The Wasco news., June 29, 1906, Image 2

M
»
A
for The Term of Kis Natural Life
By M ARCUS CLARKB
CHAPTER X X II.—(Continued.)
Housed by the morning sun streaming
In upon him. Mr. North opened his blood­
shot eyes, rubbed his forehead with
hands that trembled, and suddenly awak­
ening. rolled off the bed and rose to his
feet. He saw the empty brandy bottle
on his wooden dressing table, and re­
membered what had passed. With shak­
ing hands he dashed water over hia ach­
ing head, and smoothed his garments.
The debauch of the previous night had
left the usual effects beh in d .it. His
brain seemed on fire, his hands were hot
and dry. his tongue clove to the roof
of his mouth. He shuddered as he view­
ed his pale face and red eyes In the
little looking glass. Stealing into the
sitting room, he saw that the clock
pointed to half-past six. The flogging
was to have taken place at half-past
five. Unless accident had favored him
he was already too late. Fevered with
remorse and anxiety, he hurried past
the room where Meekin yet slumbered,
and made his way to the prison. As
he entered the yard Kirkland had just
got his fiftieth lash.
“8top!” cried North. “Captain Bur­
gess. 1 call upon you to stop.”
“You're rather late. Mr. North,” re­
torted Burgess.
“The punishment is
nearly over.’*
North stood by. biting hia nails and
grinding his teeth during six more lashes.
Kirkland had cease,! to yell now. and
merely moaned. His back was like a
bloody sponge, while In the interval be­
tween the lashes the swollen
flesh
twitched like that of a new-killed bul­
lock. Suddenly Macklewain aaw his
head droop on his shoulder. ’ Throw
him off: Throw him off!” he cried, and
Troke hurried to loosen the thongs.
“Fling some water over him!” said
Burgess. “He’s shamming.
A bucket of water made Kirkland
open his eyes.
“I thought so, said
Burgess. “Tie him up again.
“No; not if you are Christian»:” cried
North.
He met with an ally where he least
expected one. Rufus Dawes flung down
the dripping cat. “I’ll flog no more,
said he.
“What?” roared Burgess, furious at
this gross insolence.
“ I’ll flog no more. Get some one else
to do your bloody work for you. I
won’t.”
“Tie him up!” cried Burges», foaming.
“Tie him up’. Here, constable, fetch a
ruan here with a fresh cat. I’ll gDe
you that beggar's fifty, and fifty more
on the top of ’em; and he shall look on
while bis back cools.”
Rufus I>awes. with a glance at North,
pulled off his shirt without a word,
and stretched himself at the triangles.
Hi» back was not white and smooth,
like Kirkland’s had been, but hard and
seamed. He had been flogged before.
Troke appeared with Gabbett, grinning.
Gabbett liked flogging. It was his boast
that he could flog a man to death on a
place no bigger than the palm of his
hand. He could use his left hand equal­
ly with his right, and if be got hold of
a “favorite,” would “cross the cuts.”
Rufus Dawes planted hi» feet firmly
on the ground, took fierce grasp of the
staves, and drew in his breath. Mackle-
wain spread the garments of the two
xnen upon the ground, and, placing Kirk­
land upon them, turned to watch this
new phase in the morning's amusement.
He grumbled a little below his breath,
for he wanted his breakfast, and when
the commandant once began to flog,
there was no telling where he would
stop. Rufus Dawes took five-and twen­
ty lashes without a murmur, and then
Gabbett “crossed the cuts.” This went
on up to fifty lashes, and North felt
himself stricken with admiration at the
courage of the man. “If it had not
been for that cursed brandy,” thought
he. with bitterness of self-reproach, "I
might have saved all this.” At the hun­
dredth lash, the giant paused, expecting
the order to throw off, but Burgess was
determined to “break the man’s spirit.”
"I’ll make you speak, you dog. if I
cut your heart out!” he cried. “Go on,
prisoner.”
For twenty lashes more Dawes was
mute, and then the agony forced from
his laboring breast a hideous cry. But
It was not a cry for mercy, as that of
Kirkland’s had been. Having found his
tcngue, the wretched man gave vent to
his boiling passion in a torrent. He
ahrieked imprecations upon Burgess,
Troke and North. He cursed all sol­
diers for tyrants, all parsons for hypo­
crites. He called on the earth to gape
and swallow his persecutors, for heaven
to open and rain fire upon them, for hell
to yawn and engulf them quick. It was
es though each blow of the cat forced
out of him a fresh bunt of beast-like
jage. He seemed to have abandoned
hia humanity.
