the jacket (the star-rover)-第7章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



statute　books。　　It　is　a　cruel　and　unusual　punishment；　and　no　modern

state　would　be　guilty　of　such　a　law。　　Nevertheless；　in　the　history

of　California　I　am　the　third　man　who　has　been　condemned　for　life　to

solitary　confinement。　　The　other　two　were　Jake　Oppenheimer　and　Ed

Morrell。　　I　shall　tell　you　about　them　soon；　for　I　rotted　with　them

for　years　in　the　cells　of　silence。



Oh；　another　thing。　　They　are　going　to　take　me　out　and　hang　me　in　a

little　whileno；　not　for　killing　Professor　Haskell。　　I　got　life…

imprisonment　for　that。　　They　are　going　to　take　me　out　and　hang　me

because　I　was　found　guilty　of　assault　and　battery。　　And　this　is　not

prison　discipline。　　It　is　law；　and　as　law　it　will　be　found　in　the

criminal　statutes。



I　believe　I　made　a　man's　nose　bleed。　　I　never　saw　it　bleed；　but　that

was　the　evidence。　　Thurston；　his　name　was。　　He　was　a　guard　at　San

Quentin。　　He　weighed　one　hundred　and　seventy　pounds　and　was　in　good

health。　　I　weighed　under　ninety　pounds；　was　blind　as　a　bat　from　the

long　darkness；　and　had　been　so　long　pent　in　narrow　walls　that　I　was

made　dizzy　by　large　open　spaces。　　Really；　mime　was　a　well…defined

case　of　incipient　agoraphobia；　as　I　quickly　learned　that　day　I

escaped　from　solitary　and　punched　the　guard　Thurston　on　the　nose。



I　struck　him　on　the　nose　and　made　it　bleed　when　he　got　in　my　way　and

tried　to　catch　hold　of　me。　　And　so　they　are　going　to　hang　me。　　It　is

the　written　law　of　the　State　of　California　that　a　life…timer　like　me

is　guilty　of　a　capital　crime　when　he　strikes　a　prison　guard　like

Thurston。　　Surely；　he　could　not　have　been　inconvenienced　more　than

half　an　hour　by　that　bleeding　nose；　and　yet　they　are　going　to　hang

me　for　it。



And；　see！　　This　law；　in　my　case；　is　EX　POST　FACTO。　　It　was　not　a　law

at　the　time　I　killed　Professor　Haskell。　　It　was　not　passed　until

after　I　received　my　life…sentence。　　And　this　is　the　very　point：　　my

life…sentence　gave　me　my　status　under　this　law　which　had　not　yet

been　written　on　the　books。　　And　it　is　because　of　my　status　of　life…

timer　that　I　am　to　be　hanged　for　battery　committed　on　the　guard

Thurston。　　It　is　clearly　EX　POST　FACTO；　and；　therefore；

unconstitutional。



But　what　bearing　has　the　Constitution　on　constitutional　lawyers　when

they　want　to　put　the　notorious　Professor　Darrell　Standing　out　of　the

way？　　Nor　do　I　even　establish　the　precedent　with　my　execution。　　A

year　ago；　as　everybody　who　reads　the　newspapers　knows；　they　hanged

Jake　Oppenheimer；　right　here　in　Folsom；　for　a　precisely　similar

offence　。　。　。　only；　in　his　case　of　battery；　he　was　not　guilty　of

making　a　guard's　nose　bleed。　　He　cut　a　convict　unintentionally　with

a　bread…knife。



It　is　strangelife　and　men's　ways　and　laws　and　tangled　paths。　　I　am

writing　these　lines　in　the　very　cell　in　Murderers'　Row　that　Jake

Oppenheimer　occupied　ere　they　took　him　out　and　did　to　him　what　they

are　going　to　do　to　me。



I　warned　you　I　had　many　things　to　write　about。　　I　shall　now　return

to　my　narrative。　　The　Board　of　Prison　Directors　gave　me　my　choice：

a　prison　trustyship　and　surcease　from　the　jute…looms　if　I　gave　up

the　non…existent　dynamite；　life　imprisonment　in　solitary　if　I

refused　to　give　up　the　non…existent　dynamite。



They　gave　me　twenty…four　hours　in　the　jacket　to　think　it　over。　　Then

I　was　brought　before　the　Board　a　second　time。　　What　could　I　do？　　I

could　not　lead　them　to　the　dynamite　that　was　not。　　I　told　them　so；

and　they　told　me　I　was　a　liar。　　They　told　me　I　was　a　hard　case；　a

dangerous　man；　a　moral　degenerate；　the　criminal　of　the　century。

They　told　me　many　other　things；　and　then　they　carried　me　away　to　the

solitary　cells。　　I　was　put　into　Number　One　cell。　　In　Number　Five　lay

Ed　Morrell。　　In　Number　Twelve　lay　Jake　Oppenheimer。　　And　he　had　been

there　for　ten　years。　　Ed　Morrell　had　been　in　his　cell　only　one　year。

He　was　serving　a　fifty…years'　sentence。　　Jake　Oppenheimer　was　a

lifer。　　And　so　was　I　a　lifer。　　Wherefore　the　outlook　was　that　the

