From the moment when he commits his first crime the professional criminal never knows what it is to enjoy real peace of mind. His crimes hang over him like the sword of Damocles, and, unless he reforms, he can never be free from the fear of some day being found out and sent away to prison for a long term.
And arrest is not the only thing he has to fear—he is continually face to face with the danger of serious injury or death. Whatever the crime he undertakes, he must run the most desperate risks—he has to stake not only his liberty, but life itself on the narrowest of margins1.
The powerful explosive he is using to blow open a safe may go off prematurely2, as it did one night when George Mason and I were robbing a bank in Illinois, and leave the robber half dead.
Perhaps an indignant mob may decide to take justice into its own hands by lynching the criminal. This is what happened to one of my comrades in Kentucky. They had the noose4 around his neck and were all ready to string him up when I arrived in the nick of time to save his life.
Perhaps he will be caught in the act at one of his crimes and shot down like a dog, as my husband,[Pg 119] Ned Lyons, was in Connecticut one night. That was the narrowest escape my husband ever had—I saw it with my own eyes, and, if I live to be a hundred, I shall never forget the agony of it all.
At the time of this thrilling adventure the police wanted us so badly for our share in several famous robberies that Ned and I did not dare to undertake any operations in the large cities which usually formed our most profitable fields. So, being in need of ready money, we had decided5 to take a little trip through some of the smaller towns of New England. The amount of cash to be had from the banks, stores and postoffices in these places was not large, but, on the other hand, it was not hard to get and we thought we ought to be able to spend two or three weeks quite profitably in the nearby towns of Connecticut and Massachusetts.
As my health that summer was not very good and Ned did not want me to take any very active part in the robberies, we invited George Mason to go along with us.
From the start we seemed to be ill-fated. Ned and George succeeded in getting into a bank in Fitchburg, Mass., but were frightened away by a watchman before they had time to open the safe. From the postoffice in a little village just outside Fitchburg we secured only eight or ten dollars to pay us for our trouble. Quite discouraged and desperately6 in need of money we went on to Palmer, Mass.
There I scouted7 around and discovered that the[Pg 120] most likely place for us to rob was G. L. Hitchcock's drug store, which was also the village postoffice. A storm came up to hide the full moon, and this enabled us to make the attempt that very night. It was not the easiest job in the world, for Mr. Hitchcock and his family lived directly above the store and the least noise was sure to rouse them.
HOW WE ROBBED A STORE
Shortly after midnight I took up my position in an alley8 in the rear of the store to stand guard while Ned and George removed a pane9 of glass from a cellar window. Through this opening the men squeezed, and presently the dim reflection of their dark lanterns showed me that they had safely reached the store above.
I had been standing10 there in the rain for nearly twenty minutes when a low rumble11 from inside the store made me prick12 up my ears. Just as I was puckering13 my lips to whistle a shrill14 warning to my comrades I saw them appear at the back door of the store carrying between them a small iron safe. It was this safe rolling over the floor which I had heard.
The safe was a small affair, but so well made that it had successfully resisted all their efforts to drill it open. Finding it was not too heavy to be carried they had decided to take it outside the town, where they could blow it open without fear of arousing the sleeping village.
[Pg 121]
We must have made a strange procession as we trudged15 along through the darkness—the two men partly carrying and partly rolling the safe along, and all of us wading16 through mud half way to our knees.
At last we reached a meadow far enough removed from any houses for our purpose. George Mason filled one of the holes he had drilled with black powder and wrapped the safe with some old sacks to protect the fuse from the wet and also to muffle17 the noise of the explosion.
Ned touched a match to the fuse and we scurried18 to a safe distance. The charge went off with a dull boom—the shattered door of the safe flew high into the air and landed several yards away.
Waiting a few minutes to make sure that no one in the village had been awakened20, we hurried back to get our plunder21. There were $350 in cash, a diamond ring, some gold pens, and fifteen or twenty dollars' worth of postage stamps. With the few dollars the boys had taken from the till this made a trifle more than four hundred dollars for our night's work—a pitifully small sum compared with what some of our bank robberies brought us, but enough to support us until we could plan some more ambitious undertaking22.
Just as we were dividing our plunder into three equal shares a freight train whistled in the distance.
"George and I will jump on this train," said my husband, giving me a hurried kiss. "It's safer than[Pg 122] for the three of us to stick together. Good-bye—and take care of yourself. We'll meet you in South Windham, Conn., late to-night or early to-morrow."
Wet, bedraggled, and so tired that I could have fallen asleep standing up, I groped my way to the railroad station and curled myself up on a bench to snatch what rest I could. Just before daybreak a milk train came along. I boarded this and traveled by a roundabout route to South Windham.
MY HUSBAND IS SHOT
I reached there late in the afternoon and went straight to the postoffice. This was always the accepted rendezvous23 for professional criminals when no other place had been agreed upon. Detectives in every city might very profitably spend more of their time watching the postoffice, for wherever the criminal is he makes a point of calling there at least once every twenty-four hours to keep appointments with his friends or in the hope of running across some acquaintance.