He foamed, he raved,
he tugged at his bonds until the strong
staves shook again; he writhed himself
round upon the triangles and spit impo-
tently at Burgeaa, who jeered at his tor­
ments. North, with his hands to hi»
ears, crouched against the corner of the
wall, palaled with horror. He would
fain have fled, but a horrible fascination
held him back.
In the midst of thia— when the cat
was hissing the loudest, Burgess laugh­
ing hi» hardest, and the wretch on the
triangles filling the air with hia cries,
North aaw Kirkland look at him with
what he thought a »mile. Was it a
smile? Ha leaped forward, and uttered
a cry of dismay bo loud that all turned.
“Hullo!” »ays Troke, running to the
heap of clothes, “the young 'on’a slipped
hia wind!”
Kirkland was dead.
"Throw him off!” says Burgess.
aghast at the unfortunate accident; and
Gabbett reluctantly untied the thong»
that bound Rufus Dawes. Two con­
stables were alongside him in an instant,
for sometimes newly tortur—
d men grow
desperate. This one. however, was si­
lent with the last lash,' only, in taking
hia shirt from under the body of the
boy, he muttered “Dead!” and In hie
tone there seemed to be a touch of
envy. Theu fllngiug his shirt over his
bleetlmg shoulder», he walked out de­
fiant to the laat.
trams, ain t he?” said one constable
to the other, as they pushed him, not
ungeutly, into an empty cell, there to
W.a‘?..for the h°»pital guard. The body
or Kirkland was taken away in silence,
and Burgess turned rather pate when
he saw North’s threatening face. “It
‘•n’t my fault, Mr. North,’ he .aid, ”1
didn t know that the lad was chicken-
hearted.” But North turued away in
<. isguat, a ml Macklewain and Burgess
pursued their homeward route together.
Mr. North, in agony of mind at what
he considered the consequeucea of hia
neglect, slowly, and with head bowed
down, as one bent on a ¡»sinful errand,
went to see the prisoner who had sur­
vived. He found him kueeling on the
ground, prostrated.
“Rufus Dawes!”
At the tone Rufus Dawes looked up,
ami seeing who It was. waved him off.
"Don’t speak to me.” he said, with an
impreceation that made North’s fleah
creep. ‘ I’ve told you what I think of
you—a hypocrite, who stands by while
a man is cut to pieces, and then com»»«
and whines religk/u to him.”
North stood in the center of the cell,
with hia arms hanging down, and hia
head bent. “You are right.” he said, in
a low tone. “I must seem to you a
hypocrite. I a servant of Christ? A
besotted beast rather! I am not come to
whine religion to you. I am come to
ask your pardon. I might have saved
you from punishment—saved that poor
boy from death. I wanted to save him,
God knows! But I have a rice; I am
a drunkard, I yielded to temptation, and
I was too late. I come to you, as one
sinful man to another, to ask you to for­
give me. ’ And North suddenly flung
himself down before the convict, and
catching his blood-bespotted hands In
his own. cried, “Forgive me. brother.”
Rufus Dawes, too much astonished to
speak, bent his black eyes on the man,
who crouched at hia feet, and a ray of
divine pity penetrated his gloomy soul.
He seemed to catch a glimpse of misery
more profound than his own. and hl»
stubborn heart felt human sympathy
with thia erring brother. “Then In thia
hell there is yet a man.” said he; and
a hand-grasp passed between these
two unhappy beings. North arose, and
with averted face, passed quickly from
the cell. Rufua Dawes looked at the
hand which his strange visitor had tak­
en, and something glittered there. It was
a tear. He broke down at the eight of
it. and when the guard came to fetch
the tameless convict, they found him on
his knees in a corner, sobbing like a
child.
The morning after this, the Rev. Mr.
North departed in the schooner for
Hobart Town,
Between the officious
chaplain and the commandant the events
of the previous day had fixed a great
gulf. Burges knew that North meant to
report the death of Kirkland, and guess­
ed that he would not be backward In
relating the story to such persons In
Hobart Town as would moat readily re­
peat it.
Burgess, however, touched with sel­
fish regrets, determined to balk the
¡/arson at the outset. He would send
down an official “return" of the unfor­
tunate occurence by the same vessel
that carried his enemy, and thus get
the ear of the office. Meekin, walking
on the evening of the flogging past the
wooden shed where the body lay. saw
Troke bearing buckets filled with dark-
colored water, and heard a great splash­
ing and sluicing going on inside the hut.
“What is the matter?” he asked.
“Doctor’s bin post-morticing the pris­
oner what was flogged this morning,
sir.” said Troke, “and we’re cleanin’
up.”
