The Mobridge news. [volume] (Mobridge, Walworth Co., S.D.) 190?-1917, 1912-11-15
A CAN OF
PEACHES
By EDWARD L. HICKS

ever saw, and i believe that | can tell
Ian honest man from his expression.
/ 4 young girl came to see him soon
after his imprisonment who seemed
completely broken down on bis ac-
count. She asked me to let her see
him, and when | inquired as to their
relationship she said she was his be-
trothed.
J Those who call to see prisoners al
ways assume that the latter are inno-
cent. but from the story this girl told
me about her lover made up my
mind that he had been victimiZed. He
had fallen in with a couple Of rogues
. Who intended to crack crib.
+ Working Oh the young mans sympa
fthies by telling him yarn about
Girl held in certain house against
Ihar will, they proposed a rescue
/ Thompson that was his name-yield
lea to their solicitations to assist them
effected an entrance into the house
! for the purpose.
On the night when they proposed to
/ DO the job they stationed Thompson
on balcony To give the alarm If any
one came. Then. raising a window
with a Jimmy, they entered the house
and got away with a lot Of valuables.
lea wing Thompson 70 be caught. OF
course the story be had been told
about the rescue had no weight with
The jury. and despite this being his
first otfensc he was convicted
would not have believed the young
man capable Of being thus victimized
/ had it not been. rs have said. for
/ his honest expression and for a knOwl
edge of his character. which was child
/ like and sympathetic. Convinced of
/ bis innocence | felt sorry for him
and for the girl, who was devoted to
| him.
One day Agnes-she was Agnes
| Brown-came to me with can Of pre-
served peaches that she asked to be
permitted TO give her lover. / told her
| that MI could do In the premises
would be to have the can opened, take
ont the peaches and let him have them
in that way Put she said that he
couldn't eat them all at once and beg
! ged that he might be permitted to re-
| ceiye them as she had brought them.
! she would open them before me to
! show me that the can continued moth
/ ing but what she claicned it contained.
| didn't see what a prisoner could do
| to effect an escape with n tin can if
| there were no Instruments inside to
! enable him to do SO | brought can
| opener. cut the top Of the can and
! poured the contents out into dish. |
proposed to the girl to let the prisoner
! have them in the dish. but she said
she had brought some wax with her
with which he could seal the lid after
using part of the preserves, and
well, | did something | never did be
! fore or since; | consented that he
should have the peaches in the can.
But before sending the gift TO the
! prisoner I scrutinized it. There were
| preserved peaches, can and labei-that
was all The label bore the name of
the concern that canned the goods and
! a picture of fine ripe peach. A man
! might make saw out OF the tin TO cut
wood. but he could not get out OF his
| cell without cutting iron. Besides, he
! rOuld not make saw even out of tin
! without Il file.
| mention these minutiae as the rea
! sons why | permitted a tin can TO go
nto a prisoner and to show that there
no bnt i'm
! doing SO | soon had occasion to state
/ them to my Superiors as | have stated
them here. for that can of peaches was
the first and main feature in one of
the most ingenious and well carried
out plans OF escape | have ever known
or heard of On the morning after the
gift had been given Thompson his cell
was found empty and two bars at his
window sawed through. He had for
some time been making rope Of his
bedclothing. by which he let himself
TO the ground 4 confederate. prob
quent visits become familiar with the
premises, had thrown a rope over the
wall, by which he had climbed to the
top. where he found ladder on which
to 90 down on the other side. There
he had found bicycle and on this
scorched away.
| lost my position as warden OF the
prison. though those who deprived me
of ii could not explain how "a can Of
peaches had anything to do with
prisoners escape. But, on the whole.
| was glad he had regained his liberty,
being assured that he was innocent Of
the crime for which be had been i'm
priSoned. There was no evidence by
which Miss Brown could be convicted
of assisting him to escape, and since
she did not go away with him I sought
her, and ON my promise to take no ac-
ton against her she told me the secret
She had removed the label on the can
or peaches. put several very thin high
ly tempered saws under ii, the ends at
tached to the can 10y bits or solder. put
strips of paper in position to bring the
whole to the same level and replaced
the label. She must have done her
work very deftly.
Some months after the episode ! re-
ceived cards TO the wedding. Since I