The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1910-02-15
A QUESTION CT IDENTITY.

differently; | braced myself against
the rail aud waited for the exordium
of the judge. In that supreme mo-
ment felt tina, alone dominated
the court room. Every face amoLl
The spectators was turned on mine
in horror. The senile old foreman
was pulling his beard, and his lips
moved; | knew that he was uttering
a prayer.
Then the judge commenced his
speech. had been justly convicted
Of dastardly crime, he said bad
crept by night into the beGchamber
OF millionaire sheep-owner and
blown him into eternity with a bomb
As for my defense OF mistaken iden-
tity, that was roo contemplate to
require notice. The coward cattle
mems organization which had, he did
not doubt, inspired and hired me,
might for the moment. have esCan-
ed justice. But the law, though
slow, was sure; ii would track down
their leaders as il had tracked me
down. could have no hope Of a
reprieve, and he recommended me 10
spend what short time remained to
me in making my peace with God,
Men under sentence Of death seem.
even to their iailers. to have atcned
already for their crimes and sins
For the first time since my imprison-
ment began the sheriff evinced COM
passionate pity toward me as he sat
beside me in my rell that night.
My hoy" he began, why not
confess and make your peace? jim,
you amt never had no case. hoy.
jim amt your name, you say? You
amt Jim Crawford. but Frank Sand
ford and happened along about the
time the explosion occurred. Lad,
didn't they find 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
identified by your own photographs
and thumb prints and measurements
in the st. Louis pententiary, 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 a man but he owned
up to me before he died Id hate
to send you into eternity with lie
on your lips"
The good old man ambed away at
last shaking his head over my OBJ
sinacy Wen, | was prepared to
die, but never while the truth was
in my body, would | admit that
was the desperate they claimed me
to be Perhaps / 100. had ] been in
the jury box, would have convicted
Yet there was one person who still
believed in me through all, since the
first day or my incarceration, and
that was Muriel, the sheriff's daugh-
ter, She accompanied her father the
I following morning when he brought
n
great bunch OF roses.
Prank dear" she whispered, az
the old man turned away from my
ooil door Il trust and be iavc in
you | know you're not Jim Craw-
ford but my love And I'll save you,
Frank I'll save you"
/ surmsed from what direction
the held would come. and my next
interview with Annie confirmed my
suspicious.
/ Frank dearest she whispered.
! your friends are going to make a
jail delivery at midnight And when
ybd're ms the east again and safe
from ali danger you must send me
word somehow and will Come 10
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
It was night of horror such ag
] had never known The suspense,
always the suspense; the silent night,
| broken by pistol shots; the batter
| ing Of logs against the prison doors;
! the cries that resoonded through the
stone halls like rife fire; the long,
eternal agony OF doubt-and then my
rescuers, masked men, brandshing
| their guns like torches, bursting
! along the corridor to free me with
| the keys which they had taken from
/ the old sheriff, who stood in their
! midst, helplessIy protesting this
| was like the phantasmagora Of a
| dream until at length, coming to my
senses, found myself seated upon
the swiftest horse in Cobweb, lead
| ing a mare packed with the ,neces-
stiles of life wherewith to cross The
| desert,
| thrust my feet exultantly inside
the stirrups of wood; | pressed my
, knees against my horses TANKS AID
| gathered the snafile reins between
my fingers. Then casting one glance
| backward. / saw MurieIs eyes fixed
| upon mine In love such as had not
| before come to me
She had trusted me as few women
| had done could not leave her to
| .,,4 -. tr.t.ytgb ,,,r,,,t l. I