The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-08-08
5 s. Main st.
Memphis

ment. Porter 9fipped a few, pills into
my hand and 1careleSsly walked oIL,l
AZ he left, the bitter isolation OF me
prison wa intensified. The cell walls
seemed heaving. together; closing ms
into a blaSI pit ier. hA' '
Quizzical Answer.
He had said nothing Of himself.
knew that he was convicted on =
charge Of endorsement. never askSu
him abnut II, One day In New YORK
years later, he alluded to It. he We
shaving In his in the
hotel. We were talking OF ola t.mss ~
To tell him OF q bank robbery we mao
pulled in the outlaw days. -, -
"What did you fall fart aSkeu
He turned upon me q look OF qulzzicaI
hurnor. rubbed the lather into his cnlh
and waited a moment betore ne an
S""Coionel, l have been expecting that
question for six years. ! borrowed iour
from the bank on a tip that cotton
would 70 up. 1t went down and l got
IT was but another of his quips. Por-
ter, / believe. and all OF his frlehos
share the confidence, was inn9Gen. ~
tho CnAIKe ldlu dBolAtCN b
ancused OF misappropriating about. Vi.
100 from the First National oenR OF
Austin. He had been railroadeo 10
prison, believe 1t. i.
II was not his guilt that thought OF
an he stood at my door that Sunaay
morning, but his buoyant
and the odd, delightful gravity OF ms
Suiet speech, He held me as he had
the first day I met him In the e%$a
cantina-
Rut az he left a thought full Of sting
ing Irritation, Wedged Itself into these
happier memories. I had been IN prls-
on nearly four weeks. Bill Porter Knew
1t. Everyone In the penitentlary xmsim
il. He had taken his time about VISIT
Ing me. Had II been me. I would v
rushed to see him at the first oppor-
L had tried to make out a brief for
him. Porter was a valuable mar 70
prison. He had been a phsrmacist IN
Greensboro before entering Ine Os sin,
the enyied position Of drug clerk II
the prison hospital. Many privileges
soRANned the bitterness. OF convict ire
ne had a good bed, scent FOOD anc
| comrArative freedom. why had M
failed to visit me?
Blow at Pride.
He was busy, / knew. And he woult
have gone to &Arnost n extremity Y,
avoid asking 4 favor from the guard
II would have cut him TO n auic,
were his interiors, Was he merely wait
ing his easy opportunity to see me-
didn't understand Bill Porter thei
as I learned to know him later. nov
now the reason for that long delay.
can appreciate the goading humiliatio'
0. Henry suffered when ne stood DC
fore my cell acknowledging himself
criminal even as myself. Porter kney,
my high esteem for him Always rett
cent. II was an aching blow to MS prid
10 meet me now, no longer the gentle
man, but a fellow convict.
Weeks went by. and ! didn't see Mn
again. The promise OF help and a pc
sition in the hospital, where food wa
good and beds clean, had put a flayo
even into prison stew. counted O.
Porter. Gradually the confidenc
waned. ] grew bitter with resentmen
and n cold feeling Of abandonment,
had been used ragged by everyone, ]
WAS one with ell the other ingrates
had helped.
Many Obstacles.
I aid not know that he was workin
for me all the while. j did not realiz
the obstacles that block promotion J
a prison. I decided to help myself.
tried to escape, was caught, sent In I
solitary for IA days and then brough
down TO the hell hole for trial.
Dick Price, a convict ] had befriend
ed and a life termer, tried to save m,
While ! was sitting on the bench out
side the deputy warden's room, Die
went past me,
You've got a fellow Jennings
solitary for trying to escape, / CAV
him the saws, He's q new a Ain
been here long enough to know th
ropes. l wised him up to escape, Civ
me the punishment"
Dick spoke In a loud voice. ! knc'
Il was a cue for me. He had not give
me the saws. He knew nothing abol
theAe4cape until a horsethief peached Q
new
/ was called before the deputy.
How did you like your new home
he asked with q leer. He meant u
hole In solitary, 81 found out whel
you got the saws. Dick Price gay
them to you"
dIt,s a iie,,' I said. Dick Price hs
nothing to do with H."
Y II thought So" he said. Dicks
mighty good boy. Been here n Nigh