Ned and George were there waiting for me, and mighty24 glad they were to see me, for they had heard vague rumors25 of a woman having been arrested on suspicion that she knew something about the Palmer robbery.
The best opportunity the sleepy little town afforded seemed to be a general store run by a man named Johnson. I dropped in there late one evening, and, on the pretext26 of buying a crochet27 hook,[Pg 123] saw the old proprietor28 locking the day's receipts—quite a respectable bundle of money—in a ramshackle safe which offered about as much security as a cheese box.
We got everything in readiness to break into the store the following night. It was a foolhardy time for such a job, as there was a bright moon—but we were hungry for money, and one more good haul would supply enough to keep us in comfort until we could lay our plans for some robbery really worthy29 of our skill.
There was really little I could do to help the men, but I could not bear to be left behind. Just after midnight I stole out of the railroad station, where I had been waiting ostensibly for the night train to New York, and hid myself in the doorway30 of a livery stable, where I had a good view of the store we were going to rob.
Pretty soon I saw my two comrades come cautiously down the main street from opposite directions. They met underneath31 a window of the store on the side which was in the dark shadow of a tree.
The window was so high above the ground that my husband had to climb up on George Mason's shoulders to reach it. I could hear the gentle rasp of his jimmy as it worked against the fastenings.
At last he raised the sash gently and stepped into the store. Then he leaned far out across the sill and stretched his brawny32 arms down toward his companion.
Mason gave a leap, caught hold of Ned's wrists,[Pg 124] and, with the agility33 of a circus performer, swung himself up into the window.
All was as silent as the grave. The only sign of life I could see in the peaceful street were two cats enjoying a nocturnal gambol34 on a nearby piazza35 roof. I shivered for fear they might start yowling and awaken19 somebody to spoil our plans.
Just at that instant one of the cats upset a flower pot which stood at a window opening on the porch roof. To my horror that pot went rolling down the roof with a tremendous clatter36, hung suspended for a second on the eaves, then fell to the stone steps with a crash that woke the echoes.
At once the whole town awoke. In every direction I could hear windows being thrown open, children crying, and sleepy voices asking what the trouble was.
At a window directly over the store where my two friends were a night-capped head appeared and a frightened woman screamed, "Help! Burglars!" at the top of her lungs.
That completed the havoc37 which the playful cats and the flower pot had begun. From every house half-dressed men armed with rifles, shotguns, and all sorts of weapons poured into the street.
All this racket had started too suddenly for me to give Ned and George any warning. I could only crouch38 farther back in the shadow of my doorway and trust to Providence39 that the villagers would overlook me in their excitement.
"There goes the burglar now!" some one shouted,[Pg 125] and just then I saw my husband dash past my hiding place so close that I could have touched him. He was headed for the open country beyond the railroad tracks and was running faster than I had ever supposed a man of his weight could.
"Stop, or I'll shoot!" yelled an old white-whiskered farmer, who stood, rifle in hand, not a dozen yards away.
But Ned, if he heard the command, made no move to obey. Instead, he only ran all the faster, hunching40 his head down between his shoulders and zigzagging41 back and forth42 across the road as if to make his bulky form a less favorable target.
The old farmer raised his rifle as deliberately43 as if he had been aiming at a squirrel instead of a fellow man. Three shots blazed out in rapid succession.
The first shot went wild. At the second my husband stumbled. At the third he threw up his hands and pitched forward headlong in the road.
"We've got him!" the crowd shouted with what seemed to me fiendish glee, and rushed up to where Ned's body lay in a quivering, bloody44 heap.
I supposed he was dead, but, whether dead or alive, I knew there was nothing I could do to aid him. Nervous and trembling at the awful sight I had seen, I slipped out of town unnoticed.
WHAT CAME OF OUR CRIMES
I saw nothing of George Mason and for months afterward45 did not know how he had escaped. With[Pg 126] better judgment46 than my husband showed he had remained quietly in the store after the outcry started. He saw the shooting, and, in the confusion which followed, he found little difficulty in getting out of town.
Friends of mine in New London aided me to return to the hospital in Hartford, where Ned had been taken after the shooting. His recovery was slow, for there was a bullet imbedded nine inches deep in his back which the surgeons were unable to remove. As soon as he was able to stand trial he was sentenced to three years in State prison, and, when he had completed this term, he was given three years in Massachusetts for the robbery at Palmer.
This was the result of our crimes in New England—my husband nearly killed and sentenced to six long years in prison. Can you wonder why I have learned the lesson that crime does not pay?
But, to my sorrow, I did not learn the lesson then—no, not for many years after that. With my husband in prison the support of my little ones fell wholly on my shoulders, and I promptly47 turned to bank robbing as the easiest way I knew of making a living.
My early training under such expert bank robbers as Ned Lyons, Mark Shinburn, and Harry48 Raymond made me extraordinarily49 successful in this variety of crime. The cleverest men in the business began to have respect for my judgment and were continually inviting50 me to take an important part in their risky51 but very profitable ventures. Soon, as[Pg 127] I am going to tell you, my reputation for skill in organizing the most daring robberies and carrying them through without detection had spread even beyond the limits of the underworld.
