The watchman and southron. (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, December 27, 1913, Image 8
^^^^
AS Tino boat pointed Its nose to?
ward th i city, tho solitary man
at the prow turned his baok
on freedom and gazed longing?
ly at the grayetone penitentiary,
which seemed to be slipping away
from him and growing smaller and
oosler as distance lent tho enchant*
Bent of perspective to his loneliness.
For Mulcahy. dazzled by liberty,
was very lonely Indeed. Every mo?
ment that the water widened between
him and the prison It lessened the
distance from tho city, and In * wo
minutes more the man know that the
metropolis, bristling with antogonism,
cold and strange and busy with its
holiday season, would bo upon him,
and It filled his heart with a name
loss dread.
But,' after all. ho had only himself
Xo blame for his liberty. "Good be?
havior"? that was the thing that had
turned him loose from a comfortable
home, three square moais a day, and
his companions of the quarry.
If he had only transgressed a few
laws, broken a simple rule or two, all
might havj been well. He might
have eaten Christmas dinner w'.th
Jerry the Spike. Dottles, Hank and the
whole ~appy crew who had contrived
to speed another Christmas In the
"pen" through trifling indiscretions
committed in dj hauen ot tho keepers.
These NBTMUOBI WfM Interrupted
by the sharp teeth of tho wind snap?
ping at his legB throt gh tho thin
trousers and the threadburo coat.
He shivered an thv boat docked, and
then took a Ion?: bftttb tfl he walked
up the gangplank and cur into?was
this freedom striking tcrrof to his
soul? Why was he trcsibling? He
was free at last, but fret to do what?
Free to kill himself befo e he starved
to death, free to w?nde:* the uncom?
panionable streets and gize upon tho
happiness that showed itself in the
faces of fugitive passers-by.
He was only free to go anywhere;
but these people had their homos
to go to, each his separate "peniten?
tiary." where there wero warmth and
food and human things to talk to.
Ho shut his eyes for an instant and
started bravely up tho hilly street that
led to First avenue. Tl en suddenly
a str?ng" thing happened. Ho forgot
bis misory and his wretched home?
sickness. At first ho couldn't realize
what the Influence was, th"i he rec?
ognized the soothing and thirst-inspir?
ing smell of hops that powicd over
him like a hot brea'h from Um brow
ery on the next streot. TM3 promote:!
a thought which Wfsf inrncdlatt'y fol?
lowed by a sharp movement.
Mulcahy minded htut of tho faded
five-dollar bill in- b vl in his pock- '.
the last bounty of the rood home
across the river. He pulled it out and
looked at It.
It represented two wc.ka and a half
of life; that is. he calculated that
while he was looking for a job it
would provtdo food and sheKot for him.
If he couldn't find a j I -but that
thought ended with a look toward the
river; and again ho saw tho "pen,*
and another thought oowurtd M bin,
If be didn't find anything to do. ho
could go back to the "pm" and beg
them to take him In. No, he couldn't
do that. Ho squared his rugged
shoulders as If trying to rise superior
4o th* thought, for there was a rem?
nant of prido In Mulcahy, albeit Hast
and a desperate strugglo to keep his
feet on tho globo hau frayed its
edges.
No. he determined to go back th- ro
I aorably, as ho had lett. Ho mh.ht
get a Job shoveling snow? but alus! It
wss ono of thoso cheerloss Christ
Biases, and nature had net even sup?
plied tho peoplo oat of work with
snow to shovel.
Mulcahy had worked all his life.
He was fifty now, and. as he unroll* d
the long catalogue of calamity which
other psoplo might havn called ids
career, he found that tho only year
of his life that had been a happy ono
was his last In Jail it had started
merrily even, for, aft? r* his outraged
pride had revolted at tho Idea of be?
ing arrested for his slight connection
with tho robbery, comfort ruin | wlft
]y with the thought that ho was being
punished for on o Am tgUMf than
commission.
These thoughts and the haunting
smell of hops brought Mult; / to
Fouth afentie and a sale >n. R Wkl
twelve o'clock, and Msjsjtf beef and
cabbage-b af being slated f >r lunrh on
m blscsboard under a RatyrisU look?
ing bock and a life-sized "schoon'u,
determined tlm m?in, and ho ,->te;,| ? 1
Inside.
Tho story ulll move much Mere
rai ldly If wo do not. follow M n- i
and "Aalt for him to eat his torned
hcef and philander with a spirit BOft
t.f his Ilk than any he has met for
the lsst yesr, a spirit that seemed al?
most fabulous Vksjf dr. an d of in
the pen -tow.t, Hi" bail?nd"r.
