The Lancaster news. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1905-current, 1913-12-05
BRIDGED THE CHASM
BY WILLIAM o. STEVENS.

Dioody chasm today" Flushed with
the conviviality Of the Blue and Gray
determination, a stranger dropped
thumpingly into q chair at my table
in the Monticello cafe.
"Stiggins' my name, I'm o'mander
OF Winslow post up state" he re-
sumed, engaglngly. hast time 1 was
down here to Norfolk 1 helped In
the fust bridgin' of the chasm on
record, that's why I come all the
way to this" My polite look of in
quiry opened the flood gates wide, and
the story flowed ripplingly.
We'll, sir, 1 enlisted Il November,
'64, gets my bounty and calls myself
Jones. Then right of the cap'n Of our
comp'ny was pickin' on mo all the
time. L stood 1t patient till one day,
while l was settin' under a tree on
picket duty, he come by. Then / gets
up easy an give him a socker on the
jaw. He didn't wake up for two
hours"
Mr.. Stiggins paused to ring for an
other high ball. The place was de-
serted except for lanky fellow in a
broad felt hat whom noticed bending
over the hotel register an hour be-
fore, and who now seated himself at
the adjoining table with his paper and
cigar.
We'll, they jugged me for six
months, and that prison was where
we bridged the chasm, like 1 said. It
was an old stone warehouse made
over, an chock full. The room l was
in-'bout ten by twenty-held four
Yankees an six rebs, with a guard at
the door. "Twa'n't long before we got
real friendly, an right off we begun
iayin' plans for escape. We all want
ed to git out, an that was what Car
roty called our bond OF union. Car
roty-we called him that because he
had flannel-shirt hair-was q real
smart Johnny Reb from South Caro-
lima regiment sent up with the other
prisoners from Roanoke. He was a
spy and he was crazy to git out; uster
talk looney bout his wife an kids.
Now, he'd smuggled in a little
Sheffield knife, an when he found
that in the scuffie Of Citing me in
they'd left my jack knife, he almost
whooped. give it to him an he took
1t on In corner. Then, settin' my
blade against his blade, he pounded
with a loose brick till he'd saw-edged
his'n. Next he saws on the iron bar
In the window. 1t took four days to
git through, an while he sawed he had
us all round him singin' to cover the
squeakin, the Rebs whoopin' Bonnie
Blue Flag an we four yellin' Red,
White an Blue. The day guard was
a Dutchman, an the noise give him
such fits he KEEP as fur from the door
as he dared an plugged his ears.
Now, I was the strongest in the
bunch by a whole lot, an when Car
roty gone clean through he says, 'Stig-
gins'-he foun' Jones want my real
name-'Stigins, we need your bceps
on that bar, an only one man can git
holt to once. The next cloudy
night, when the guard walks up the
corridor, you bend the bar out, and as
I'm the only death sentence here, I'll
skip out first; then you pull it back
SOS you can hang a coat over it when
he comes past again. Keep bracin' it
till you let 'em all out You see, he
cal'lated I'd git out last.
Bout two o'clock gifts up puiet an
takin' good holt, bent the bar an
braced 1t with my foot till / could
Jes' squeeze out aidgewise. Then |
drops onto the fat roof OF the mex
buildin' an makes tracks for Ports
mouth. Mex mornin' early l jump on
the tail of a train carryin' furlough
men, an in four days 1 was in Pitts
burgh eniistin' again an gettin' an
other bounty.
"Carroty? Oh, early mex mornin'
they foun' me gone an the busted
SHAT In the winder; so they give Car
roty time to write home an shot
him"
Up rose our aeighbor, threw off his
hat, and leaning his hands on our ta-
bic, looked Stiggins in the eye. no
ttced then that his hair was bright
red But Stiggins fell back with wild,
bloodshot eyes. "CArroty." he whis-
pered hoarsely.
NO, Carroty's son; stranger" turn.
Ing to me, FOR ten years I've attended
encampments looking for this man.
and reckon I'll take no interfer-
ence. If you don't get right up" this
to the shapeless huddle in the chair,
I'll do the trick right hyah." A steel
barrel flashed from his pocket. "But
I'd rather not mess up the floor If I
can help It."
For Gods sake, man." I began
aghast, but he swept me aside men.
acingly. Then he collared his dazed
prisoner and thrust him out into the
midnight.
NCnr,r,.i..i,a L.. I'LL r,I----