One day, when I was trying to enjoy the novel experience of living honestly for a few weeks, a distinguished52 looking gentleman called at my home. He saw my look of incredulity when he announced himself as a bank president and promptly produced a heavy engraved53 card which confirmed the truth of his statement.
Instantly I was on my guard. In those days my house was the headquarters for all sorts of strange persons—receivers of stolen goods, professional bondsmen, criminal lawyers, escaped prisoners—but I had never before been honored by a visit from a bank president. What on earth could the president of a bank want of a bank robber?
"I understand that you are one of the most successful bank robbers in America," he said without any delay in coming to the point. "I want your advice in a little undertaking I have in mind, and, if possible, your help."
"My advice and help!" I exclaimed, thinking the man must be out of his head.
"That's exactly what I want," he replied coolly. "I want you to tell me how I can have my bank robbed, and, if possible, I want you to take charge of the robbery yourself."
As he explained, he was more than $150,000 short in his accounts. He had taken this amount from[Pg 128] the bank within the past year and lost every dollar of it in speculation54. He could not return this money and it was only a matter of a few weeks before his embezzlement55 would be discovered.
Being a man of prominence56 in his community—a deacon in the church, his wife a society leader, his children in college—running away was out of the question. For months he had been racking his brain for some way of averting57 the ruin which he had brought upon himself.
The plan he had finally devised for retaining his good name and keeping out of prison was to have his bank robbed. On the night of the robbery he would leave $50,000 in the vault58 to pay the robbers for their trouble, but, when he came to announce the robbery to the police and the newspapers, he would declare that $200,000 had been taken.
In this way his thefts would be covered up and he could continue to enjoy the respect and confidence of the community where he had always lived.
A BANKER HIRES US TO ROB
I was amazed at the bold ingenuity59 of this plan and the matter-of-fact way in which he presented it to me. This was the first I had ever heard of a bank being robbed by request of one of its officials. Later I came to know that it is not an uncommon60 thing for dishonest presidents and cashiers to conceal61 their thefts by hiring robbers to break into their banks. The difference between what is actually[Pg 129] taken in one of these robberies by request and what the police and the newspapers say is taken covers the amount which the embezzling62 official has lost in Wall Street or some other speculation.
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE ROBBED A BANK BY REQUEST
WHAT HAPPENED WHEN WE ROBBED A BANK "BY REQUEST."
At that time such an idea was so new to me that all sorts of suspicions crowded into my mind. Probably it was a trap for me, I thought, and I positively63 declined to have anything to do with it.
But the old banker would not take no for an answer. He urged me to think it over and a week later he called again.
By this time the fear of the disgrace which threatened him and his family had made him a nervous wreck64. He begged so piteously for me to help him save his good name that my womanly sympathies got the better of me and I finally consented.
All my feeling for him, however, did not quite free my mind of the fear that the whole affair might be a trick, and I determined65 to protect myself and the robbers who would assist me with all the shrewdness I could.
"We must have a written agreement," I said at the very start.
The banker objected to this, fearing, I suppose, that I might use the paper against him later for blackmail66. But I insisted that I would not do a thing until I had it.
"If you can't trust me to that extent I can't trust you," I said firmly—and at last he told me to draw up the paper and he would sign it.
According to the contract which I prepared, the[Pg 130] banker paid five thousand dollars down and was to pay me an equal amount as soon as I had completed my arrangements and set the date for the robbery. He further agreed that there should be at least $50,000 in cash in the bank vault on the night of our visit.
It was further provided that the banker should cooperate with me and my fellow robbers in every possible way, and that he should do nothing to aid in our arrest or conviction for the crime, which, as was expressly stated, was committed at his suggestion, and not ours. In case the robbery was interrupted before we could get inside the vault the banker was to pay us $25,000 in cash in addition to the $10,000 already advanced.
I agreed to leave no stone unturned to carry out the robbery and promised to return the agreement to the banker as soon as all its provisions had been fulfilled.
All this I set down on paper in as businesslike way as I knew how. It was a document which would have made the poor old banker's ruin even greater than his thievings had done if I had been the sort of woman to break faith with him. With trembling fingers he signed it and counted out $5,000 in bills.
From the banker I had gained a good idea of the bank and the sort of vault we would have to enter. Now, to get some good, reliable men to help me do the job.
Of all the bank burglars in my acquaintance George Mason seemed best fitted for this particular[Pg 131] crime. He was a cool, resourceful fellow and had had wide experience in blowing open bank vaults67.
George readily agreed to join me, and for the rest of the party he recommended two younger men—Tom Smith and Frank Jones, I will call them, although those were not their names. I do not like to reveal their identity here because they later reformed and led honest lives.
Right here let me say that I never told these three men of my arrangements with the banker or that I was to receive from him $10,000 in addition to what we expected to find in the vault. If they are alive to-day and read these lines they will learn here for the first time that the bank in Quincy, Ill., which they helped Sophie Lyons rob was robbed by request of its president.