?*ut look Where Mulcalry emerges
half an hour later, tho inner man
lulled by tho succulent cabbago and
, but a melancholy gnawing at tho
outer man, whoso clothes aro slight,
protection against tho increasing
wind.
As tho day drew h?r portal? slowly
I ther ho fell to trembling aqain.
How was ho going to faco tho night?
Gazed Longingly at the Cirayetone Pen.
A'l alore in Ott of those ten-cent
bed! which promise bo much to a
woary body that soon discovers tho
eggshell substance of tho promise?
He shuddered and hurried down a
side street of Amer.cnn-hanemsnt
houses, with their daint> Boston ferns
and yews, pretty windovs with OOttly
curtains that sealed happy homes
from tho profano eyes of the public.
And this atmosphere gave Muicahy
hope. The inspiration jorn of dot*
pglf took root.
Mr Intended to abandoi all thouguta
of getting work until warm wentrver.
It was worso than hopeless to think
ho could get work uo'v?why, tho
weather, h'a age, all were against it.
He would go back to the "pen" 11 he
had literally to MtttalM his way back.
Tho thing to do now wis to conjure
up 8omo reasonable o.Tenso, some
trifling transgressior. that would open
tho Iron gates of the prison, as dif?
ficult of entrance as It was of exit,
and tldo him over tho winter months.
But what cculd ho do? Not a einglo
misdemeanor suggested itself t j his
overwrought brain. If lie could only
steal something long enough to get
arrested and sent to tho inland! But
how? When, and nbuvo all where?
Broadway and Thirty-third Etreet,
with its trianglo of shops, answered
that question. It was very late, but
he knew that a week bctoro Chrlst
BM| tu - shops would bo open until
lato. tu tho hopo that his clothes
would contribute their help toward
arousing tho suspicions of tho storo
deteettfen, ho quickened his steps
f'\ ? irtihty,
blgJdf the shop was warm, brilliant,
and Jammed with people. The incom?
ing und outgoing crowds Jostled and
pu Mulcahy as if ho were a rub
t. ????
MHavi You Seen My
Mamma?"
hub of a
ber-wnaber be tween the
v. b< el and the linoh pin.
Preten iy he fovnd hlmteU at tho
notion eonntefi awept there by tho
tide of customers. He wondered at
the t n Idenee or the storekeepers,
who tooh no trouble ta proteet their
i u i ?( t fowth in Nttlo oontpnrtmente?
No\v he was ba< l< d into a litt hi
NN ol toothahflah< 4- He felt his tin
I re oloee on so met hi mechanical"
iv he placed the thing In in* pocket,
and then let himself drift Along v.itu
the crowd.
iio had stolen gomethlngl Was it a
. ike of gonp?perhaps; hot with ;i
slekenlog tenentton ol impotence ho
remembers d thnt one eake of soap
hi not unlock tho iron gnto of
the ' pen."
Muleahy sighed? Now wni in
tb?> j .?!ry u'pattiu'nt. Jt yielded
vast possibilities an Tar as valaubleo
woro concern*. (!, but theso were care?
fully protected by glass cases. True,
there were somo little trays of gold
lilled pins and bracelets scarcely
worth the effort of attainment. And
yet a handful of these trifles, flagrant?
ly abstracted, might attract tho at?
tention of a detective. ,
Perhaps there were no detectives,
after all. This thought smote to him in
the j ct of reaching out a trembling
hand toward a delicate gold-filled
bangle. Then he paused, and in that
moment of hesitation ho felt a twitch
nr nil coat, and, turning to face what ,
ho felt must bo authority either in
plain or blue clothes, ho perceived at
his sldo a very pretty littlo girl.
She was wall dressed; and after tho
ttrtt shock he felt on looking into
her clear blue eyes, Mulcahy saw a
beautiful locket and chain clasped
around her neck.
In tho mean time she has possessed
herself of his coat-pocket as if it were
hiii hand, and clung to him as she 1
asked:
"Have you seen my mama?" Her
voico Wal smothered by tho crowd
that pressed around her, and Mulcahy
had to lift her up in his arms to make
himself heard.
"No," he replied, his face close to
her pretty neck and ear. "Shall wo
go and look for her?" ho added,
touchod by tho sudden moisturo that
blurred her eye*;.
