Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1914-08-05
CHAPTER VIII,
"Aunted,H

"Hunted."
n ONTGOMERY travelled all night
|" and with morning dropped of
on the outskirts of a little
New Jersey village. He re-
manned in the woods all day, determin-
ed that the good start, so providential-
~ given him, should not be lost
through any lack of caution on his
part.
At brook he cleaned himself and
the muddied garments he wore, and at
evening Of the second day Of his es-
cape he felt that he could present HIM
self among his fellows again. During
this time he had appeased his hunger
with carrots, radishes and turnips from
the edge Of truck farm.
He craved warming drink and
more substantial food. After dark he
entered the village and found a lunch
wagon near the railroad station. It
was while eating in this roadside cara
vansary that he overheard two men
gossiping about the $1,000 reward Of
fered for his recapture.
1T was daring escape" said the
man next him. "The newspapers all
wrote it up in fine style and announced
that the police would pay the reward
1 asked Constable Miklejohn about it,
and he told me that soon description
and his pictures would be in the hands
of every police office everywhere
Montgomery finished his meal in 81
lence, paid for it from the money he
had brought with him from prison and
departed
He realized that within a week or
ten days he would not dare show his
face to police officer in city rr vii
lage. He would have to get beyond
the police net if he could. It would
take time for him to grow beard and
change his appearance. He would
seek refuge in part Of the country
where villages and towns were not so
closely crowded together. In some re-
mote corner he could, perhaps, secure
for himself some little social standing.
just enough to feel as If he had some
identity other than that written in the
police records. He would willingly
work his hands to the quick in any
form Of honest toll for this boon.
He secured time table at the rail-
road station and, finding that a south
ern express paused there, bought
ticket to Richmond, Va.
On the train he secured copies of the
New York newspapers and read the
accounts of the search for the escaped
convict. In all of the stories reference
was made to the fact that he was an
expert machinist, and he felt that the
police would surely look for him among
those of his craft. His heart sank with
in him. His craft was to bring him the
means by which some day his name
would be cleared so that he would
have the inestimable boon of moving
without police shadow at his heels,
of living in the open and of doing his
best in the struggle of life.
Montgomery fingered in Richmond
for several days, taking humble lodg-
ing in cheap boarding house and
gradually equipping himself with
modest wardrobe. He lived with
strictest economy, boarding his scanty
supply Of money. He yearned for
chance to work with his hands, but he
feared to show himself in the daytime
as yet. At the end of week he learn
ed from an afternoon paper that the
local police had posted circulars Offer
ing reward for his capture. He saw
his own picture on the front page of
the paper and under it close and &C.
curate description of himself. He
would have to move on.
He did not return to his lodging
house for the little supply of clothes
he had gathered, though he had paid
for his room in advance. He knew
that every other city in the country
would soon be added to the police
mesh, and he determined to leave the
paved streets for the quiet and seclu-
sion of country roads. In section Of
the city where the poorer people did
their shopping he bought tin of meat
and q box Of crackers. He still had
$25, and he would have spent the most
Of it for a kit of tools, but he did not
dare run the risk. He managed to
pick up in a small shop soldering
outfit, light hammer, resin, a spool
of wire and few other essentials for
a tinker's outfit. He made light pack
and as night was falling found his
way southwark out of the city. It
was summer, and he could sleep in
barns and stables or in the open dur
ing fair weather. He determined to
travel on foot by night and sleep by
day until his beard was fully grown.
=
Into the lower bay of New York
came yelling one of the highest tides
of the early summer. Higher and
higher the water rose until the nests
Of the marsh fowl foated away and
only the top of the New Jersey sedge
was to be seen. The highest of the
hummocks in the meadows was COW