BORING INTO THE BANK VAULT
I sent word to the banker that we were ready and he came to my house and paid me $5,000 more. Then, by different routes, George Mason, the other two robbers and I proceeded to Quincy.
I was the first to arrive. I went to the leading hotel, announced my plan to add a patent medicine laboratory to the town's industries and began to look around for a suitable location for my enterprise. As I believe I mentioned in a previous chapter, this ruse68 of the patent medicine laboratory was one I had borrowed from my friend, Harry Raymond—he had used it to splendid advantage in his robbery of the Boylston Bank in Boston.
[Pg 132]
Of course, it was a part of my prearranged plan with the banker that the quarters I should finally find best suited for my purpose would be a room on the second floor of the bank building, directly over the vault we were going to rob.
I made several visits to the bank before I completed my arrangements with the president—partly to carry out my r?le of the cautious business woman and partly to study the construction of the vault and see where we could best bore our way into it.
By the time the lease was signed the three men who were to be associated with me in the new business arrived. With their help I secured a quantity of bottles, labels, jars of chemicals, chairs, desks, tables, and other things we would need if we were really making patent medicine.
Among the articles of furniture we moved in was an unusually large oak wardrobe. We removed the bottom from this and placed it over the exact spot in the floor where we planned to dig our opening into the bank vault.
Then, while one of the men and I ostentatiously pasted labels on endless bottles of "Golden Bitters," the other two men crawled into the wardrobe where no chance visitor could see them and day after day continued the work of removing the layers of brick and timber which separated us from the vault. We stored the débris as it accumulated in bags and carried it away every night.
It was a long job and a hard one. The floor[Pg 133] timbers were seasoned oak and beneath them were two layers of brick.
In the cramped69 space inside the wardrobe it was hard to work to the best advantage and, besides, the men never knew just how far they had progressed and were in constant fear that an extra vigorous blow would loosen a big strip of plaster in the ceiling of the bank.
To our disgust we found, after we had passed through the floor itself, that the vault had a sort of false roof composed of short lengths of railroad iron placed irregularly in a setting of mortar70 and brick. This made our task three days longer than we had expected.
Late one afternoon George Mason cleared away a space which left only a thin layer of lath and plaster between us and the inside of the vault.
There was too much danger of the gaping71 hole we had dug under the wardrobe being discovered to admit of any further delay. We made our arrangements to rob the bank that very night.
While the rest of the town was going to bed we waited impatiently for it to get late enough for us to lay our hands on the $50,000 which I had every reason to believe was waiting below that thin layer of lath and plaster. Luckily enough the bank's watchman was at a christening party that evening and was not likely to return until the wee small hours. This prevented the necessity of my remaining on guard outside.
Shortly after midnight we turned out our lamps[Pg 134] and lighted our dark lanterns. I peered out of the window—the streets were deserted72.
George Mason took a small sledge73 hammer and with one or two well directed blows opened up the hole in the floor wide enough to admit his body. Then he tied one end of a long rope under his arms and we lowered him down into the vault.
MY COMRADE'S NARROW ESCAPE
To the best of my knowledge and belief the cash which had been promised would be found right on the shelves of the vault, and all George would have to do would be to stuff it into his pockets and climb back up the way he had come.
But, whether through intent or an oversight74 on the president's part, that was not the case. For several minutes we waited breathlessly listening to George as he fumbled75 around the vault by the light of his dark-lantern. Then we heard him call in a hoarse76 whisper:
"Sophie, it's just as I was afraid it would be. Every cent of the money is locked up in the small steel safe. I'll have to come back up and get my tools."
It is the custom in big bank vaults to have a small and separate steel safe to put the actual cash into. Leases, documents, account books, and sometimes bonds and stock certificates are kept in the big vault, but money and things of special value are usually locked up in the inside steel compartment77.
[Pg 135]
With some difficulty we hauled him back up. From his bag he selected the drills he thought he would need and from a bottle poured out what seemed to me an extra generous quantity of black powder.
"Be careful and not use too much of that stuff," I called as he disappeared again through the hole. "Ned always said that was your worst failing."
"Don't you worry, Sophie," he replied; "it will take a good big dose to open this safe."
For several minutes we sat there listening to the rasping of his drills against the door of the safe. Just as we felt that tug78 on the rope which was the signal to haul him up, we saw the flare79 of his lighted match and heard the sputter80 of the fuse.
We pulled on the rope for all we were worth but before George's body was within two feet of the hole in the floor there came a blinding flash, followed by an explosion that shook the building.
Although dazed by the shock and half blinded by the cloud of dust and poisonous fumes81 which poured up through the hole, we managed to keep our hold on the rope and haul our helpless comrade out of the death trap in which the premature3 explosion had caught him.
"George!" I called, as we lifted the rope from under his arms. But he never answered and I thought it was only a corpse82 that we laid gently on the floor. His hair and eyebrows83 were completely burned off, his face and hands were as black as coal and he was bleeding from an ugly wound in the head.