As he spoke he carried her to tho
revolving-door. Once out in tho street,
she told him that she had been shop?
ping with her mother and had got
lost. She lived, she said on Fiftieth
street, betwetu liadicon and Fifth
avenue. She didn't know the number,
but there were gTeen trees at tho
door, nnc1. it was a white house.
The man assured her that they
would find it together.
You mu3n*t think that this esca?
pade diverted Mulcahy from his origi
al scheme. Only ho wanted to be of
use to the child, and he also saw a
much belter way of obtaining his ar?
rest and entrance to prison.
The locket and chain he knew
would servo his purpose, for he in?
tended stealing them as soon as ho
had found her home. Thero were
four dollars and ninety cents left
from tho "pen's" munificence, but he
spent enough of it in a candy-store
to have provided for himself for two
days.
Over a congenial glass of Ice cream
soda tho littlo girl gave him her name
?Violet Van Twiller. The telephone
book did tho rest in the matter of lo?
cating tbo Van Twiller mansion,
whither Violet was escorted by her
ragged friend.
Afterward, when Mulcahy left her
standing at the door of her home
waving at him and smiling in her
eweet, frank way, ho wondered how
he had found it in his heart to steal
tho necklace; but thero it was in
h!s hard, still warm from contact with
her throat.
Then he darted away from the
street, and, clasping the locket tightly,
flew tc the first police station and
gave himself up.
Tho judso did not conceal his dis?
gust when ho learned that Mulcahy
had robbed a child; and when he
Utteted sternly, "Siv months on the
i land for him," ho marveled a: the
brutality of a man who could sm.lo at
tho sentence,
II.
Meantime, Violet Van Twiller had
been received with the tears and re?
joicings of a hysterical and loving fam?
ily and diligently Interrogated con?
cerning the events of tho evening.
Over and over again she repeated
tho story of the "kind, ragged gentle?
man" who had bought her candy and
f (?da and had found her home lor her,
Later, Mr. Van Twiller discovered
that Violet had mysteriously lost her
locket; but, though he suspected her
?trange fritnd, ho was so grateful to
tht! "ragged gentleman" that the next
day ho advertised in all tho papen
that ho wished to reward the pv ion
who had restored his daughter to her
family.
But Malcahy never learned of this
golden apportunity which might have
given him a now start in lifo, though
1 e gave the otlicer who accompanied
1 fan to the island tho name and ad
dress of the little owner of tho r.cck
1 tee, and it was sent to her.
Tho next day saw Mulcahy sr.fely
aboard tho Fidelity and headed for the
"pen."
At the end of tho week ho was sit?
ting at the Christmas dinner which
had scorned a fantom on that dread?
ful day he was set at liberty.
Between mouthfuls of fat turkey
and cranberry sauce ho boasted to
Jerry the Spike, Hank, and Bottles of
how he had hoodwinked justice.
When he reported for work, a few
days later, tho keeper who presided
over the men engaged In breaking
stono remarked casually to a fellow
kr- per:
"1 b< q Mulcahy is back on the Job."
"Yes," tho other replied; "he was
liberated a week ago, and now he's
back b H In. 1 tell you this place i3 a
Cinch for those fellows. They're do?
ing lifo on the Installment plant If
y->u dun ped the whole caboodle Into
the Beat river and told them to swim
to New York, they'd all turn like b lot
ol rata and Bqueak to come bach, to
the 'peu. "
(Copyright)
Work and the Weather.
The it diese day a are here. All >ut
doom |n\ \\cH \\n and our work becomes
a conscious effort and a bore. It la
the time v. hen we are most in sym
pathy with Jerome k. Jerome In hla
con fem Ion as follows: "I like work;
it fasclnrti b me, I c.Mi sit and look at
it for hours, I love to keep It by me;
the idea of getting i id of it i Barl?
breaks n y heart"
.-= BEGINS- -=
FRIDAY, DECEMBER 26th
^?^ For One Week Only ^??:
V
Sumter, South Carolina
assault in mm.
BUCK HILL, ALIAS Bf'LEOD, IDEN?
TIFIED BY THE VICTIM.
Trailed with Doge and Captured by
Sheriff?Wife of Confederate Vet
eran Attacked In Her llomc During
Husband's Absence*
Columbia, Dec. 24.?Yesterday
about 12 o'clock Buck Hill, alias Buck
McLeod, a nemo, assaulted a white
'.vornan while she was at her home
near Brown's chapel, which is ten
miles southeast of Columbia on the
Leesburg roat The negro was trail?
ed by the bloodhounds from the State
penitentiary and captured about 1.30
o'clock by sheriff McCain, Coroner
Scott and the members of s posse
who left Columbia In automobiles at
l o'clock for the scene of the crime,
the negro was lodged in the Richland
county Jail last night.
