Bridgeton pioneer., 1917-06-07
MY
PRISONER
BY JAMES BRAINARD

SohlHiS hAoHi the penltentlary on tie
other bank and half a mile upstream
Whoever was in it was pulling as for
dear lie. As soon as he came hear
enough to me | recognized the striDe.
of q convict.
l stood under overhanging trees. and
he could hot see me. He ran his boat
ashore just below where | was and
without stopping to make fast jumped
out and climbed the bank. There he
saw woman within few feet of him.
l shall never forget the agonized look
on his face, and on seeing me it
changed to despair
For Gods sake, help mer' he cried
II have just escaped from over there.
and they'll be after me right away. l
was put in for crime never commit
ted. Either kill me or give me a chance.
If you tell them which way / go from
here they will overtake me and taka
me back to what Is worse than hell to
one reared as l was"
I looked up into the dense foliage of
a tree above where we stood. He took
the hint and, giving a jump, caught a
lower limb, pulled himself up and dis
appeared among the topmost branches.
Meanwhile his boat had foated down
with the current. 1 saw another boat
shoot out from the penitentiary. 1t
came dashing along. scattering spray
with its oars and making directly
for the spot where l was. Some one
must have seen the convict land and
have marked the location. The boats
occupants jumped ashore directly
where l stood.
Now, was not quite up to telling a
deliberate lie, but was willing to look
one, especially for poor fellow fleeing
from prison. Before the men had
climbed the bank had turned and was
looking southwark as if intensely In
terested In something. When they ap-
peared behind me l turned toward
them. They asked me which way a
man In stripes had gone. I did not
reply. But l had indicated the route
he had taken by dumb show, and they
set off in that direction.
Soon after they had gone the man in
the tree called to me to ask If they
were out of sight. When | told him
that they were he came down and
taking my hand, covered it with kisses
He was too much moved to say a word
go back" said, land keep in hid
| Ing. / will get you some clothing"
He went back into the tree, and
/ went home, caught up some of my
| brothers old clothes and ran back with
| them. The prisoner descended and
took them in among some bushes, put
them on and, rolling his striped suit
about stone, threw it into the river.
Then, seizing my hand, he looked a
world of gratitude, then went off in a
| direction opposite the one his pursuers
had taken.
| About year after this, while looking
| over a newspaper, l saw mention of
the arrest of an employee of bank
| for embezzlement of the banks funds
The item went on to say that the same
bank had suffered in the same way u
| few years before. An employee had
| been convicted of the crime and had
been sent to the penitentiary, but had
| escaped and had not been found. The
| person now arrested had confessed to
| having committed both crimes.
l certainly had not forgotten the
young man in whose escape l had as
sisted Indeed, 1 had thought great
deal about him.
One afternoon l was sitting on the
porch reading when a motorcar was
driven up to the door and a well
dressed young man alighted and came
up on to the porch. l recognized him
at once as my escaped prisoner. To
my surprise, he did not appear to recog-
nize me. He looked at me as though
trying to discover if he had seen me
before.
"Whom do you wish to seeT 1 asked
him.
"A young lady who assisted pris-
oner to escape from the penitentiary."
"It does not seem that she made
much Of an impression on you"
"That was because I was so absorbed
in my flight All my faculties were
riveted on making good my escape"
II can understand that. Well, I am
that girl you are looking for"
His manner changed at once. He
looked at me as though, to use para
doxical expression, he was oblivious to
me. He was trying to remember the
girl to whom he owed so much.
II have learned that you have been
vindicated," said.
"Yes, thank Godv'
II confess l was much pleased when
I saw an account Of it in a newspaper"
"My main object in life now is to
show my appreciation, my gratitude to
you for keeping me from being sent
back to prison. I owe you more than
my life"
Il did not tell lie for you"
"You acted what made me a free
man."
He took a seat near me and told me
his story. It was lengthy one and
calculated to melt the stoniest heart.
T don't Ennyu xyhotbor xroS mora r,1nv.