North, on his arrival, went straight
to the house of Major Vickers. “ I have
a complaint to make, sir,” he said. “I
wish to lodge It formally with you. A
prisoner has been flogged to death at
Port Arthur. I saw it done.”
Vickers bent his brow. “ A serious
accusation, Mr. North.
I must, of
course, receive It with respect, coming
from you, but I trust that yon have
fully considered the circumstances of the
case. I always understood Captain Bur­
geaa was a moat humane man.”
North shook hia head. He would not
accuse Burgess. He would let events
speak for themselves. “I only ask for
an inquiry,” said he.
"Yea, my dear sir, I know.
Very
prooer, Indeed, on your part, If you
think any Injustice has been done; but
have you considered the expense, the
delay, the immense trouble and dissat­
isfaction «11 this will give?”
“No trouble, no expense, no dissatis­
faction, should stand in the way of hu­
manity and Justice,” cried North.
“Of course not. But will Justice be
done? Are you sure you can prove your
caee? Mind, I admit nothing against
Captain Burgeaa, whom I have alwaya
considered a moat worthy and zealous
officer; but, euppoelng your charge to
be true, can you prove i t f
“Yes.
If the wltneaiea apeak the
truth."
“Who are th’ey?"
“Myself, Dr. Macklewain, the conata-
ble and two prlaoucre, one of whom wae
flogged himself. He will apeak the
truth, I believe. The other mau I have
not much faith In.”
“ Very well; then there la only a pris­
oner and Dr. Macklewain; for if there
haa been foul play the couvlct-couatable
will not accuse the authorities. More­
over, the doctor doe» not agree with
,o u .”
“No!” cried North, «mated.
"No. You tee, then, my dear air, how
necessary it is not to be hasty In mat­
ters of thia kind. I really think that
your goodness of heart has misled you.
Captain Burgess aeuds a report of the
case.
He saya the man wae sentenced
to a hundred lashes for gross lueolence
aud dleobedieuee of order»; that the doc-
tor was present during the punishment;
and that the mau waa thrown off by his
directions after he had received flfty-
six lashes. That, after a short Inter­
val, he waa found to he dead, and that
the doctor made a post-mortem exami­
nation of the body and found disease of
the heart."
North started. “A poet-mortem? I
never knew there had been one held."
“Here is the medical certificate.” said
\ ickera, holding It out, “accompanied
by the copies of the evidence of the
constable and a letter from the com­
mandant.”
Poor North took the papers and read
them slowly.
They were apparently
straightforward enough. Aneurism of
the ascending aorta waa given as the
cause of death; aud the doctor frankly
admitted that had he known the de­
ceased. to be suffering from that com­
plaint he would not have permitted him
to receive more than twenty-five lashes
North, going out with saddened spir­
its, met In the passage a beautiful young
girl. It waa Sylvia, coming to visit her
father. He lifted hia hat and looked
after her. He guessed that she wss the
daughter of the man he had left—the
wife of the Captain Frere concerning
whom he had heard so much. North was
a man whose morbidly excited brain wss
prone to strange fancies; and It seemed
to him that beneath the clear blue eyes
that flashed upon him for a moment lay
a hint of future sadness, in which. In
•ome strange way, he himself was to
bear part. He stared after her figure
until It disappeared; and long after the
dainty presence of the young bride—
trimly booted, tight-waleted and neatly
gloved—had faded, with all its sunshine
and gayety and health, from out of his
mental vision, he still saw those blue
eye« and that cloud of golden hair.
CHAPTER XXIII.
Manrice Frere found his favorable
expectations of Sydney fully realized.
Hia notable escape from death at Mac­
quarie Harbor, hie alliance with the
daughter of eo respected a colonist aa
Major Vickers, and his reputation as s
convict disciplinarian, rendered him a
man of note. He received a vacant
magistracy, and became even more not-
for hardness of heart and artfulness
of prison knowledge than before. The
convict population spoke of him as “that
— Frere,” aud registered vows of ven­
geance against him, which he laughed—-
In hia bluffue««— to sis/rn.
One of the first things thia useful
officer did ui»on his arrival in Sydney
waa to inquire for Sarah Purfoy. To
his astonishment, he discovered that she
was the proprietor of large export ware­
houses in Pitt street, owned a neat cot­
tage on one of the pointe of land which
Jutted into the l»ey, and was reputed
to possess a banking account of no in­
considerable magnitude.
He In vain
applied hia brains to solve this mystery.
