Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-07-08
CHAPTER w.
No. 60, 1903.

CHAPTER ".
No. eo,1os.
~ + the men sentenced with James
Montgomery six were sent to
" Sing Sing, while the others
went to Clinton and Auburn.
The six Sing Sing men were manacled
in couples, but us Montgomery was
LITER" additional precautiOn against
attempted escape was taken by hand
cutting him to guard as we'll as to
his prison mate. There were three
links in the chain of humanity aud
steel.
Montgomery found that the prisoner
long armed man with the prognathous
jaw who had sworn heartily and bit
terly the morning Of the lineup at po-
lice headquarters.
The six men and their guards piled
into an automobile van in front of the
Tombs on Center street. Above the
changing Of the gong Of the machine
and the heavy roar Of vehicular traffic
as they were taken toward the Grand
Central station Montgomery could hear
the man beside him keeping up a low
grOwl, as of a beast dreaming Of bat
tie. Had be known the length of this
mans sentence be might have envied
him, for he was to serve only fifteen
years. His offense was burglary.
They boarded a train for Ossining at
the Grand Central station.
At Tarrytown. where the electric
zone ended. the train was delayed
while an engine was coupled to the
coaches Here the tracks run on the
very edge Of the Hudson, the river
splashing the ties during high winds
from the west
Across the river Montgomery could
see pretty cluster of houses half hid
den In the trees. 1t was the village of
Nyack. Just over the skyline and be-
You'd the last peaked roof was cot
tage standing back from the broad au-
tomobile road which leads to Tuxedo.
Within that cottage was the little
mother with the faded eyes and the
heart that had turned to lead in the
criminal courts building in New York.
His eyes peered hungrily through the
coach window. He had written to her
from the Tombs. 1t was Il brave letter
of determination to some day prove to
the world that he was innocent of the
crime Of which be had been convicted.
He advised her to cast about for
boarler so that she could keep the
taxes paid on the home. His father
had been Mason in good standing,
and the Masons had helped her before.
They would help their dead brothers
widow again. he told her.
The boy pressed his forehead against
the window pane and Toasted his eyes
for the last time on the heavily wood
ed farther shore.
One of the strongest swimmers among
the sturdy country boys about Nyack,
he had swum the river, good three
and half miles, more than once. and
this scene in all it's simple loneliness
was old, and sweetiy old, to his young
eyes.
The train paused at Scarborough and
was off again in less than a minute.
Suddenly the eyes Of the boy at the
window encountered total darkness
and to his ears came the din Of rail-
road tunnel. The short tunnel was d.
rectiy under the entrance to Sing Sing
prison In Il few seconds the train
cleared the tunnel and stopped at o.
shining station.
covered tumbril was ready to take
them up the steep road from the sta
ton to the highway running south and
to the prison. The team Of horses
struggled upward. straining and pant
Ing. and, reaching the highway, STOP
ped to blaw. The convicted men had
few more precious moments in
which they could feast their eyes with
glimpses Of sky, river and hills
through the open front and rear of the
vehicle.
At the end Of the road doomed a bar
rack-like building Of gray stone, fast
blackening with the years. 1t was the
first Of the prison structures, and
about it ran a high and wide wall. AT
regular intervals upon this wall were
little octagonal sentry houses and In
each of these stood q man with a rife
The building, rising high above the
wall. had narrow Sits in its sheer
stone sides, and these Sits were crisis
crossed with steel bars.
Within this structure cell awaited
Montgomery. 1t would be his resting
place at night after the days work in
the shops Of the walled city Of silence
Borrow, sweat and celibacy. or the out
side world he would see only patch
Of sky squared by the steel bars. he
would be as the police thought a yegg
man should be-buried alive.
James Montgomery was stripped OF
his clothes and finally stripped of bis
name. Both were thrown away. He
became No. GO,1OS.
He stood naked under the examina
ton Of the prison physician and was
then placed under shower bath and
washed clean. Garments made by con
victs were given him. i'll fitting under
wear. heavy shoes and Il dull gray suit
Of baggy trousers and almost shape
less jacket He was reported to the
foreman Of the machine shop as avail
able material for his fl roe
Montgomery was struck by the quiet
of the prison. There was no sound Oi
voices. COnvicts came and went OF
busted themselves IN groups over pris.