Coeur d'Alene evening press. (Coeur d'Alene, Idaho) 1907-1929, 1908-01-08
HIS LAST ESCAPE

In the second tier.
He stops to squeeze a sponge of OIL
upon the glittering saw.
He has sawed two above, two below
and two on the left on previous nights
and secreted his work with bits of soil
ed bread rubbed into the filings. Now
he has cut one and Is at work upon the
last.
The window is far above the floor,
and he stands upon stool.
He suddenly stops as a fash comes
upon him He sinks back out of sight
and buries his face with his hands.
An instant passes. He RECEIVERS. He
reappears at the crate, seizes 1t in his
enormous hands and wrenches 1t mad
ly. 1t yields breaks, and he staggers
back with 1t in his hand and falls upon
the floor, stunned and bleeding.
Although n murderer, de prays to
some power which he blasphemously
calls his God and leaps to his feet and
grasps bunchy. tattered coil of strip
ped bedclOthing, afIixes it to a stump
OF a remaining bar and plunges out
ward and downward by the wall.
1t Is the work Of a minute. His
palms are scOrched, but he forgets
them, reaches the end Of his rope,
trembles. shuts his eyes and--drops.
1t Is but few feet He dashes for
the outer wall. shed is one round
of his ladder a bakery is another. He
crnwls across upon his stomach, gains
the farthermost edge aud throws him
self downward in the midst OF a hor-
rid burst of sound, glare of light and
10000 shouts Of alarm.
Nothing stlngs him No shot has
struck him Of the six hurled at him.
lie plunges through the water to his
lips, gains a road ana tears along, |
whistles shrllly with his remaining
breath. is rushed upon by two men in
coats and mufIlers. Is seized, thrown
into a wagon and whlrled away.
His name Is Richard Starkweather. a
man so fierce that they have caught
and Gagged him for his crimes a dozen
times, but a dozen times he has es-
capped
Two friends have communicated
with hlm In some mysterious way and
supplied him with the necessary imple-
ments, and these same friends now are
irving him off TO safety.
lie does not know where they drive.
'or he has nearly tainted. They know,
however, and rush onward and into 4
crest, where there is hunters hut.
a,
him. They battle him tenderly and
ARE for him like women. Two days
Ass, He Is well. though weak and merry
nus. On each day one of the men goes
way and comes back laughing at the
umult Starkweather's escape has
made and bringing food with him.
They say $1,000 reward is offered by
ne state for his body, and they laugh
II the more, and Starkweather Joins
hem heartily.
On the third day he lies partly Gov
red with moss within the hut, with
is eyes closed trying to sleep Off his ]
ervousness. One Of the men comes &
ack from the town and after looking
t him n moment goes outside to talk
nth the other, while he listens curl
nsly.
one OF them says, "He is asleep" t
ma then they continue. As he hears Z
hat they say his eyes open wide: t
hey stare out of his head. He strains Il
Is ears; his breath forces itself from g
I'm. He hears feet running, and he
es down again and is calm and quiet.
hey look In upon him again and
gain say to each other. HE is asleep" u
An hour after they awake him to saw 8
lat there Is danger, and they must go v
morrow at night and hide elsewhere t
e smiles gratefully. Tomorrow comes,
light comes. He hides an iron bar in
8 shirt. and they get into the wagon
lutiously, one ON each side of him, u
Id drive of. They come to road Il
hich forks, They take the right. He u
Its his hand into his breast and SAYS: II
Take the leftp RI
They stare at him and keep on. He
ders them again:
Take the left or haltr'
They suddenly seem to comply. They 81
I'm the horse sharp to the left, the eN
re wheel gets under the body of the
agon. and 1t is hurled over and falls.
It'll crash, A shrill whistle bursts
ION the night and fifty men and fifty lie
hts are on the road at once. IN
There is great shout. sharp cry, a W
nttie, with desperate blows, and thew ee
We him fast. He is cut and bleeding. tn
IS two betrayers stand before him =
d all the rest about him. He glares r.
them and gasps. His mouth IA
ed with dust, and he can say moth
at first, but finally bursts out like
Wild animal.
Look here, meny" he shouts, nod.
lg at the two before him. 81 heard
I'm plan 10 turn me over to you.
ard them plan out the blood money
tween them. They have played me
Sc. They are betrayers when they
'tended to be friends They helped
out of jail In order to surrender me
llnr'
ie is in a horrible fury. He bursts