ed THE NOTORIOUS MECUM BROTHER! IN KINGSTON THE DAILY BRITISH WHIG, TUESDAY, APRIL 30, 1912. They Were Kelly and Jones Who Were Concern ed in the Sensational Escape on Jones and Kelly, convicts in the penitentiary, who, the sensational escape, are known in Canadian criminal circles as men of desperate character. They are known in lows as Bert and Charles Mecum. Chandos St. John-Brenon, 'of Winni is tells in the April Wide World Magazine the story of their escapudes We reproduce it. . One bright October afternoon--to be precise, October 19th, 1910--the heavy ¥utes of the Anamosa reformatory, in the state of Iowa, U.S.A, swung shut with a clang, ond Charles Mecum, alias Charles |b. Smitch, alias Smith, was ushered became a number. On that date he commenced a five-year sentence for housebreaking and theft. He was not twenty vears of age, vet this was his second visit, and he knew, the ropes. His sallow-complexioned face assumed a blank expression, but his shifty eyes took in every detail as he was 'book. ed" and finally marched to his cell. What was phssing in his mind as he sat in his cell for the better part of a week in his striped conviet clothes awaiting his call. to hard labor cam not be known, but hope glimmered in his breast=n hope that he would be outside" the hateful confines' of the dull grey prison long before the live years of his life which had been taken from him by outraged justice dad run their wands. That hope never died, and perhaps it has nov yet, H it still smouldérs, however, then his heart must be sick, for he has but little chance of over walking the streets a free man aga. Morning after morning hie fell in with the gang of short-haired, smile less, dull-eved men who, in their hide ous and ill-fitting clothes, horizontal- ly marked with black and white stripes, marched to the rock quarries, which wers located a little over a mile Lo the west of the prison. In Mecun's particular gang were twenty mew; all convicts serving vari- ous terms for different erimes. Four Huard armed with revolvers, which they sight, watched the men "4 nh and heart: loasly dn the. rvotlsbound cuts. Ten monotonous hours, day in and day out, with pick and shovel, with bar row and hammer, they labored, Sun days excepted. As the golden sun sank on the horton they would march back to their suppers and their eolls, to think of the great day when the big gates would swing open and let them out again into the great wide world, perhaps to vontinue in a life of crime, perhaps 10 walk the hard and narrow path, better men who looked back upon the lesson as the best thing that could have happened to tiem. Charles Mecumn did not take kindly to the work of cutting rock, and young Allan Hamaker, his guard, was forced to take him to 'task on more than one occasion. Mecum, alwave sullen, did not improve, and finally he was taken before the deputy-warden ol she nil and punishment was meted out, ji "I'l get sven with you for this," he snarled to young Hamaker, as he was led away. Hamaker had heard this wort of thing before, and it made no impression on him. Mecum, however, had leant his lesson. Prison officials y 3 on Monday, made | into the jail office and|ol do not plag with the criminals for whom they are responsible to an ex- acting government, and Mecum decid- ed he would not give any further cause for punishment. Some months later a rumor, drifting from no one knows where, found its way through the prison corridors. Ap appeal for a new trial was under way for Mecum. Nature is eve prone to play tricks, and, wicked ay? was the mould in which she had cast the Mecums, she allowed one admirable teait to filter in which, had it only been properly applied, might have made good mien ad ones. This trait was a wonder- ful family love, and, bad as Charles the name of "Wilson." This done, he walked over the road to the Henrik- son livery stables, and hiring 'a horse and buggy drove out to the prison quarries ounce more, ' Parallel to the railroad track he drove,. skirting Ythe edge of the sone quarries, and slowly went over the ground. Just: east of a big cut, to- wards the jail, was 'a trestle bridge built over a small ravine. Here Mecum--for the stranger was none oth- er--got out of the rig and familiarized himself with the lie of the land. A low round boulder stood to the north. This caught" his eye, and after caleu- lating the distance from a spot hihind it to the middle of the trestle foad he nodded in a satisfied manner and, get- ting back into his rig, returped to the hotel, 4 At sven o'clock the