Baxter Springs news. [volume] (Baxter Springs, Kan.) 1882-1919, 1908-09-17
A QUESTION
OF IDEN THY

"0uiIty!
I heard the verdict OF the jury In
differently: I braced myself against
the rail and waited for the exordium
Of the Judge. In that supreme mo-
ment ! felt that alone dominated
the courtroom. Every face among the
spectators was turned on mine In hor.
ror. The senile old foreman was pull
ing his beard, and his lips moved: !
knew that he was uttering a prayer.
Then the Judge commenced his
speech. I had been Justly convicted
Of q dastardly crime, he said; had
crept by night into the bedroom OF the
millionaire sheep owner and blown
him into eternity with a bomb. Az
for my defense Of mistaken identity,
that was too contemplate to require
notice. The cowardly cattlemens or
ganixation which had, he did not
doubt, inspired and hired me. might.
for the moment, have escaped Justice.
But the law, though slow, was sure;
Il would track down their leaders N
Il had tracked me down. could have
NO hope OF q reprieve, and he recon-
mendsd me TO spend what short time
remained to me in making my peace
with God.
Men under sentence Of death seem,
even 10 their jailers, to have atoned
already for their crimes and sins. For
the first time since my imprisonment
began the sheriff cvinced compassion.
ate pity toward me as he sat beside
me in my cell that night.
my boy" he began, why not con-
fess and make your peace? Jim. you
amt never had no case. boy. Jim
amt your name. you say! You amt
Jim Crawford, but Frank Sanford,
and happened along about the time
the explosion occurred. Lad, didn't
they hnd the giant powder In your
bedroom? Isn't there 80 and more
people In this town identified you?
Your own brother came all the way
from Omaha to disown you, and then
had to admit you. You've been iden'
tifed by your own photographs and
thumb prints and measurements In
the 81. Louis penitentiary. and that's
surer than the gospels, Jim. An your
own dog identified you in the court.
room. Jim, lad, I've never had to
swing q man but he owned up to me
before he died. I'd hate to send you
into eternity with lie on your lips"
The good old man ambled away at
last, shaking his head over my OBJ
stinacy. Well. I was prepared to die,
but never, while the breath was In my
body, would I admit that ] was the
Desperate they claimed me to be. Per.
haps I, too, had I been in the jury
box, would have convicted. Yet there
was one person who still believed In
me through all, since the first day OF
my incarceration. and that was Mu'
riel, the sherifi's daughter. She &C
eompanied her father the following
morning when he brought me my
breakfast, and gave me great bunch
Of roses.
Frank, DEAR" she whispered. as the
old man turned away from my cell
door. II trust and believe In you. l
know you're not Jim Crawford. but
my love. And I'll save you, Frank,
I'll save you"
I surmised from what direction the
| helm would come, and my next inter
view with Muriel confirmed my sus'
picions.
Frank, dearest" she whispered,
your friends are going to make jail
delivery ut midnight. And when
you're in the east again and safe from
all danger you must send me word
somehow and I will come to you.
And I'll wait patiently for months and
months, or years, II need be- for
know you are innocent. Frank. and
shall love you always"
II was q night OF horror such 90 ]
have never known. The suspense. al
ways the suspense; the silent night.
broken by pistol shots, the batterins
of logs against the prison doors; the
cries that resounded through the stone
halls like rife fire; the long. eternal
agony Of doubt-and then my rescu'
srR masked men, brandishing their
guns like torches, bursting into the
corridor to free me with the keys
which they had taken from the old
sheriff, who stood in their midst, help
iessly protesting this was like the
phantasmagora Of q dream until OF
! length, coming to my senses, found
myself seated upon the swiftest horse
I in Cobweb, leading . mare packed
with necessities Of life wherewith TO
cross the desert.
/, thrust my feet expltantly inside
the stirrups Of wood; / pressed my
knees against my horses TANKS and
gathered the snafie reins between my
fingers. Then, casting one glance