Fairhaven High School - Huttlestonian Yearbook (Fairhaven, MA)

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THE HUTTLESTONI AN 13 accomplished the convict is sent to the He des Anges, from whence escape is a simple matter. The aid of one of the male nurses must be enlisted in this plot for freedom. He procures tuberculosis sputum in the third stage. This is smeared on the handkerchief of the masquerader who demands that he be taken to the doctor, adding that he is afraid he has consumption. The guards are always quick to comply with this request; every so often, the penal islands are visited by plague, a scourge, that is unbelieveably impartial to criminal and commandant alike. Then comes the most daring part of the scheme. Just before the aspirant to freedom enters the medical office, he must put the sputum in his mouth and, upon entering, expectorate it in front of the doctor. The doctors, of course, are no fools, and they fully realize to what extent the prisoners will go in order to rid themselves of this island. But this expectoration fully convinces them at all times, and the supposedly afflicted is sent to the poorly guarded He des Anges. This all sounds very clever, but there is one drawback. The man who has the courage to insert the sputum of the third stage in his mouth may have the good fortune to avoid infection, though he is almost certain to die within a few weeks of galloping consumption. The second and more preferred method is known as maquillage” which, translated, means make-up.” The make¬ up is effected by cutting off fingers, burning eyes, pretending madness and epilepsy — in short, the simulation of leprosy. This method is less dangerous than the former, but far more painful and enduring. To be deported for leprosy takes at least two years of preparation. This is the procedure when escape is sought in this manner. Once again the aid of one of the nurses must be acquired. He secretly writes away to a leper colony for some leper virus, a privilege allowed his medical ranking, which he has for¬ warded to whatever city he enjoys his leave in. This trans¬ action takes many months, sometimes stretching over a year. During this time the prisoner must train himself to endure all

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12 THE HUTTLESTONI AN The guards never bear malice against the one at fault for cheating them of sport, and sometimes he is allowed to go single for a few weeks. It is generally with this liberty in mind, that prisoner kills prisoner — to feel just a little bit of ' la belle”, their word for liberty. The chief type of labor engaged in by the criminal is road building. It is the occupation which shows us the utter futility of their very existence. First of all, the road is never used because all commerce on the island is carried on in the bay when ships bring supplies and relief garrisons. Secondly, the road is never finished. Under a blazing sun, shackled to each other, beaten by uncomfortable guards, the builders, as is to be expected, can not work at any rate of speed worthy of mention. By the time they have completed a length of a mile, the part finished a fair period of time ago lies buried be¬ neath sand and scrub. Jean was healthy and strong and endured all this for a year without suffering as much as did his more disgruntled and embittered comrades. He was young, retained a s emblance of gaiety and never seemed to look upon the guards as his enemies — all of which established him in their favor. One in particular became fond of him: Jason Rasset. Rasset was a graduate of Jean’s college, and assistant to the doctor as well as bookkeeper for the colony. He was of Jean’s age, naturally sympathetic, and privately saddened by the plight of so fine a fellow. It was he who planted the seeds of escape in Jean’s ready mind. It was he who supplied the fertilizer and saw the seeds germinate into a fairly successful plant. I say fairly successful. There comes a time just before the convict sinks into a deadened lethargy from which he never returns, when he longs for release as during no other time. Two avenues present themselves as means of escape. Both are hideous and beyond the imagination of anyone who has not witnessed the treatment of the compulsory dwellers on these penal islands. The first method is to convince the doctor that tuber¬ culosis or consumption has been contracted. Once this is

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14 THE HUTTLESTONIAN sorts of pain, for leprosy deprives one of all sensitiveness. He must learn to grin foolishly when a needle is jabbed into the sole of his foot, not to cry out when his arm is pricked while he is sleeping, and to appear unconcerned when a match is held to his nose. This may seem impossible, and yet practice and will-power can accomplish it. When such fakir-like control is attained over the body and the leper virus has arrived, the stage is set for the final act. A finger is lopped off, leper virus is soaked into a handkerchief, and secreted beneath the finger nails. All bleeding of ampu¬ tated members is stopped by a herb that not only holds back the hemorrhage, but leaves markings peculiar to leprosy. Then a brother convict goes and tells the authorities that he does not want to be near a leper. The investigation is carefully made, and, if control of the body can be maintained, freedom is in the ofiing. How much freedom means to these men who will endure all this in her behalf! It was to the simulation of leprosy that Jean Giraudin bent all his effort. Valuable information was imparted to him by Rasset. Late at night, when the latter came into the bam¬ boo barracks to check on the inmates, he would bury a needle into one of Jean’s nerve centers. At first the youth cried out in agony, waking his fellows who would yawn unconcernedly and turn over with the thought that it was just another guard having fun. As weeks sped by the cry dwindled into a muffled sob, and finally there was no sound at all. Then, since this was regarded as the final test of control, Jean’s part¬ ner brought his leprosy complaint to the commandant. Gir¬ audin was ordered isolated. The doctor afforded him an ex¬ amination which gave every indication of his being contam¬ inated. After that, it amused Jean to see how all kept their distance from him. He answered all the questions fired at him in a manner that his friend, Rasset, had told him would make his dismissal from He Royale a certainty. For seven days, Jean was placed under the closest surveil¬ lance. There were still doubts in the mind of the doctor, even though that worthy healer placed many yards between his person and that of the afflicted. The finishing touch was neces-