The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1916-01-13
SEVEN YEARS
TO SERVE
By M. QUAD
Copyright, 1915. by Mcclure News
paper Syndicate.


down again it was with the knowledge
that had seven years to serve in pris-
on. The crime? Well, let that go. /
was only twentythree years old then,
and a young man Is more easily led
off than an old one.
| expected from seven to ten years.
made up my mind to obey carefully
every rule and regulation of the pris-
on. No good time" was allowed In
those days, but if | conducted myself
to the satisfaction of the warden for
five years he would be quite willing to
ask the governor to shorten my SEN
tence. | had not been in prison more
than an hour, however, when | made
a change in my program. Such lone
liness came over mel felt such a hor-
ror at being shut out from the world
that determined to escape at the first
opportunity.
l was a fine machinist, and after
awhile was placed in charge of all
the machinery in the prison-that is.
kept everything in repair, and it was
an occupation in which delighted.
had little shop In the engine room,
and | looked after my work SO well
that l soon had the confidence of the
prison officials. The man who ran the
big stationary engine was a free
man" or an outsider hired by the
month, as was also the fireman. While
both treated me kindly and well, they
no doubt felt it their duty to watch
me and report anything suspicious.
My little shop had no door to it, and
while working in it | was under the
on his chair in the usual place he could
see my every movement, My room
had a window looking out on the gar
den of the prison. From the first day
| entered the little shop | determined
to escape by that window.
The engineer came on duty fifteen
minutes before | did and remained tif-
teen minutes later. while the fireman
slept at the prison and was aroused
about half past 5 O'Clock. had to
leave the shop at 5:55 to march in to
supper with my gang. To attempt to
leave by daylight would be foolishness,
as / would be seen by the guards
stationed on the walls. | must have
some excuse for lingering in my room
until after dark. and | had just plan
ned it when an unforeseen circum-
stance knocked me out. | was going
to disable the donkey engine just be-
fore 6 o'clock, knowing that | would
be called back to help repair it after
supper, when the prison authorities
gave the wagon contractor leave to
occupy portion of the garden with
his lumber. A great lot Of it was
hauled in and piled up directly before
my window, obliging me to use lamp
to work by and cutting off my chance
to escape. made some cautious In
quiries and found that it was all green
stuff and might be left there four or
five years to season.
1t was bitter disappointment.
The prison had been overcrowded.
and new wing was being built This
took thirteen months, and | was one
of the men transferred to it. was
put in cell No. 7, which was the last
on the left hand side and at the cor
ner of the building. | knew all about
this wing before we occupied it. The
east wall, which contained the win
dows, was still in the prison yard.
while the north wall ran along a pub
lie street Under the window nearest
my cell was piled lot of wornout ma
chinery and refuse lumber.
| had no sooner entered my cell than
| determined to make 1t the basis OF
operations.
AS the cement was not fully hard
ened, as | knew. decided to tunnel
out
That week spent in raising one OF
the dagstones in my CELL which was
about three feet square. and then
started the hole. / went down perpen-
dicularly two feet and then drifted
down toward the north wall at slant
so as to strike the foundation. | was,
however, greatly troubled to get fresh
air down in my tunnel, and the eramp-
ed position in which | worked kept me
sore and lame. While working at
night / had to be in bed regularly ev-
cry hour as the guard came around
and every morning the stone had to be
replaced and the crevices filled in with
breadcrumbs.
knocked off work the next week,
and 1t was well | did, as the guard
came creeping along to the different
cells at odd times during the night.
and | should certainly have been
caught Ii got so at last that couldn't
work in the tunnel over fifteen min
utes before the want Of air drove me
out. and along toward the end my
health failed me and | lost strength.
| dug under the stones and upward
about a foot on either side and then
| was sick for five weeks. Before |
got TO work again June had come, and
it was dark and rainy night on the
22d OF that month that | took fare
well leave Of my cell and era wled into
my tunnel had three or four feet
OF earth to dig away. and | was al
most perishlng for want of air as got
to the crust.
1t was about half past II when I
crawled out of the tunnel into the
storm and luckily no one was abroad
to catch sight of me,
lost no time in getting away from
the nelghborhood of the prison. and
long before my cell was unlocked in
the morning | was safe with friends.
Yes, | was hunted and n reward was
Of IN n.t I'm,