Brownsville herald. [volume] (Brownsville, Tex.) 1910-current, 1927-11-29
The OUTER GATE
By OCTAvUS ROY COHEN

REA0 MS EAAE4a
Bob Terry Is released from prison,
after serving three years for a crime
be did not commit He leaves prison
with CHASTITY i~mpressions and fierce
bitterness in his heart. Upon his re-
lease he Is given q letter. from Peter
Borden, his former employer, who
has aided in sending Terry 10 prison
because he thought IL was his duty"
Terry determines to make Borden
suffer as he has suffered during the
three years in prison Bob's prison
pal is Todd Shannon, who urges him
70 call on his niece, Kathleen Shan
non. when Bob returns TO his home
town. Todd tells Bob he might also
look up John Carmody, a criminal
lawyer and political boss in the state.
as Carmody may have employment
iNoW co on WITH THE STORY
CHAPTER ii.
Bob Terry's packing was a pitt
fully simple process. From the wood
en- chest at the foot ell his cot he
took his few belongings: shirts, un-
derwear, socks. handkerchiefs, a tat
tered coat. a pipe and = tin half full
Of cheap tobacco. His toilet articles
consisted Of a toothbrush and a comb.
He placed everything on a prison
shirt which he spread on the stone
floor. Then be looped the four cor
ners and tied them. He arose. smil-
ing bitterly my trunk Is ready,
Todd"
"Uh-huh. I'm mighty glad you're
goin'. kid. We've been great bud
dies"
AAnd We will be again. III be
waiting when you get out"
"That1l make coming out y heap
nicer
And you'll let me know when n
."Yeh. Not BY writing, though. ]
don't trust letters. KathleenN know,
an she'll tell you"
The shadow Of a frown fitted
across Bob's forehead. The constant
mention Of Kathleen annoyed him,
He didn't want 70 know the girl. or
even TO see her. or curse Todd
Shannon had been too good a friend
10 give offense-and so Terry was
determined 70 see the woman once
and then forget about her.
In the few minutes preceding the
commencement Of the afternoons
labor in the mill, the prisoners who
lived ia Bob's cell block crowded
about the open door They were a
queer assortment Of human beings.
yet the sloping ~foreheads. squinty
eyes and receding chins which are
popularity associated with the idea Of
criminal types were strangely infre-
quent. These men. serving terms
ranging from two years 20 life, were
EppalIingly like those Of the world
beyond the granite walls. They we're
neat and clean and interested. The
only group-char2cteristic to distin-
guish them from the denizens of tn,
city beyond the walls was that they
spoke in whispers. They were sub
dued.
They knew that one or their mum
Der was leaving. They did not know
details, for. inside a prison, personal
information is neither sought nor
given. But they crowded around the
cell and murmured congratulations
in hoarse voices and some Of the
men even waxed humorous.
The siren split the quiet air. The
prisoners crowded into the main cor
ridor and thence into the courtyard
en- route to the cotton mill. Todd
Shannon hung back with his young
frien. He was more upset than he
cared to admit. He was fond Of
Bob Terry. and had planned to greet
him on the outside when the prison
should eventually give the young
man up. But his release had
changed everything and Shannon
feared for the lad who was now
going into the outer world as alone
as when he entered the prison.
shannon knew what was awaiting
Bob. An ex-convict is a person gen
orally feared and never trusted.
Small likelihood that the world nj
large would know Bob Terry as the
man who had been victimized BY n
gross miscarriage Of justice: they
would not know or care that he was
guilty of no crime and that society
at large owed him an ~unpayable debt.
People would only know that for
three years he had been an inmate
Of the state ~penitentiary; the bar
sinister Of penal servitudc was in
delibly engraved upon him.
Side by side. with measured steps.
the ill-assorted rair walked down
the long main corridor TO the heavy
door which gave access to the ex-