o sit down on the banks of that beautiful river, to wander with those
angels across the plains, through the vales and over the hills carpeted
with fragrant flowers, the beauty of which far surpasses anything that
mortal can imagine; to listen to the songs of the saved--all this will
more than compensate me for living the life of a Christian here on
earth, even if I have to forego many sensual pleasures in which I
indulged before coming to this prison. I have abandoned my companions in
crime, and am going to associate with good people when I am once more a
free man."

After he got through with this wonderful story I asked him if he was
going to tell others of his experience when he got out. His reply was
that people would not believe him, and he would keep it to himself.
Should this little book fall into his hands, and he should read of
his experience while in Hell for forty-eight hours, it will no doubt
surprise him. We give the account to the reader just as we received it
from Lennox. We do not pretend to solve the mystery.

CHAPTER X. STOLEN HORSES

Justice should be meted out to many who, though guilty, are shrewd
enough to evade it. From one of the most notorious horse-thieves in the
Kansas penitentiary I learned of the manner in which stolen horses were
disposed of.

This convict's name is John Watkins. He served a term of three years in
the Missouri penitentiary, and is now serving out a ten years' sentence
in the Kansas State's prison. He is the chief convict steward in the
hospital, and an able assistant of the prison physician, by whom his
services are highly appreciated. This prisoner has immediate care of all
the sick. His heart is tender as that of a woman. To listen to this man,
as he sat with tearful eye at the bedside of the dying prisoner, and
spoke words of cheer to him, one would scarcely believe him to be the
most daring and one of the shrewdest horse-thieves that ever visited our
State. In conversation with him one night as I lay on my sick bed in the
hospital, he gave me an outline of his life's history that reads much
like a romance.

I said to him, "John, tell me how many horses you have stolen during the
time you have been engaged in that line of business?"

His reply was, that if he had stolen one more he would have been
successful in having stolen an even two hundred.

"What did you do with them after you had stolen them?"

He told me his headquarters were in Kansas City; that he w