The Twin Hells | Page 5

the governor of the State to the responsible position of
chairman of the State Board of Pardons. Many persons have asked why
this difference in the treatment of the presidents of these two companies.
The only answer that can be given is that General Caldwell stood in
with the Kansas political ring, while I did not. Every sensible man must
admit that if it was just for me to serve a term in prison for the offense
charged against me, General Caldwell should have been prescribed for
in the same manner. I have no fight to make upon Mr. Caldwell. He is
an excellent gentlemen. He was in luck. The fates were against me. Had
I been a State instead of a United States prisoner, no doubt Mr.
Caldwell, as chairman of the Board of Pardons, would have used his
influence to secure for me my liberty. That I was sent to prison is
wholly due to politics. It is unnecessary, therefore, for me to inform the
reader that I am now "out of politics." Having served out my term I
returned to my home in Atchison. As to the ring that sent me to prison,
some of them are dead, others have left Atchison to make their homes
in other places, others have failed financially, and still others have
fallen so low that they have scarcely friends enough to bury them
should they happen to die.
The big wheel of life keeps on revolving. Those who are up to-day may
be down to-morrow, and vice versa. But to continue my narrative.
Immediately after my conviction and sentence I was taken to the
Leavenworth County jail. Here I remained until the following Tuesday
in the company of a dozen or more prisoners who were awaiting trial.
On Sunday, while in this jail, my wife, who died during my
imprisonment of a broken heart, and an account of which is given in a
subsequent chapter, came to see me. I can never forget this visit. She
remained with me during the entire day. During the conversation of the

day I said to her that, it seemed that the future appeared very gloomy.
That it would be a miracle if I ever was able to survive the disgrace that
had been so cruelly placed upon me. That all ambition and hope as to
the future had fled, and that I could not blame her if she should now
free herself by means of divorce, as my conviction of crime was a legal
ground for divorce in Kansas. In reply to this, the noble little woman,
her face aglow with the radiance of womanly devotion, said, that for
twenty years of married life our home had been one of sunshine; that I
had been kind to her and made her life one of happiness, and that now,
when misfortune came, it was not only a duty, but the highest pleasure,
to prove her fidelity. She kept her word. She was true to the last. When
dying, her last words were a petition for the blessings of God upon her
husband who was far away behind frowning prison walls. On Tuesday
morning a deputy United States marshal came to the jail and gave me
notice that in a few moments we would leave for the penitentiary. This
officer was a gentleman, and did not seek to further humiliate me by
placing irons on my person. I have often thought of this act of kindness
on the part of this humane official. We took the train at Leavenworth,
and in a very few moments were at my future place of residence.
Lansing, the small village where the penitentiary is located, is about
five miles from the city of Leavenworth. The entrance to the prison is
from the west. Under the watchful care of the officer who had me in
charge, I passed under a stone archway, to the left of which was a small
office, where a guard was on duty during the day time. We were halted
by this officer, who inquired if we had any firearms. No one visiting
the penitentiary is allowed to carry fire-arms within the enclosure. The
marshal who had me in custody handed over a large navy revolver.
Between this archway and the western wall of the prison is a beautiful
lawn. The walks are lined with fragrant flowers; beautiful fountains
send aloft their silvery sprays. Passing up the roadway leading to the
entrance door, and looking about me upon the rich carpet of green, the
flowers and fountains, I came to the conclusion that the penitentiary
was not so bad a place as I had imagined. I changed my mind, however,
as soon as I had seen inside the walls.
The prison enclosure contains about ten acres of ground.