[Pg 136]
We forgot the money we were after—we forgot the danger of being caught—in our anxiety for our wounded friend. One of the men brought water while I tried to force a drink of brandy down his throat. It seemed an age before he came to his senses, raised himself on one elbow and roughly pushed me aside.
"It went off too quick for me," he said; "but don't be foolish—I'll be all right in a minute. Look and see if the noise has roused the town."
I looked out—there was not a soul in sight. The bank's thick walls and the fact that it stood at some distance from any other building had evidently prevented the explosion being heard outside.
WE GET THE BANK'S MONEY
Although suffering intense pain George insisted on going back to get the money. It was no easy task, for the vault was full of suffocating84 smoke. There was no time to lose, as the watchman might return at any minute.
After a few minutes we hauled him up for the third time.
"That charge blew the safe door to splinters, but here's every dollar it contained," he said, handing me several packages of bills.
I counted the money and had hard work to conceal my surprise when I found there was only $30,000. But, as Mason thought himself lucky to escape with his life and, as the other two men seemed well satisfied with the amount, I said nothing.
[Pg 137]
We started at once for Chicago, where a few days later we divided the spoils. As I had expected, the bank's loss was placed by the newspapers at $200,000. A large reward was offered for the capture of the robbers. I was pleased to note that the president's story of the amount taken and of the complete mystery in which the affair was shrouded85 seemed to be generally accepted.
After the excitement had died down the bank president came to Detroit to see me. Worry over the possibility of his crime being discovered had shattered his nerves and he was such a poor broken specimen86 of an old man that I did not have the heart to demand the additional $20,000 which he had promised us. As I tore up our agreement and handed him the pieces, he said:
"My criminal folly87 has ruined my peace of mind. Thanks to your help, I have saved my family from disgrace, but the worries and nervous strain of my defalcation88 and the bank robbery have killed me. My doctors say I have heart disease, and have but a few months to live. I wish I had known two years ago what I have since learned—that crime does not pay."
FACING A LYNCHING MOB
The desperate risks every criminal has to run often come through no crime of his own, but through his association with other criminals. Two of the most exciting events in my varied89 career [Pg 138]happened to me through my loyal effort to save the life of my friend, Tom Bigelow, a well-known bank sneak90 and burglar.
It was in Mount Sterling91, Kentucky, that all this happened. I was there on a perfectly92 legitimate93 errand and had no idea that any of my criminal friends were in the vicinity.
There was a circus in town that day and the long main street was crowded with sightseers. I had been watching the parade with the rest and was on my way back to the hotel for dinner when I heard some one call my name.
Looking around in surprise I saw Johnny Meaney, a young bank sneak, whom I knew well, pressing his way through the crowd toward me. He was all out of breath and in the greatest agitation94.
"Sophie," he whispered in my ear, "they've just caught Tom Bigelow with the bank's money on him and they're going to lynch him."
There was no time to ask him more—before the last word was fairly out of his mouth he had disappeared in the crowd.
As I afterward learned, Tom and Johnny had taken advantage of the excitement created by the circus parade to rob the Mount Sterling Bank. While the cashier was standing upon the counter to see the passing parade, Johnny had crawled in under his legs and taken a bundle of money out of the vault.
He got safely out with his plunder and was just handing it to Tom, who had been waiting in a buggy[Pg 139] outside, when the cashier discovered his loss and raised a great outcry. Before Tom had time to stir out of his tracks a hundred willing hands in the crowd had made him a prisoner—then some one started the cry, "Lynch the Yankee robber!" and some one else brought a rope.
In the excitement nimble John Meaney had managed to escape. As he dashed down the street he had chanced to catch sight of me and had passed me the word of our friend's peril95.
The crowd was already hurrying in the direction of the square in the center of the town where the court house stood and I followed as fast as my legs could carry me.
As I entered the square I could see Tom's familiar form looming96 above the heads of the yelling mob which surrounded him. He was mounted on a soap box under an oak tree which stood in front of the court house.
I shall never forget how he looked—pale as a sheet, his feet tied with rope, his arms securely bound behind him. He was bareheaded and they had removed his coat and collar in order to adjust the noose which hung around his neck.
Quite plainly, if there was anything I could do to save my friend, it must be done quickly. The mob was loudly clamoring for his life. Already a young man was climbing up the tree in search of a convenient limb over which to throw the end of the rope.
I shuddered97 to think that, unless I could devise[Pg 140] some plan of action, Tom Bigelow's lifeless body would soon be dangling99 before my eyes.
Summoning every ounce of the nervous energy I possessed100 I pressed my way through the crowd, screaming frantically101:
"That man is my sweetheart! Don't lynch him—oh, please don't lynch him!"
My action took the crowd by surprise—they made a lane for me and pushed me along until finally I stood right at Tom's feet.
HOW I SAVED TOM'S LIFE
I climbed up on the box beside Tom; I threw my arms around his neck, although the feel of that ugly noose against my flesh made me shudder98.