following morn- ing, August llth, he again appeared at the livery stable and asked for a horse and rig. hitehing-up of the anxious and nervous, and he paced un easily 10 and fro in front of the sta- bles. Finally his buggy was ready and quickly he drove away towards the guarries again. As he neared his des- t'nation he carefully scanned the coun- try to the west of the prison, and his attention was soon attracted to a small gang, evidently late, on their way to the quarries. brought his horse and buggy off the Mecum was, he possessed the deep and lasting love of his brother Bert, a than as bad as himeelf--how great am' affection the course of this narrative' will show, : On the afternoon of Thursday, Aug-| ust drd, 1911, Bert Mecum sisited lus | brother Charles at the prison. A war-! der near by' listened to their conver: | sation and heard nothing but generd!- | ities, 'He failed 10 see the rapid and silent conversation carried on by the wily brothers on their fingers. Fhey were both adepts at the deai-and- dumb language, dn' one or both hands, and in this smple but efficacious man ner was Charles informed that an ef- fort would be made to gel him out as soon as possible. So expert were the two at this "finger" language that Charles kept up a continual rattle of conversation loud enough for the war- deg to hear, but all the time he was réading 'what his brother was silently; saying to him with" his fingers. Bert finally bade good-bye to his brother and left the prison. From that day forward Charl@& appeared brisker and his cyes shone with a new light. "The prison authorities, how- ever, never realized until too late how desperate a man they had within the penitentiary walls, Late on Monday night, August 7th, four days after the visit to the prison, a squarely built, narrow-faced, clean- shaven, square jawed youth of aboutd nineteen years of age, whose eves were set very clowe together in his head, registered at' the Gillen hotel, Ana- mosa, lowa. The name signed was Mecum, but the initials bave not been made out to 'this day--they were so illegible. He brought no baggage, and paid for his room in advance. lmme- diately after ygistering he left the ho- tel and did ndt return until late. He spent Mig time in the neighborhood of the prison stone quarries, and in walking - along the railroad track which ran parallel to them He left the hotel the following morn- ing and passed the balance of the week at a small hotel in the city of Cedar Rapids, near bv. llere, at a second-hand store, * he purchased what is known as a "telescope" valise, light grey in color. At another store he picked up two serviceable revolvers, 4% bore, with long barrels, und he also laid in a goodly supply of ball cartridges. These he placed: in his hip pockets. His purchases completed, the strang er loafed around the town until Thurs day, August 10th, when he boarded a ec ie Dave a train and landed in Anamosa at about seven o'clock on the morning | road parallel with the railway track) vight hand. Then, keeping his horse aj a jog trot, he slowly passed the convicts as they marched their "cut." Close beside Guard Allan walked coovict Charles Mecum. lips tightened as he saw the man the buggy, but he made sign. Neither did Bert. In that one short glance the warning had been given, unseen by the guard, Hamaker, who bad merely favored the man in the buggy with a passing glance. Charles to Hamaker His in no knew that the long-hoped-ior moment | was near. The man in the buggy drove on slowly, but diverged well 10 the lt, und then turned his horse head townwand. Charles' heart beat fast. His color less lips grew straight and thin as his eyes hored viet in front of him. A sly sidelong glance at Hamaker satisfied him that the guard had no inkling of the des- perate character of the buggy, nor of the fact that he was the convict Charles' brother, who was "wanted" for escaping from the fam ous Jefierson City, Missouri, prison. ut his eyes shone with an unholy light, nnd his hands clenched as he stepped along, thoughts of freedom surging in his brain. Bert Mecum whipped his animal to a. gullop snd was soon in town again, Here he drove sedately down Main street to another livery stable--Dun laps where he ordered a closed rig with a good team of hoses. This team he ordered to be ready for him op his return, which might be at any moment; as a matter of - fact it was hired in case his plans at the quarries should miscarry. But the rig was never called for, though it came in handy for his pursuers. The team or- dered, Bert drove across to Hines' grocery stores, where he obtained pet- mission to use the telephone. In a few seconds he was in communication with Warden Marquis Barr, of the Anamosa reformat ory. "Halloa ! Is that Mr. Barr's office ?"' coolly spoke Mecum into the mouth- piece. "This Wilson speaking-- Mecum's lawyer. 