Free trader-journal. (Ottawa, Ill.) 1916-1920, 1918-09-03
MS STRANGE REVENGE.

inside HarITldge found bed faA
tened by hinges to the stone side wall,
and a table The narrow door was ot
bars OF steel, and opened on bare
space about fifteen feet wide, which
Nent entirely around the cell block.
On the other side of this space was
the prison waif, with its long, narrow,
barred windows higher than his head
from the floor.
BY crowding against the cell door,
Snd looking up thru one OF the wiz
dows. Hartridge found he could catch
/ glimpse Of the heavens and three or
four stars twinkling down at him.
Later, he discovered that by standing
close against the bars OF his door, he
could converse with Jefferson in the
next cell In This way, the two men
gradually came TO know each other.
There was one radical difference be-
tween them Hartridge never men.
toned his name, nor the crime for
which he was convicted, nor anything
about himself
Jefferson, however talked Of him
self continually: Of his wife and little
children; OF his own innocence and
the burden on the district attorneys
back The last seemed to be- an obses-
sion With him He played on the
Thought from every angle, coming
bark to it so constantly that Hart
ridge thought he must be going mad.
Gradually HartriGge became accus'
toned to the prison routine and began
to regain his former strength With
returning health came the old fear OF
Jtffers0ns prophecy, and this was
made more poignant by the presence
Of Jefferson himself His conscience
begsn TO torture him He lay awake
q nsht to shu,GSr helplessly away
nDem the maddening thoughts list
came TO him. He bought cup upon cup
Of the scalding mixture which was
seld during the night,to convicts UNI
der the NINE OF coffee, and sulped 1t
down. Then, in desperate effort FOR
mpanonsbip he began to hang to
the bars of his cell door. waiting to
have few words with the guards as
they passed in their rubber-heele1
sh0es on their rounds.
But the day brought him no respite
from his tortures. For some reason
he was transferred from the bolt shop
To- the chair factory. He was put to
work there at a bench beside Jeffer-
son, and the little man, having acquir-
ed the convicts way Of talking with
out moving his lips. muttered continu-
ally Of his innocence. his wife and
little children. and the burden on the
district attorneys back.
Hartridge began to grow desperate.
In spite Of himself he liked Jefferson.
He felt nearer to him than to any
other person on earth, but the shame
OF what he had done to the little man,
kept him from declaring the truth
about himself, and he hated his soul
for his cowardce.
He tried to plan some other way to
make amends, and as His old asgres-
siyeness came back full force upon
him, II turned his mind toward escape.
Working together, he thought, he and
JEFFERSON might get away form the
prison and start anew. His busy mind
began to TEEN with schemes.
Darnell Prison rests like castle on
q slight hill on the outskirts of large
city in the middle West. The main
line Of railroad runs past in on one
side, and on the other a sluggish riv-
or winds lazily. Over fifteen hundred
cOnvicts are confined within the great
walls, some of them the most desper-
ate men of that section of the coun-
try.
At dinner one day Hartridge felt q
strange suspence in the air. The men
around him seemed keyed with but
partially suppressed excitement. He
noticed that the big negro who sat
next to him refused to eat. but sat
xiancing continually from side to side.
The guards who stood on their little
raised platforms around the hail. with
their rifles resting in the hollow of
their arms, seemed to sense some.
thing out of the ordinary in the sur,
charged atmosphere. Their eyes royed
anxiously over the silent men be.
meath them.
With the others. Hartridge rose at
the signal and lined up to return to
his work in the chair factory. Slowly
the long lines moved out OF the room
until the last man stepped thru the
doors leading to the courtyard. As he
passed thru, he turned suddenly and
slammed them behind him.
The noise seemed to act as a signal
A line of prisoners broke suddenly
and charged upon, the guards. A salvC
Of shouts from husky throats shatter
I'd the silence, AZ the men spranl
upon the guards and wrested theil
guns from them. There was a scatter
ing shot or two and pandemontun
broke loose. ,,, hsta ,..
Some of the conyicts, frightened
ruAhed to the walls and /stood there
with their faces turned frem thu
sseaggltng men scatterirs over n!
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