The negro's Victim, who is about
'?'?'> years old .is the wife of a Confed?
erate veteran, a man of excellent
standin? In his community, she was
alone In the house at the time tho
crime was committed. Her husband
came to Columbia yesterday on busi?
ness and did not leave for home until
Lbout 2 o'clock, lb- was Informed
of the affair after he had Kotten ?
few miles from Columbia.
There were threats of violence
against Buck Hill after he was cap?
tured. While sheriff McCain talked
to the crowd which had been aiding
In the m in hunt, the negro was put
In the automobile of Coroner Scott
and brought to Columbia. The crowd,
svhlch grew rapidly as the news of
the crime spread over the Brown's
chapel section of the county, was not
dldlcult to handle, but Sheriff McCain
t ? ok Ihu precaution of getting the ne
,r ? away from the scene as soon as
possible.
The unfortunate woman Is said to
bo In a serious condition as a result
of the negro's assault upon her. she
was badly bruised about the face and
neck, while one of hei* band? was
hurt in the struggle with the negro.
The sheriff's office was notified by
t( lephonc of the crime about i o'clock
by Mr. Gaston, the principal or a
school near Brown's chapel, who was
one of the first men to go to the scene.
After geling the dogs from He- pen?
itentiary Sheriff McCain left imme?
diately in au automobile, taking
Quard Robblns, Officer Henry Dun?
ning and It. .1. E, Heise with him.
The bloodhounds readily tool: the
nogro's trail away from the dwelling
bouse in which the crime was com?
mitted. The dogs followed the tracks
for some time, then became confused
by cross trails, but nfter a little thej
carried the tracks to Hills house,
which is only a mile from the seem
of the crime. Tin negro Hill ?alias
McLeod, was found in the house with
several other net-iocs, lie was ar?
rested and taken before the woman
on whom 'be crime was committed.
According to Sheriff McCain, the wo?
man positively Identified the negro
as tin- one who committed the assault
upon h< i*.
W hen the uro was arrested at hit
house by the sheriff, he Insisted thai
in- musl allowed to change hi
clothes ami shoeg before he !? ti home,
ii?- wns > 'l i u before tie- woman
dressed iast as he was, it Is sold thai
the sin?'s ho Wore wi re of Ihe pnm<
, as the footprints leading nwnj
from t be s< en<" of i h<> assault.
Ii was W l 111 last Hi-.,hi that the no
"in, who :>; now In 'be Richland Jnl
ihnrged with criminal usstiulti ha*
? , i n nrr< led once before on a situ
liar charge but was released for lack,
of e\ Idence against him.
sixkkaky OF INTERIOR UK
POHTS.
Lane Outlines l*< li y of United States
Towards Alaskan ic*'ritory.
Washington! Dec -3.?Outlining b
proposed land policy for Alaska, which'
in' ludes an administrative board
having charge of all the national re?
sources of the territory, the annual
report of Secretary of Interior Frank?
lin EC. Lane was made public today.
Fully half of the twenty-six pages
in the report deal with the Alaskan
situation, which in the opinion of the
Bt cretary is of the utmost importance
t<. the country. The withdrawal of
lands In Alaska and their reservation
by the government, following the dis?
covery of natural resources had pre?
cluded the development which should
have taken place in the territory, ac
i?< rding to tho secretary. The report
says:
" Tlie largest body of unused and
neglected land in the United Sttaea is
Alaska. It is now nearly half a cen?
tury since we purchased this terri?
tory, and it contains today less than
Itl.iMKt white inhabitants, less than
1,000 for euch year It has been in
our poas< tslon. The purchase was
i: ade as n means of protection against
the possible aggression of a foreign
nation and without the hope that it
would be even self-supporting. In
tho intervening 46 years we have
-riven it little more than the most cas?
ual concern, yet its mines, fisheries
and furs alone have added to our
wealth tlie grand sum of $500,000,
000.
"in my judgment the way t?> deal
with the problem of Alaskan re
i ir. es is to establish a board of di?
rectors to have the work in charge.
Into the hands of this hoard or com?
mission 1 would give ail the national
arseta in that territory, to be used
primarily for her Improvement in
in r lands, fisheries, Indians, Eskimos,
seals, forests, mines, waterways, rail?
roads? all that the nation owns,
et res for, controls <.r regulates. Con?
gress should determine in broad out
lino the poin ics which this board in
:: liberal discretion should elaborate
and ud min ister, much as is done as to
the Philippines. This hoard would
of course have nothing whatsoever to
tit) with the Internal affairs of the
organized territory of Alaska, for it1
would exercise no powers save such
as congress granted over the property
ol the United States In Alaska."
