Shortly after our arrival at Florence, a prisoner on the East Side approached one of the Reserves with the request: "Say, Guard, can't you give a fellow a chew of tobacco ?" To which the guard replied: "Yes; come right across the line there and I'll drop you down a bit." The unsuspecting prisoner stepped across the Dead Line, and the guard--a boy of sixteen--raised his gun and killed him.
At the North Side of the prison, the path down to the Creek lay right along side of the Dead Line, which was a mere furrow in the ground.
At night the guards, in their zeal to kill somebody, were very likely to imagine that any one going along the path for water was across the Dead Line, and fire upon him.

It was as bad as going upon the skirmish line to go for water after nightfall.

Yet every night a group of boys would be found standing at the head of the path crying out: "Fill your buckets for a chew of tobacco." That is, they were willing to take all the risk of running that gauntlet for this moderate compensation..