Ellsworth American. [volume] (Ellsworth, Me.) 1855-current, 1908-07-15
Her Shopping Bag.
loriginal.l

4
of New Orleans. There we're two
members Of the Camera club. Writ
Ellsworth and Louise Leyan, who took
30 many photographs together that life
! came to appear to them to be coal-
| posed OF myriads of beautiful scenes.
But suddenly Ellsworth. who was Il
| sugar broker. WAS offered IA fine OPEN
| ing in Havana and Went there TO make
the place his home From that time
| forward al the pictures takea by Miss
Levan seemed to her to be tinged with
| melancholy. Ellsworth. too. though he
ceased TO make photc graphs. found
| that lie missed something IN being de-
| priyed of the girls society
At that time Captain General Wey-
Ter was vainiy endeavoring to throttle
| the revolution. He would have found
| it easier to stamp out prairie fire.
| Nevertheless he succeeded in putting
| many active revolutionary spirits out
| of the way by incarcerating them. as
he called it. incomunicado. which
| meant literally without communication.
F, In other words. no one was to know
who they were. that they were charged
with any osfense or anything else about
them.
Ellsworth was heartily In sympathy
with the Cubans. but wisely refrained
from taking any part in the revolution.
He had gone to Cuba to engage in the
sugar business. not to help the people
to gain their liberties But a rival
sugar broker. seeing certain lines of
business that he had always controlled
passing into the young Americans
hands. secretly lodged information that
he was plotting with the revolution
lists. Ellsworth was spirited away.
When month passed and no letter
had been received from him in New
Orleans. great was the trepidation with
regard to him among his relatives. He
had only mother and sisters, who.
instead of going to Cuba to find out
| what had happened to him. conteDted
themselves with worrying. 1t was then
that Louise Levan discovered how
much he was to her. and she decided
to go to Havana cal make inquiries
But instead OF announcing her real
purpose she gave out that she was GO
ing to take photographs of scenes per-
tanning to the revolution.
When Miss Levan reached Havana
she commenced investigations which
soon led to the knowledge that ELS
worth was confined in prison in the
interior His recent business associate
told her that he would have taken
measures to bring the case before the
American consul. but the incomunicado
prevented their getting any proof of
his identity.
Louise Leyan found herself confront
ed by a problem. How could she Sc
cure this proof? Even If she could get
into the jail. see the prisoner and make
affidavit to the fact of Ellsworth's
identity the trickery Of the Spaniard
would likely thwart her in the end
Knowing her purpose. they could SIM
ply remove the prisoner. After the
forming and rejecting Of many plans
| she hit Upon one that she proceeded to
carry out.
| Going to the town where Ellsworth
was imprisoned. she took up her abode
in an inn with a view to watching
for an opportunity to get glimpse Of
| him. He might be allowed exercise In
the Jail yard: he might appear at
| window; she might be admitted to the
prison. In the first two of these she
was disappointed. and all her applica
tons to gain access to the interior
were refused until prison inspector
came to the inn who the next day was
to inspect the prison. Louise secured
an introduction. fattered him and beg
ged that she might send written ac-
count. censored by him. Of the treat
ment of the prisoners. The official.
seeing an opportunity to influence
American sentiment, turning it from
the current reports Of barbarous treat
ment, consented.
| The next day Louise went with the
official to inspect the prison. In time
they passed Ellsworth's cell. He was
sitting on stool, pale. detected. ema
| ciated, reading fragment Of a news
paper. He did not look up. As the
party passed on Louise Jagged. This
gave her the opportunity she desired
| ShS SuAtiCu w Hat SctIueQ u US u
| lady's bag for the purpose of holding
handkerchief. portemonnaie and such
| articles. Instead it was a kodak she
had had constructed in New Orleans
In twinkling it had snapped. and she
had Ellsworth's picture
| The prisoner sat unconscious that his
old camera companion was looking at
| him and that she had the proof re-
| quired to set him at liberty. The party
passed on. and that evening Louise
showed the official report Of the in
spection. which he approved at once.
A few days later deputy United
States consul with several persons to
whom Ellsworth was personally known
Miss Levan was not among them
| appeared at the prison where he was
confined. The deputy was armed with
an order and photograph. The order