1 am forced to be back at Cedar Rapids and have to leave oft the 10.45 this morning. | am anxious to talk to Mecum in con- nection with his appeal. Could you affunge to allow me to have an in térview with him at once if 1 come over to the prison?" I With smiling lips the spesker listen- ed to the answer; then he said "Will you ? Thanks very much. is How -- t Toasties Appeals to most Housewives. Hf a supply is kept on hand it € a delicious flavor, appeal to the entire family young and y and saves a lot the crisp bits of ' fo., Ltd, Pure Fool Factories, Windsor, Onta:lo, Canada. PENITENTIARY of that date. He again registered abljuerving to the quarries with Warden the Gillen hotel, but this time under Barr's message, and, whipping up his Bert! {tong will it take { You will send for him at ogee? fright. Thanks, warden." fhe receiver was hung and { Mecum quickly left the He (drove back the hotel, careful (ly looked over his guns, got his "tele | scope" portmasteau, threw it into th { buggy, and leisurely drove off towards I quarries to felch him back ? Ali up, store, to He caught sight of the orderly horse, he drove quickly along the road {by the railway tracks until he reach ed the trestle. He backed the rig to | the edge of the little wood fringing ithe road, where it was concealed from | anyone coming along the trestle from {the west, Everything depended upon { his plans being correctly laid. It was {the rule when conviets were suddenly called in to the penitentiary during working hours to -take the road over the tresile to the jail. Would it be done this morning The spot was indeed a fitting one for the hold-up Dert Mecum had cleverly planned. To the north and south were wild hills, covered in some places with heavy timber, while everywhere was the low, thick scrub. To the east and west were dark, rock- bound cuts, winding'in and out in narrow defiles, cut by . the hands of many a criminal. To his left stood an 80 (old mill, deserted and decayed. Seve- Whipping up, hej glistened so as to bring the gang close to his| ick ears ca | steps { | i { { | into the back of the con-| man in the! | ral 1ré Awe ng The slight delay in' the] fu Retara réd yards away, facing him, horse made him north, stood the Anderson firm but so situated that the trestle was out of the range of vision of the re- sidents. The main road passed paral lel to the trestle, but was hidden from view by a scraggy border of dwarfed cedar trees, Mecum crouched behind the low boulder, his nerves at high tension, his ears straining to catch the slightest sound. The blue steel of his long-barrelled revolvérs viciously in the sunlight. Not a breath of air stirred the leaves of the trees overhead. Suddenly ught the sound of upon the trestle, tightened on his revolvers backs of thick came his the His dnd his and erunch of feet hands the blue veins on the dirty knotty hands stood out and closer Guard Hamaker Charle Mecam. Mecum's shifty darted from side to &ide as he walked along, in front of Hamaker The body of the crouching man hind the rock quiveredf with the tensity and louder sounded the steps, but he conld not set who walking towards him; he could only A few more sceonds and the sounds nppeared | to havg reached the zenith of their loud pesg, and Bert felt that the abreast of the boulder. Like an evil spirit he rose above the rock. He had judged the distance per fectly. Hamaker was being abreast of the was. level with it. "Hands up !"' snapped Bert, Hamaker looked at the two small citeles immovably centred on his face He could even where the rifling commenced in the long barrels. Above those cireles he saw a bestial face and a pair of brown eyes set im a ferocion glare. The whole set of the that backed those tiny shining circles spelt murder; but he never flinched. Like lightning hix right hand dropped to big hip, and in a second his Colt was sul, The gon in Bert's right spat fire "Oh !"" whimpered the eonviet ahead of Hamaker, as he chitched at his left hand. Crack ! The heavier report of Ham aker's Colt barked gut on the soft morning but the bullet went wide Again a tongue of red, angry flame darted from Bert's gun, and Hamaker dropped like a log with a bullet through the body "Good heavens ! gasped Charles, "Well, 