three　of　us　would　remain　there　for　a　long　time。　　And　yet；　six　years

only　are　past；　and　not　one　of　us　is　in　solitary。　　Jake　Oppenheimer

was　swung　off。　　Ed　Morrell　was　made　head　trusty　of　San　Quentin　and

then　pardoned　out　only　the　other　day。　　And　here　I　am　in　Folsom

waiting　the　day　duly　set　by　Judge　Morgan；　which　will　be　my　last　day。



The　fools！　　As　if　they　could　throttle　my　immortality　with　their

clumsy　device　of　rope　and　scaffold！　　I　shall　walk；　and　walk　again；

oh；　countless　times；　this　fair　earth。　　And　I　shall　walk　in　the

flesh；　be　prince　and　peasant；　savant　and　fool；　sit　in　the　high　place

and　groan　under　the　wheel。







CHAPTER　V







It　was　very　lonely；　at　first；　in　solitary；　and　the　hours　were　long。

Time　was　marked　by　the　regular　changing　of　the　guards；　and　by　the

alternation　of　day　and　night。　　Day　was　only　a　little　light；　but　it

was　better　than　the　all…dark　of　the　night。　　In　solitary　the　day　was

an　ooze；　a　slimy　seepage　of　light　from　the　bright　outer　world。



Never　was　the　light　strong　enough　to　read　by。　　Besides；　there　was

nothing　to　read。　　One　could　only　lie　and　think　and　think。　　And　I　was

a　lifer；　and　it　seemed　certain；　if　I　did　not　do　a　miracle；　make

thirty…five　pounds　of　dynamite　out　of　nothing；　that　all　the　years　of

my　life　would　be　spent　in　the　silent　dark。



My　bed　was　a　thin　and　rotten　tick　of　straw　spread　on　the　cell　floor。

One　thin　and　filthy　blanket　constituted　the　covering。　　There　was　no

chair；　no　tablenothing　but　the　tick　of　straw　and　the　thin；　aged

blanket。　　I　was　ever　a　short　sleeper　and　ever　a　busy…brained　man。

In　solitary　one　grows　sick　of　oneself　in　his　thoughts；　and　the　only

way　to　escape　oneself　is　to　sleep。　　For　years　I　had　averaged　five

hours'　sleep　a　night。　　I　now　cultivated　sleep。　　I　made　a　science　of

it。　　I　became　able　to　sleep　ten　hours；　then　twelve　hours；　and；　at

last；　as　high　as　fourteen　and　fifteen　hours　out　of　the　twenty…four。

But　beyond　that　I　could　not　go；　and；　perforce；　was　compelled　to　lie

awake　and　think　and　think。　　And　that　way；　for　an　active…brained　man；

lay　madness。



I　sought　devices　to　enable　me　mechanically　to　abide　my　waking　hours。

I　squared　and　cubed　long　series　of　numbers；　and　by　concentration　and

will　carried　on　most　astonishing　geometric　progressions。　　I　even

dallied　with　the　squaring　of　the　circle　。　。　。　until　I　found　myself

beginning　to　believe　that　that　possibility　could　be　accomplished。

Whereupon；　realizing　that　there；　too；　lay　madness；　I　forwent　the

squaring　of　the　circle；　although　I　assure　you　it　required　a

considerable　sacrifice　on　my　part；　for　the　mental　exercise　involved

was　a　splendid　time…killer。



By　sheer　visualization　under　my　eyelids　I　constructed　chess…boards

and　played　both　sides　of　long　games　through　to　checkmate。　　But　when

I　had　become　expert　at　this　visualized　game　of　memory　the　exercise

palled　on　me。　　Exercise　it　was；　for　there　could　be　no　real　contest

when　the　same　player　played　both　sides。　　I　tried；　and　tried　vainly；

to　split　my　personality　into　two　personalities　and　to　pit　one

against　the　other。　　But　ever　I　remained　the　one　player；　with　no

planned　ruse　or　strategy　on　one　side　that　the　other　side　did　not

immediately　apprehend。



And　time　was　very　heavy　and　very　long。　　I　played　games　with　flies；

with　ordinary　houseflies　that　oozed　into　solitary　as　did　the　dim

gray　light；　and　learned　that　they　possessed　a　sense　of　play。　　For

instance；　lying　on　the　cell　floor；　I　established　an　arbitrary　and

imaginary　line　along　the　wall　some　three　feet　above　the　floor。　　When

they　rested　on　the　wall　above　this　line　they　were　left　in　peace。

The　instant　they　lighted　on　the　wall　below　the　line　I　tried　to　catch

them。　　I　was　careful　never　to　hurt　them；　and；　in　time；　they　knew　as

precisely　as　did　I　where　ran　the　imaginary　line。　　When　they　desired

to　play；　they　lighted　below　the　line；　and　often　for　an　hour　at　a

time　a　single　fly　would　engage　in　the　sport。　　When　it　grew　tired；　it

would　come　to　rest　on　the　safe　territory　above。



Of　the