The news scimitar. (Memphis, Tenn.) 1907-1926, 1919-08-28
CONTINUED From previoua rs,u..l
CHAPTER I'm

CHAPTER LII.
F1ve years more in prison II might
as wen have been 80. A biiRhting Tor.
n1ts 81 a swept over me, whipping
oul every new hope, every honest
thought. | felt dashed and tormented
e. though the blood in my veins were
buudenty turned into a million scornIons
stnging me TO a hot fury OF madness.
rushed into the postoffice, dashipR
.he neat OF treasures / had gath
ered TO the ground. Photographs OF some
OF the "cons"-a steel watch fob a
hfer In the contract shop made for
me, an old wooden box fashioned nv a
str bug" ~ the lumber mllls-these
ana a lew other things mad wrapped
together. wanted these ~meFhentoes.
bllly looked at me and the trinkets
strewn on the floor.
Don't seem TO be so clipper, Al
Amt glad TO kick the dust OF the o. p.
off your boots, be yeF"
was kneellng on the floor dumping
the treasures into a big handkerchief
and dumping them out again, scarcely
conscious OF the repetition. was afraid
to talk, afraid even to look al Billy. A
muFderous hatred was rearing like an
angry snake In my mind.
Before ] was aware of II, Billy had
shuffled over to me, helping himself
along with the chair, He sat down,
grabbed the bundle out or my nands and
tied It W..
who hit you. Al:'
Double crossed. 'Tain't New York,
faint Oklahoma, it's Leavenworth for
me-ive years"
spat the words out in vicious gust.
Billy dropped the bundle, his mouth
aagged open, Amazed and unbelleving,
he stared at me.
took the bundle from him. The
marshal is waiting for me. and started
running from the room.
an YOU amt goln' without sayin'
good. bye?' Bllly's crippled spine kept
him from reaching me. He was crying,
ITS a damn shame, AL"
i went outside into a warm flood OF
sunshine. There was a zip and a dash
IN the air and the flowers seemed 10
Haunt their jauntY spring colors, II
had been free | would have gulped in
that buoyant gladness in the air,
Shame Takes Interest Away.
was doomed, and the slap in the soft
breezes put only an added tang to the
bitterness In my heart. The marshal's
long, black figure leaned against a stone
column just outside the gates. He wa
tvirling something that glittered In his
hands.
As | came near him no o a step
toward mo, dangling the handouts.
Something Insane, ~unreasoning as a
tiger, possessed me. made q leap.
The marshal drew back. We faced
then Darby, breathless and Hurried. was
between US,
Don't handcuff HIM He's straight
as a die" The marshal. already weak
with fear, dropped the steel rings into
his, pocket HE won't try to escape"
tempt to guard me, l made no effort to
escape. At L~Aavenworth he turned me
over to the warden, The shame and iG-
nominy OF going again through the
measurements, the mugging, the head.
shaving, Of standing again In the fourth
grade criminal class, Inundated me with
mean. paltry, slapped-in-the-face
/ had no interest left in life. Not even
the thought OF seeing Crank buoyed me
Second Sentence Illegal.
l felt too degraded to wish for the
meeting, II was the silentest, most
mournful reunion two pals ever had.
Frank looked at me and ! at him, and
we didn't say a word until the guard
beckoned for me to leave.
Something had died In me. After that
] saw very little OF my brother. I didn't
v . try TO see him, Six months Of
weary, sordld stagnation wheeled
along,
And then one morning, without a
breath of warning, the light broke for
me. l walked out OF the pan.
John and my father had pressed my
case. The United Circuit Court OF
Appeals released me on a writ OF ha-
beas corpus. The court ruled that my
Imprisonment In L~eavenworth was llle-
gal and that the verdict which sem
fenced me to five years was worth
less, as ] had received this term on
top OF a sentence for life,
had been convicted In one county
and given life for tho Rock Island train
robbery. | had been Immediately |
whisked to another district and given
Ledbetter, The court ruled that this
district had 10 jurisdiction over me at |
the time the sentence was imposed.
Plea Starts New Life.
When they told me l was free 1t was
had ordered me to carry q message from |
one cell block 10 another.
Six months before Billy Raider and
| had sat far into the night discussing |
my future, Should l go to New York
and try to write, make a fortune and
return to the home folks7
Should dash back to them dead
broke and trust to luck for success?
These problems did not exist for me
now, ! had fallen into a kind of leth-
argy. l had written to no one. I had
put far away every ambition and plan
for the come back" was q sort OF
animated corpse.
Not until ! stood ar the door OF
Franks cell and he puL out his hand
and looked down at mo did a tremor |
OF emotion seize me. My brother start |
ed to speak, His words were muffled
and indistinct. He held my hand.
For Gods sake, Al, let her be on
the square from now on" 1t came out
hurting, anxious, pleading. An over ,
powering tide of remorse swept over
me, I'd have given the soul out Of my |
body to have changed places with him 4 |
II was on the square with me. | went
back to my fathers home and took up |
the practice OF law, Almost Immediate
ly l began to make good One case fol- !
lowed another, | had a few big sue |
cesses.
Letter Calls to Gotham.
Several years passed, / had all hut
forgotten Bin Porter. One morning n
big, square envelope came through the
mails, The moment | glanced at that
clear, fine handwriting something
seemed 10 reach into ms and grab me
by tho heart,
l felt a hubbling happiness singing
as II had not In years, could hear
the whispering music OF Eth Porter's
voice llsptng across the continent.
That letter came early In 1905, Porter
urged me to write. The old ambition
tlared up. l started again ON the Might
Riders 1t was the beginning Of a