According t?? the secretary, the plan
of opening the vast landa of Alaska to
the public should ho pursued under a
j
1? ising and royalty plan similar to
that under Which the State ol .Min?
nesota leases its ore lands, and the
states of Colorado and Montana their
coal lands. These plans provide that
any lands leased must be developed
and not merely held for an Increase in
value as has been tin- case in Alaska
and with timber and coal ami mining
lands in many of our western States.
The seen tary would also extend thi
plan to the petroleum, phosphate an I
potash beds in our western States,
and to the lands suitable for agricul?
ture. The money derived from
leasing or mich lands should be tain
ed back into them in ;i great man>
cases in the form of power sites and
irrig i<'ii projects, while I he govern?
ment still retains the title to them.
This plan, the secretary bellevea would
effet 11\ ely put a chi ck I > the mono*
pol ism t ion of our resources, by giving
tin. small promoter ?? chance t?? ac>
iiuirc a propert> under a lease, auch
as would not entail the expenditure of
a large amount of money, and by
making every property so acquired a
productive property.
COLORED FARMERS' CORN
PHIZES.
A Word to the Farmers of Stumor
County by Farm Demonstration
Agent.
People's "harmac;, Inc., successor
to Birnie's Drug Sto:*e, has given to
the farmers three rrizes: $5.00, $10,
and $15 each. Sumter Capers, of
Daisell, IX. F. D. No. 1, received the
tint prise; D. It. Drown, of Sumter,
11. F. D. No. 3, was awarded the see
ond prise and T B. Wright, of Item
bert, R. F. D. No. 2, was giv<m tho
third prize. The prizes were given
to the farmers who made the most
corn to tne acre. The number of bush?
els made by the three winners were
as follows: 81 bushels and 5 quarts;
S3 bushels, and 72 bushels.
Another prize will be offered to
the farmers for 1914. Who will be
the winners? The following are a
few bints as to how to win:
1st. Have contidence in yourself.
2nd. Put humus in the soil, such
as barn yard manure .rotten leaves
of the forest, muck from the swan.ps
ami ditches; corn stalks and any
vegf table matter that will decay.
3rd. Turn under the humus from
7 to 10 inches deep.
4. Harrow the same with a disc
harrow and then with a tooth harrow.
5th. Plant a winter cover such as
Rye or Oats and turn it under when
you are ready to plant corn.
Gth. Use 1,000 pounds or more of
commercial fertilizer to the acre.
'ah. Do not cut the roots of the
corn.
Now It the time to begin to prepare
\eir land and keep the above rules.
Yours sincere ly,
R. W. Westberry.
I". S. Demonstration Agent.
BURGLARS PLOW SAFE.
Secure Several Thousand Dollars
From Hank of Presoott.
Prescott, Ark., Dec. S3.?Burglars
blew the safe of tile PresOOtt Hank
this morning and secured several
thousand dollars. The explosion
wrecked the building. The burglars
escaped on a hand car. A posse arc
pursuing them.
Heal Estate Transfers.
I. C. Strauss to J. W. and J. R.
Norton, twenty-five acres on Pocatal
igo swamp. $S50.
Minnie Simpson to Jod Davis, one
third interest to 1-2 acres in coun?
ty, .*125.
M. l.. Hodge to Tansy J. Hodge,
acres in county. $*>,Mb
R. w. McCallum to M. E. Hertot,
lot and buildings on Lartlettc Street,
11 .?;."??>.
Sim n London to I. C. Strauss. 2G
res in county, $11*> and other eon*
: |d< ration*
Marriage License Record.
Licenses have been issued to Wil?
li .Ii ttradley and Mary Gayte, Wedge
? i<i; Lucius IfoCanta, Sumter, ami
Mario Hudson, Mayesvitte; James
Held, Jr., Btateburg, ami Janle Choice,
Claremont; Sam Singleton ami Sarah
Prlerson, Dalxell; Sammle Gedson,
Wedgefleld, and Katie B own. State
burg; Jesse Sheila and Minnie Wilson.
MayosvUle; Lot! Riehardaosi and
Sarah Jane Gamble ,Shlloh; Stephen
Qarnetl ami Linie DeLane, Wedge
inhi.