1 didn't mean to," answered his brother. "Strip them clothes off," he continued, indicating the conviet's suit. "Over in the grip there, in the buggy, there's a suit. Hurry ! Quickly Charles Mecum divested him self of the hateful convict uniform, and, while his brother kept the pros- trate guard covered with his revolvers, tumbled into the dark suit which he took out of the valise. In & few mo ments the striped elothes lay in a heap on the trestle road and he dressed once more a free man's garh. "Drag him clear of the buggy." Bert's next order concerning Hamaker, who lay groamung on the trestle, >] have a rope in the buggy." His brother leapt upon the wounded man, roughly dragged him across the road, and rolled him down the side of the slope at the end of the trestle--a full thirty feet. The horse was hitched to one of the posts in the trestle so that it could not run away, and Hamaker was then dragged into the wood and propped, face inwards, against a tree, lis arms were drawn around it and his wrists tied together; his Jegs, too, werp bound with coil upon coil of rope. A dirty handkerchief was érammed into his mouth and kept in place hy an other tied ni the back of his head "1 told you I would get even with vou for taking me in to the deputy." said Charles, as he gave the guard's bonds a vicious tug. "1 aimed to kill you," remarked Bert Mecumn, "but 1 fired too low, We ought to kill you mow." he added kicking the inert body of the wounded man. M you hwin't pulled your gun I should not have plugged Come on" turning te his brother "lot's get out of here." Quickly the pair leapt into the buggy and drove away to the north enst, over what is known as the Ridge road. The two fleeing men crossed the Wapsie river and made in the Hire tion of Viola. More than once thi enol scoundrels stopped the buggy and spoke to passers-by. Just outside they knooked at a farm house door and asked what time it was, Close to an old limekiln outside Viola they hitched their horse to a tree and disappeaced from hindu tf. So quickly, so cleverely, and so ably Mad the desperaie pair conduct od the dramatic escape that they™ got clean away, sod, save for a romor of their a ance here and they, they van completely out of the state. ad Bleeding' from a pamful womd iv Sh Stovinch, gagged, blindfolded, to a tree, Hamaker (sinted Twenty minutes late he revived and Closer the and 3 ves . bur in of his exeitement. Lounder was ouess, two wer now a few feet rock; from his brother seq face hand You hit me !"' was in was one You, El When the People Refuse to Pay VER since King John signed the Magna Charta the people have been discovering new rights and asserting them. 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In less than an our a tion of Me two was flashed to every point by whith they could pass, Posse upon posse of armed us mngry men droured the epuntre. "Alive or dead, get them !* were orders, for Hamaker's life hung by a slender thread. He was young ud sopular, and 5 wave of anger surged over ihe surround eolrtryside » worked the gag from between his teeth. He called weakly for help, and, "Alive or dend, get them !" way thie slogan of the bands of puters, and it baded ill for the pair of clever eri winals should range of the they come within the guns earfied by the offi evry he Lime Chosen In the Mecame had { been well selected, The heavy raing of | the nights before made the roads im pussabde for awtomolinle this way the mos travel and ed Heelesd, the trad of th up, bat always and in rapud means was render. | 11nes was two men picked y Inte The buggy | war fomnd onside the liwekiln, tied to 8 dn, the licht prev "teledoope" valise «Gil in it, and allo a blankes covered with Wood, which had fSowel from. the wounded hand of Charles Mecum. The district favored the "gee sway." Rugged hills and rocky led gos, ( deep gullies and Whvier corn fields, deserted buildings, thick," low 3 pursuit - werub and dease woods, all combined tor the fugitives to baffle their Bloodbownds from Macion + pick up the sweat and pever gave temgue. The Mecum broth: nest 4 * amid the newspapers, gol "Sach" erin imuls cannot keep ot of the clutches of the police; they are bound to get into the toils soater or later Wait patiently wd the end will come. We only hope that it will come before mny moe serious results oscur thas the af | fair here" Hamaker slowly recovered snd is now at the reformatory, waiting, He still carries the bullet in kis body as a memento, and will probably oacry it to his dying day. {Continued on Page 10.)