The Washburn leader. [volume] (Washburn, McLean County, N.D.) 1890-1986, 1914-04-17
ON The WINGS
Of 4 CYCLONE
Whirling Storm Brought Free
dom to a Convict.

party OotS'u0 So0 PsAoNA
course prison officials stood over the
workmen with loaded rifles.
But something came up In COMPARE
son with which the rifles OF the guards
we're but rs popguns. Kirby looked
up from his work and saw a black
cloud coming that looked more terrible
than the Judge who years before had
passed sentence upon him. 1t was bal
loon shaped, the neck trailing on the
ground. He glanced at the guards and
saw that they were standing with
their backs to the prison wall. with the
cloud also behind them.
1t passed between him and bis
guards. Being forewarned, he threw
himself fiat on the ground and held on
to a stout bush. When it had passed
the guards were nowhere to be e
There was method in what he did
when he started to in the wake
of the storm. 1t was the only direction
he could go to find possible safety. He
ran q mile over a ruined strip Of vi
try. when he came to a small village
that had been wrecked. Before a
house, that had been turned around
! and blown over on its side q man was
lying on his back dead. Kirby no
tlced that the head had been dis6gur-
| ed beyond recognition. He was plan
ming ahead, and his plans were made
with lightning rapidity. He took the
dead mans clothing for himself and
nut his stripes on the dead man. Then.
| taking up the body. he carried it to a
distance from the wrecked village and
| threw it in a ditch.
The storm had no sooner passed than
parties were sent out to scour the
| country for. those %convicts who had
escaped. But they were not the only
persons moving about. Without the
narrow belt traversed by the storm no
one had been injured. and rescue par
ties were coming from all directions.
Kirby, whose long confinement had
brought i'll health, had by this time
used up all his strength. In the out
skirts of the village a house had been
reduced to a heap Of kindling wood.
| Kirby decided to crawl in under the
] wreck. He had wormed himself in as
far as possible when a rescue party
came along and, seeing his boots. I'M
covered him. Feigning death. he lay
on his back, but one Of the party put
his ear to the ~convict's heart and heard
II throbbing. Liquor was poured down
his throat, and he knew that his sham
could not be kept up. Through partly
closed lids he saw that no prison OH
cial was present. and he opened big
eyes. He begged the party to leave
him and 60. on to others who needed
their attention. They were persuaded
and did as he suggested.
Then came another party. and the
convict. installing them for searchers
from the prison. again feigned death.
BY this time It was dark, aud his effort
was more Observation-Disclosures too Sue
cessful. They began to dig beside
him. and when they had made a shall
low grave they put him in and covered
him with earth. He was about to cry
out when II, occurred to him that they
were not burying him deep and the
earth above him would be loose. No
sooner had the shovelfuls Of clods
ceased to. pound him than he began to
push them away for air.
Meanwhile all who conlG be spared
from the prison were securing the
country far and wide. Judging that
theee who had. escaped would attempt
to4hfde in the track Of the storm. they
followed 1t. and one Of them. Jim
Mackin. came upon the body wearing
Kirby's stripes. He identified It as
Kirby by the clothes aud concluded
that there was one less prisoner to be
recaptured. BEING well. armed he
pushed on alone. AS the burying party
were completing their work of cover.
ing Kirby. Mackin a approaching
the grave. and they disappeared in
the darkness just before he came up.
Seeing something moving directly be.
tore him. Mackin threw a light from
his lantern upon the spot just in time
to strike the corpseifke face OF Convict
Kirby rising from the grave.
Prison officials r not likely to be
easily ratified, but Mackin had a few
minutes before seen the body Of the
convict. and the. sight Of the dead
mans features confronting him in this
fashion wal too much for his nerves
Throwing down his gun and lantern.
he ran as fast as his legs wonld carry
him.
Kirby. Kicking OF the earth, arose
from his grave. picked up the lantern
and was hurrying away when he saw
the lirht plisten on metal and found
the gun. This give him courage, He
conld. either appear to he hunting for
bodies or c~onvicts. M he liked. He
worked his way through the people
scnrrying about till he ieard = distant
locomotive whistle. A few minutes
later. be struck the rails and By the
lights near by a station. Rest OF all.
the locomotive headlight shone Tar
down the road and was slowly grow
Ing brighter: Thriving away his gun
and lantern. he ran for the station and
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