She had not been rich when she left
Van Diemen’« land—at least, eo she had
assured him, and appearances bore out
her assurance. How had she accumulat­
ed this sudden wealth? Above all, why
had she thus Invested It? He made In­
quiries at the banks, but was snubbed
for hia pains. Sydney banks In those
days did some queer business.
lie had not been long established In
his magistracy when Blunt came to
claim payment for the voyage of Sarah
Purfoy.
“ Well,” said Blunt, “ I’ve got a Job
on hand.”
“Glad of it, I am sure. What sort
of a job?”
"A job of whaling,” said Blunt, more
uneasy than before.
“Oh, that’s It, Is It? Your old line
of business. And who employs you
now ?”
“Mrs. Purfoy.”
“What!” cried Frere, scarcely able to
believe his ears.
“She’s got a couple of ships now, cap­
tain, and she made rne skipper of one
of ’em. W e take a turn at harpooning
sometimes.”
Frere stared at Blunt, who stared at
the window. There was—so the instinct
of the magistrate told him—some
strangf project afoot. Yet that common
sense which so often misleads us urged
that it was quite natural Sarah shoild
employ whaling vessels to increase fier
trade. “Oh," said he, “and when do
y<>v start?”
“I’m expecting to get a word every
day,” returned Blunt, “and I thought
I’d just come and see you first, in case
of anything falling In."
Maurice Frere, oppressed with suspi­
cions, ordered his horse that afternoon,
and rode down to see the cottage which
the owner of “Purfoy Stores” had pur­
chased. He found It ft low white build­
ing, Bltuated four miles from the city,
at the extreme end of a tongue of land
which ran Into the deep waters of the
harbor. A garden, carefully cultivated,
stood between the roadway and the
house.
MORFORD A RAGHDALB
gE F.R R A HA YEH
ATTORNEYS & NOTARY PUBLIC
PHYSICIANS & SURGEONS
Will Practice in All Court«
in the State
Moro, Oregon
Wasco, Oregon
Q
Q R . JAMES
J. BRIGHT
ATTORNEY AT-LAW
DENTIST
Mix!' rn ippliancea.
All Work Guaranteed.
Moro, Oregon
£
W it! p ractice In «ay Court In the Mi«t«
A ll
b u.inr»« le ft w ith iu . will receive prompt «ud
c a ta lu l a tte u tlo u “ fib » over K reua«*» ilertw aa
Mbop.
Wasco, Oregon
Q R . W. BUCK IN
V. LITTLEFIELD
PHYSICIAN 4 SURGEON
ATTORNEY-AT-LAW
Room ft, <Jinn brick, second floor oxer
W. W. M. Co. Bank.
Moro, Oregon
J*
W. STARK
Office in Wasco News Building.
Waeco, Oregon
JAH.
F. MOORE
«
ATTORNEY AT-LAW
ATTORNEY AT-LAW
Wasco, Oregon
Office over H. 'I. Co., or Moore Bros.
Old Bank.
Moro, Oregon
Cbc UJasco milling Company!
manufacture and Sell
;!
j
tl)C famous W a s c o F l o u r that i
' all housewives prefer;
i shorts, and feed-stuff.
also bran,
i
r
THE WASCO LIVERY & FEED STABLE
Is Replete W ith
GOOD RIGS AND TEAMS
Team» lift in m y c*re will receive every Attention
pouible. Also heavy teaming done
>
>
>
SATISFACTION
GUARANTEED
W ASCO
OREGON
PHALAM ONT
Livery, Feed & Sale Stable.
1
S p e c ia l a tte n tio n g i v e n to C o m m e r c ia l M e n a n d th e
T r a v e l i n g P u b I i c » T c I c p h o n c fr o m T h e D a lle s ,
o r a n y S h e r m a n C o u n t y P o i n t at o u r e x p e n s e .
'P h o n e M a in 15
f W HEAT
EXCHANGE
J A M E S V E N A B L E , P ro p rie to r.
Fine Wines, Liquors & Cigars
T h e F in e s t Im p o rte d and D o m e s tic
Liquors and C ig a rs
— .....
— y
Wasco Lumber Company
DKAI.ERH IN
Lumber, Wood, Coal, Blacksmiths’
Coal, Fence Posts.
Sash, Doors, Glass, Mouldings, Rustic, Ceiling,
Flooring, Lath, Shingles, Pickets, Lime, Cement,
Adamant, Plaster, Plaster Paris, Decorative Novel­
ties, Room Moulding, Yard Fencing, Wire.
All Kinds Builders' Material Always Kept in
Stock
Special attention given for Mill Work and
Car Load Orders.
ESTIMATES FREE.
/
(T a be eontlnaed.)
Manners carry the world for the mo­
ment, character for all time.— A. B.
Alcott
WASCO, OREGON
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