Five Mile Beach weekly journal., 1915-07-30
Keeper and
Convict
By JOHN Y. LARNED

the high school at the same time. From
the high school they went out into the
world to fight the battle of life. Rug
giles drifted into the political arena
and after an election, during which he
had lone good work for his party, re-
eeived the appointment of head of the
state ~penitentiary.
Barnes became a merchant in Il
small way. He finally formed a part
nership with a man who swindled him
out Of all he possessed. A quarrel en-
sued that ended In a seuffie, during
which Barnes threw his opponent.
whose head struck some hard sub
stance, and his skull was fractured.
He died, and Barnes was sent to the
penitentiary to serve a term of ten
years.
When Ruggles and Barnes met, after
not having seen each other for several
years-the one as keeper, the other as
conyict-both shed tears.
'aTom,' said Barnes, I'm sorry you
are my jailer. | cannot serve out my
term, and l am bound to try to escape.
And | wish to say to you now that |
expect you to do your duty by the
state like an honorable man. You may
kill me while trying to capture me
when l try to escape"
Don't try the escape game. Ed. 1t
seldom, if ever, pays. And in this case
1t would be hard ON us both. l should
certainly do my duty, and you know
where that duty would lie. To me you
are only one of hundreds of prisoners
for whom l am responsible
Barnes made an effort to serve out
his sentence without any attempt to
escape. But one day an excellent OPP
p%ortunity offered itself. He was in the
| yard of the prison near a gateway.
which was opened to admit a cart. A
storm came up, and the gatekeeper was
blinded by a cloud of dust and light
ming. Barnes slipped out and ran like
a deer.
He ran into a house not far from the
prison, where he found a 1t
is difficult to repress sympathy with
one bounded for his life or his liberty,
and the woman furnished him with a
suit of her husbands clothes, and
Barnes persuaded her to give him a
revolver. But Ruggles at the head of a
force was after him, and the convict
was seen leaving the house. He had q
good start, and when they reached him
he was on rising ground behind a stone
wall ready to defend himself. Rug
giles ordered his men to keep back. tell
ing them that he would go forward
and endeayor to persuade the prisoner
to surrender. He walked forward till
he heard Barnes call out:
Don't come any farther, Tom. I'm
desperatei"
"Give yourself up, Ed. I've got a
dozen men down on the road. 1t will
be suicide for you to resist, and to hurt
you would be an awful thing for me-"
81 can't go back to that life. I'd
rather die"
There was a grim silence between
them for a few moments; hen Barnes
added:
go back and send your men to take
me. I don't want TO hurt you, and I'm
going to use up the six shots in my re-
Yolver."
81 wouldn't send my men where I
can do all there is to be done. If any
one is to be killed in your recapture I
prefer that it should be myself"
THAT'S not right. I've got to die;
you haven't. Don't shoot your old
chum or compel him to shoot you.
You'll give me a better chance for my
life by sending one Of your men, or all
of them for that matter"
you know l couldn't do that. |
might as well resign my post and lose
myself in another country. But it isn't
my position that I'm thinking of; it's
my honor. The state trusts me to car
ry out the will of the people, and I'm
bound to do so. If you were my own
brother or my own father I would be
obliged to take you all the same"
81 see how 1t is, Tom. We're forced
by fate into this position. If you'll
agree to kill NJ I'll step put and give
you a shot"
mo; you'll have to defend yourself.
I must do my duty to the state, but
I'm not the state e~xecutioner."
We'll, L won't be captured, and you
won't accept my life. l don't see that
there's anything to be lone but for US
to say 'Goodby.'"
you'd better surrender, Ed. With
time off for good behavior you'll only
have about six years to serve"
ask years of such life is far worse
than death"
IF you won't surrender promise me
that you'll defend yourself to the best
of your ability; that you won't spare
me. If you let me kill you you'll force
me to live a life of regret that would
be worse than your six years Of i'm.
prisonment.'
81 wish l could stand it to do the
rest of the time. 1t would save you