"This man is innocent—he is my sweetheart," I kept shouting. "You must let him go."
I hugged Tom Bigelow, I kissed him, I wept over him—I did everything I could imagine a woman doing when the man she loves is about to be hung before her eyes.
The crowd was amazed. Lynchings were no uncommon occurrence in that region, but nothing like this had ever happened before.
The cooler heads in the crowd began to have their say. "Take that noose off his neck and lock them both up," some one shouted.
The Sheriff put handcuffs on us and led us away.[Pg 141] My ruse had succeeded. Tom Bigelow's life was saved!
Tom and I were lodged103 in jail, indicted104 by the Grand Jury and held without bail105 for trial. Of course, I was innocent of any share in the robbery, but, as the authorities believed my story that I was Tom's sweetheart, they thought I must know more about it than I admitted.
It was while we were confined in the jail at Mount Sterling that I had an opportunity to see for myself how it feels to face a desperate lynching mob. That was one of the most horrid106 nightmares I ever experienced.
One of our fellow inmates107 in the jail was a man named Murphy Logan, who was awaiting trial for the murder of his father. He was a sullen108, weak-minded fellow, who had several killings109 to his discredit111. The general opinion was that he belonged in an insane asylum112.
In another neighboring cell was a young man named Charlie Steele. He was exceedingly popular in the community. His worst fault was love of liquor and he was in jail for some minor113 offense114 which he had committed on one of his sprees. The other prisoners shunned115 Logan on account of his disagreeable ways, but Steele good naturedly made quite a friend of him and they often played cards together.
In this jail the prisoners were allowed the freedom of the long corridor on which the cells opened. One afternoon Tom Bigelow and I sat just outside[Pg 142] my cell trying to devise some way to regain116 our liberty. Down at the other end of the corridor, Charlie Steele and Murphy Logan were enjoying their usual game of cards.
Suddenly we were startled by a piercing scream. I jumped to my feet, and looked around to see poor Steele lying on the floor with the blood streaming from a long wound in his throat. Over him, glaring like the madman he was, stood Murphy Logan, brandishing117 in one hand a heavy piece of tin which he had fashioned into a crude sort of dagger118.
Forgetful of my own danger, I rushed up and seized Logan's arm, just as he was about to plunge119 the weapon into Steele's body again. He turned on me, but I managed to keep him from wounding me until Tom and some of the other prisoners came to my assistance.
Steele lived only a few hours. The Sheriff placed the murderer in solitary120 confinement121, and chained him to the floor of his cell. His ravings were something terrible to hear. He continually threatened vengeance122 on any of his fellow prisoners who would tell how he had slain123 his friend.
After listening to these threats all night long we were in terror of our lives, and when the inquest was held next day not a single prisoner would admit that he had seen the killing110.
"Didn't you see this happen?" the Sheriff asked me.
"No," I lied, "I was in my cell at the time, and[Pg 143] don't know anything about how Steele came to his end."
"You lie!" shouted Logan, when he heard this. "If you hadn't interfered124 I would have cut him up worse than I did. I will make you suffer for sticking your nose into my affairs."
The town was in a fever of excitement, and from the windows of our cells we could see excited groups discussing the murder on every corner. Feeling ran particularly high, because the dead man had been so popular in the community while nobody liked Murphy Logan.
Late that night Logan became so exhausted125 with his ravings that he fell asleep. I was just preparing to try to get some rest myself when I heard the tramp of heavy feet coming up the jail stairs.
By the dim light of the one smoky kerosene126 lamp I saw a crowd of masked men trooping into the corridor. The leaders carried heavy sledge hammers, and with these, having been unable to make the Sheriff give up his keys, they attacked the iron door of Logan's cell.
It quickly fell to pieces before their sturdy blows. Then they broke the murderer's shackles127 and dragged him, shrieking128 curses with every breath, down the stairs and out into the street.
They strung him up to a tree, riddled129 him with bullets, and left his body hanging there in the moonlight in full view of my cell window. This was too much for my overwrought nerves. I threw myself on my couch and wept. Tom Bigelow did his best[Pg 144] to console me, but I could not sleep—my head ached and I trembled in every limb.
About an hour later I heard that ominous130 tramp of feet again! This time the masked men came straight to the door of my cell.
"Is this where that woman is?" a rough voice called.
I cowered131 in a corner, too frightened to reply. They pounded the door down just as they had Murphy Logan's. A man seized me by the arm and pulled me out, none too gently.
They were going to lynch me—I was convinced of that. With tears streaming down my cheeks I pleaded, as I never had before, that I was innocent of any crime, and begged to be allowed to go back home to my children.
They took me downstairs into the Sheriff's office, where sat a man who seemed to be the leader of the mob.
"So you tried to save Charlie Steele's life, did you?" he said to me.
Then for the first time it dawned on me that perhaps I was not going to be hanged after all. I told the whole truth about what I had done when I saw Logan waving his dagger over his victim. When I had finished the leader said:
"That's all we want to know, young woman. We liked Charlie Steele, and we like you for what you tried to do for him. Now you're free to get out of town—that's your reward for trying to save poor Charlie. We'll see you safely to the depot132."
