, with sudden dash, had knocked
down the keeper and sprung into the
water
A score of keepers rushed to the
water wall and emptied their rifles
after the escaping convict, while two
of the prison boats which happened to
be close at hand started in pursuit.
Nancy was quicker yet. Throwing on
full speed, she faced the fire from the
shore and from the first of the two
boats. in a moment she was beside
Wilmer, helping him into the launch.
Then she sprang to the wheel again
and headed for the mainland.
"Why didn't you let us know that
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