my men fell
desperately in love with this young woman. He would be out riding with
her, and, as none of us suspected anything, he would at times bring
her over to our camp, and we taught her how to make whisky. She seemed
deeply interested in the business. I told the boys several times that
I was a little afraid of that 'gal,' but they laughed at me, and so I
said, 'I can stand it if the rest of you can.' She even went so far as
to become familiarly acquainted with all of us. We all got to thinking
that she was a nice young woman, and her lover simply thought he had
secured the finest prize in the world. But alas! At the proper time she
fixed our camp. She proved to be a female detective from New York city.
She gave away our fellows, and soon we were surrounded by a posse of U.
S. marshals and their deputies. Her lover was captured and is now in
the Texas penitentiary. Several of our boys were killed or wounded, and
those of us who escaped made up our minds to go back to the old cattle
trade." "What are you going to do, Doc.," said I, "when you get out of
this place?" "Going back to Texas; hunt up the boys, and see if we can't
find some more horses and cattle. One thing is certain I will never go
to another penitentiary. I will swallow a dose of cold lead first."

And, with this, the famous outlaw went off to his room in the mine
to get out his task of coal to keep from being punished. Of the nine
hundred criminals in the prison, probably there is not one of them who
has seen so much of a life of crime as the famous Doc. Crunk.

EIGHT TIMES A CONVICT

Thomas A. Currens.--One of the most unique characters to be found in
the striped ranks of the Kansas penitentiary is that of the man who is
herein described. This convict is fifty-two years of age, and a native
of Kentucky. His life, save a short time spent in the army, has been one
of crime. He was a courageous lad. Leaving his home at the early age of
ten years, thus deprived of all parental protection and restraints, he
formed bad associations, and soon his future career was in the direction
of crime. The greater part of his boyhood was spent in city and
county jails and reform schools. At the age of twenty-two years he was
convicted on a charge of horse-stealing and sent to the Frankfort, Ky.,
penitentiary for six years. After serving four years he was pardoned by
the Legislature. He remained out of prison for the two following years.
We next find him in "limbo" i