[Pg 145]
I was overjoyed. The leader handed me enough money for my traveling expenses and permitted me to go up to Tom's cell and tell him of my good fortune. Before day broke I was on a train for Detroit.
These are only a few of the desperate risks which my husband, my friends, and I were constantly facing during the years when I was active in crime.
If every business man and merchant faced prison, bullets, or a lynching as a necessary risk of trade, would anybody regard business life as attractive?
The incidents from my own experiences give one more illuminative133 reason why I maintain that CRIME DOES NOT PAY!
点击
收听单词发音
收听单词发音 |
1
margins
|
|
| 边( margin的名词复数 )； 利润； 页边空白； 差数 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
prematurely
|
|
| adv.过早地，贸然地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
premature
|
|
| adj.比预期时间早的；不成熟的，仓促的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
noose
|
|
| n.绳套，绞索（刑）；v.用套索捉；使落入圈套；处以绞刑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
desperately
|
|
| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
scouted
|
|
| 寻找，侦察( scout的过去式和过去分词 )； 物色（优秀运动员、演员、音乐家等） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
alley
|
|
| n.小巷，胡同；小径，小路 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
pane
|
|
| n.窗格玻璃，长方块 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
rumble
|
|
| n.隆隆声；吵嚷；v.隆隆响；低沉地说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
prick
|
|
| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
puckering
|
|
| v.（使某物）起褶子或皱纹( pucker的现在分词 )；小褶纹；小褶皱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
shrill
|
|
| adj.尖声的；刺耳的；v尖叫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
trudged
|
|
| vt.& vi.跋涉，吃力地走（trudge的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
wading
|
|
| （从水、泥等）蹚，走过，跋( wade的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
muffle
|
|
| v.围裹；抑制；发低沉的声音 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
scurried
|
|
| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
awaken
|
|
| vi.醒，觉醒；vt.唤醒，使觉醒，唤起，激起 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
awakened
|
|
| v.（使）醒( awaken的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）觉醒；弄醒；（使）意识到 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
plunder
|
|
| vt.劫掠财物，掠夺；n.劫掠物，赃物；劫掠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
undertaking
|
|
| n.保证，许诺，事业 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
rendezvous
|
|
| n.约会，约会地点，汇合点；vi.汇合，集合；vt.使汇合，使在汇合地点相遇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
rumors
|
|
| n.传闻( rumor的名词复数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷v.传闻( rumor的第三人称单数 )；[古]名誉；咕哝；[古]喧嚷 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
pretext
|
|
| n.借口，托词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
crochet
|
|
| n.钩针织物；v.用钩针编制 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
proprietor
|
|
| n.所有人；业主；经营者 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
worthy
|
|
| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
doorway
|
|
| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
underneath
|
|
| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
brawny
|
|
| adj.强壮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
agility
|
|
| n.敏捷，活泼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
gambol
|
|
| v.欢呼，雀跃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
piazza
|
|
| n.广场；走廊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
clatter
|
|
| v./n.(使)发出连续而清脆的撞击声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
havoc
|
|
| n.大破坏，浩劫，大混乱，大杂乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
crouch
|
|
| v.蹲伏，蜷缩，低头弯腰；n.蹲伏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
providence
|
|
| n.深谋远虑，天道，天意；远见；节约；上帝 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
hunching
|
|
| 隆起（hunch的现在分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
zigzagging
|
|
| v.弯弯曲曲地走路，曲折地前进( zigzag的现在分词 )；盘陀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
forth
|
|
| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
deliberately
|
|
| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
bloody
|
|
| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
afterward
|
|
| adv.后来；以后 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
judgment
|
|
| n.审判；判断力，识别力，看法，意见 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
promptly
|
|
| adv.及时地，敏捷地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
harry
|
|
| vt.掠夺，蹂躏，使苦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
extraordinarily
|
|
| adv.格外地；极端地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
inviting
|
|
| adj.诱人的，引人注目的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
risky
|
|
| adj.有风险的，冒险的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
distinguished
|
|
| adj.卓越的，杰出的，著名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
engraved
|
|
| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
speculation
|
|
| n.思索，沉思；猜测；投机 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
embezzlement
|
|
| n.盗用，贪污 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
prominence
|
|
| n.突出；显著；杰出；重要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
averting
|
|
| 防止，避免( avert的现在分词 )； 转移 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
vault
|
|
| n.拱形圆顶，地窖，地下室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
ingenuity
|
|
| n.别出心裁；善于发明创造 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
uncommon
|
|
| adj.罕见的，非凡的，不平常的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
conceal
|
|
| v.隐藏，隐瞒，隐蔽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
embezzling
|
|
| v.贪污，盗用（公款）( embezzle的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
positively
|
|
| adv.明确地，断然，坚决地；实在，确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
wreck
|
|
