The Topeka state journal., 1913-05-17

other day, he invited his newspaper
friend to go along. And thereby hangs
a tale. One reason the newspaper man
was invited was that Kiene wanted
particularly brave man along so that
he could take this bad man to prison
without Handwriting him. Quite a thlng
for a sheriff to do. Eloquent testimony
of his nerve and judgment of men.
Mccoy walked along like lamb: No
handcuffs humiliation Easiest th1ng
IN the world. Just like leading a little
child by the hand or going to church
with your girl. The newspaper man
knows why these things were so but
modesty forbids that he tell. Let kie1e
have the credit. But there is no get
ting away from the fact that Mccoy
knew that it was the slim man he had
to fear, not the fat one The slim man
with the big gun in his coat pocket
OF course Mccoy did not know that the
slim man would have had to hold the
gun in both hands and sighted five min
utes to shoot in three feet of a mark
And he did not know that the fat man
is a pretty good shot with any klha
of a weapon. But nevertheless ana
notwithstanding it must nave the sillh
man that cowed MCCOY
Taking a man to the penitentlary Is
serious proposition. It's a good deal
like fastening crepe on a door, or ole-
ging a grave. or making pIumeS Io'
a hearse 1t is not job that is con-
ducive to hilarity ana nsht hedrl
ness.
lin Mccoy used to be what is re-
1arded as a hard citizen. But he was
not hard the other morning. He olo
more thinking than he had done IN an
his life before. 1t was hne morning.
The earth had been washed by raln'
the wind had blown the clouds away
the air was as full of miracles as
patent medicine advertisement ana tHe
green fields and fruitful VaileSs "ei
flooded with sunshine
rT1oo little ierkwater train that crawls
from, Holiday to Lansing was running
foo fast to suit Jim Mccoy. He smlleo
when it stopped for the brakeman 10
open the gates Cthey really have gates
across this railroad track, the only
ones in the world) and he looked ap-
prehensive when the train got unueI
wav again, as though he reared II
would Jump the track
McC,ov was sentenced in the Shawnee
court for ten years. Wow! but that ls
= long time He was walking up the
hill now from the Lansing depot TO
the nrison. He will not walk down
that hill until it has been covered oy
the SHOWS of ten winters ana the ho"
ers of ten returning springs
woman came out OF mouse oh
+b;s street and stood in Ter yard u
watch this big negro trudge mourn
f11Ilv I'D the hill. She has seen -nleS nt
climb that hill. no doubt, IKE MlrZa
saw the multitude on the prlose acl loS
the valley of Bagdat, and few came
back again. ox,
lin came in sight of the big gray
nrison walls and gave an Involuntary
start Them walls is mighty h1sn,
he said. He shuffied his feet as ne walk
cd along the smooth cement way up 70
- nrisop gate Beds of beautl1ul
1ansies lined the walk. The leaves Oh
tho trees sang their little song unueI
the ceaseless finger of the VINO ne
space of time as represented oy zen
vears never seemed so long, or loomeu
e big as if did to the Topeka negro
when he entered the gate to take thl9
Deriod in his hands and hold II as
man does a chunk of ice until 1t meits
to nothing 1t will be as cold as ice
and as hard ice and 1t Will ne1'
slowly for there is an awful lot OF II.
Positively. as Mccoy shuft1ed up thdt
Lansing prison walk that summer odS'
the oppression of his near imprlson-
ment settled on his two guards II
got on your nerves. and that is d
fact It was like driving a hearse
into a graveyard at mldnSnl Will
cloud over the moon.
If Jim could have shut his eyes IN
the Kansas avenue pool nan lndl
morning he shot Sydnor and seen the
vision of that negro that shuffled ms
feet along the Lansing prison SldeWaik
and felt the chill the bright sunlight
gave his bones when he entered the
gate ne WOulO nave eaten MS NIA -
stead of shooting it and crawled out
the door to ask some one for salt to
flavor the meal.
Be Making Twine in June.
1t is expected that the twine plant
at the penitentiary will be in operation
again by the middle of June. Not at
full capacity, but nevertheless it will
he making twine. Warden Codd1ng
made the statement to u State Journal
man as the latter went through the
prison. One of the old storage rooms
will be utilized. A new cement floor
has been laid in this building, the
twine machinery is expected within
twenty days. A temporary One-Story
structure of brick will also be built at
once on a part of the site of the
burned twine plant and twine will be
made in this place also before the
summer is past.
The work of clearing away the ruins
and debris has proceeded at an in
credible pace. Little tramway tracks
wind and twist through the ruins and
these are utilized to haul away the
wreckage-
The big fire of a few weeks ago cut
terrible swath through the prison
yard. 1t burned both ways from the
twine plant and left a track of ruins
in the trim prison yards like a giant l..
The plan of the prison heads is to
get the twine plant started again as
quickly as possible and they are bend
ing every energy in that direction. The
other work of rehabilitation must wait
on this pressing necessity. All the
stored twine, three million pounds.
was burned. Deputy Warden Charles
Lindsey is trying to save lot of this
twine that was only slightly damaged.
Sense and Sentiment-EVen Doses.
They will date history at the prison