| n.失事，遇难；沉船；vt.(船等)失事，遇难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
blackmail
|
|
| n.讹诈，敲诈，勒索，胁迫，恫吓 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
vaults
|
|
| n.拱顶( vault的名词复数 )；地下室；撑物跳高；墓穴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
ruse
|
|
| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
cramped
|
|
| a.狭窄的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
mortar
|
|
| n.灰浆，灰泥；迫击炮；v.把…用灰浆涂接合 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
gaping
|
|
| adj.口的；张口的；敞口的；多洞穴的v.目瞪口呆地凝视( gape的现在分词 )；张开，张大 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
deserted
|
|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
sledge
|
|
| n.雪橇，大锤；v.用雪橇搬运，坐雪橇往 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
oversight
|
|
| n.勘漏，失察，疏忽 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
fumbled
|
|
| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
hoarse
|
|
| adj.嘶哑的，沙哑的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
compartment
|
|
| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
tug
|
|
| v.用力拖(或拉)；苦干；n.拖；苦干；拖船 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
flare
|
|
| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
sputter
|
|
| n.喷溅声；v.喷溅 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
fumes
|
|
| n.(强烈而刺激的)气味，气体 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
corpse
|
|
| n.尸体，死尸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
eyebrows
|
|
| 眉毛( eyebrow的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
suffocating
|
|
| a.使人窒息的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
shrouded
|
|
| v.隐瞒( shroud的过去式和过去分词 )；保密 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
specimen
|
|
| n.样本，标本 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
folly
|
|
| n.愚笨，愚蠢，蠢事，蠢行，傻话 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
defalcation
|
|
| n.盗用公款，挪用公款，贪污 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
varied
|
|
| adj.多样的，多变化的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
sneak
|
|
| vt.潜行(隐藏,填石缝)；偷偷摸摸做；n.潜行；adj.暗中进行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
sterling
|
|
| adj.英币的(纯粹的，货真价实的)；n.英国货币(英镑) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
legitimate
|
|
| adj.合法的，合理的，合乎逻辑的；v.使合法 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
agitation
|
|
| n.搅动；搅拌；鼓动，煽动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
peril
|
|
| n.(严重的)危险；危险的事物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
looming
|
|
| n.上现蜃景（光通过低层大气发生异常折射形成的一种海市蜃楼）v.隐约出现，阴森地逼近( loom的现在分词 )；隐约出现，阴森地逼近 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
shuddered
|
|
| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
shudder
|
|
| v.战粟，震动，剧烈地摇晃；n.战粟，抖动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
dangling
|
|
| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
possessed
|
|
| adj.疯狂的；拥有的，占有的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
frantically
|
|
| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
sobs
|
|
| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
lodged
|
|
| v.存放( lodge的过去式和过去分词 )；暂住；埋入；（权利、权威等）归属 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
indicted
|
|
| 控告，起诉( indict的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
bail
|
|
| v.舀（水），保释；n.保证金，保释，保释人 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
horrid
|
|
| adj.可怕的；令人惊恐的；恐怖的；极讨厌的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
inmates
|
|
| n.囚犯( inmate的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
sullen
|
|
| adj.愠怒的，闷闷不乐的，(天气等)阴沉的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
killings
|
|
| 谋杀( killing的名词复数 )； 突然发大财，暴发 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
killing
|
|
| n.巨额利润；突然赚大钱，发大财 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
discredit
|
|
| vt.使不可置信；n.丧失信义；不信，怀疑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
asylum
|
|
| n.避难所，庇护所，避难 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
minor
|
|
| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
offense
|
|
| n.犯规，违法行为；冒犯，得罪 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
shunned
|
|
| v.避开，回避，避免( shun的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
regain
|
|
| vt.重新获得，收复，恢复 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
brandishing
|
|
| v.挥舞( brandish的现在分词 )；炫耀 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
dagger
|
|
| n.匕首，短剑，剑号 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
plunge
|
|
| v.跳入，(使)投入，(使)陷入；猛冲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
solitary
|
|
| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
confinement
|
|
| n.幽禁，拘留，监禁；分娩；限制，局限 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
vengeance
|
|
| n.报复，报仇，复仇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
slain
|
|
| 杀死，宰杀，杀戮( slay的过去分词 )； (slay的过去分词) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
interfered
|
|
| v.干预( interfere的过去式和过去分词 )；调停；妨碍；干涉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
exhausted
|
|
| adj.极其疲惫的，精疲力尽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
kerosene
|
|
| n.(kerosine)煤油，火油 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
shackles
|
|
| 手铐( shackle的名词复数 )； 脚镣； 束缚； 羁绊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
shrieking
|
|
| v.尖叫( shriek的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
riddled
|
|
| adj.布满的；充斥的；泛滥的v.解谜，出谜题(riddle的过去分词形式) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
ominous
|
|
| adj.不祥的，不吉的，预兆的，预示的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
cowered
|
|
| v.畏缩，抖缩( cower的过去式 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
depot
|
|
| n.仓库，储藏处；公共汽车站；火车站 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
illuminative
|
|
| adj.照明的，照亮的，启蒙的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |