Pomeroy weekly telegraph. [volume] (Pomeroy, Meigs County, Ohio) 1860-1866, 1860-02-21
THE WAY OF THE TRANSGREssor,
Is HARD.

THE WAY OF THE TRANsGREssoF
Is HARD.
During the first wild wanderings O
Green, the reformed gambler, he was on,
of company of Sabbath rambling boys
in Cincinnati, and he gives lively pic
ture of their initiatory steps in villainy
and the biography Of each to tragic
death. In some instances abandoned
recklessness was brought on by lega
severity and undeserved Imprisonment
This was particularly the case with one
of them, by the name of Edward Ben
nett. Having saved $40 from his sum.
mer wages, earned by driving on the
canal, he sought employment for the
winter in Cincinnati, and found it in a
"tep-pin alley" This proved to be a
bad school and worse teacher, for his
employer borrowed his money, and when
he could keep him no longer without
paying something, either borrowed
money or wages, he charged the boy
with theft, and by prejury threw him
into prison, where he was kept somehow
for three months, and when discharged
he was, through the influence of the ten
pin villain, ordered to leave town in one
hour.
For fear of the Jail he run to the river,
jumped in boat and pushed out, with
out even paddle, in hopes to float any
where out of town. He was soon fol
lowed by the fisherman whose boat he
had, overtaken and soundiy whipped
From that day Bennett was desperate,
bent on revenge. Theft, burglary, rob-
berry and murder, were among his re-
solves, all of which he executed. His
tenpin friend was one day found an
chored in the river, with sshis bowels cut
out. His smaller crimes, for one OF
which he went to the Penitentiary, were
numerous.
When warned by Mr.. Green, he would
reply that che had nothing to live for
nor any desire to live, and if surprised
in robbing house, he should fight tc
the last, regardless of whether he killed
or got killed" In 1888, one night in
New Orleans, Mr.. Green heard pistol
report, and running into the street, he
found Bennett weltering in his gore, shot
down while in the act of robbing house
When the officers examined the body
they threw down one paper taken from
his pocket and Mr.. Green picked it ut
from pool of blood It was in pencil
mark and was as follows:
NEW ORLEANS, Jan, "a, 1888.
My Dear Heortbroken Mother-De
try and forget one so unworthy as you,
second eldest child. You speak sc
kindly in your letter that it makes me
sorry that you ever gave me birth, and
though I am what the world calls rob
Der, and even worse, yet your letter
mclts me down and my nature for mo
ment seems softened and kind, and
weep as though I had been wrongfully
accused, and that my greatest and mos
wilful crime had been in giving my be-
loved mother so much occasion to weep
You say that was truly an innocenr
and unsuspecting boy, and ignorant Of
the sins of the world, when I first com
menced to work at that ten pin alley ir
Cincinnati. But in the proprietor Of
that den [ found villains terrible vii.
lain-who robbed me of my earnings
and by base perjury effected my ruin
In the Cincinnati prison to which, with
the aid and connivance of the authori.
ties of that city, his perjury consigned
me, | was taught the use of cards, and to
respect and emulate the deeds of bad
men, Yes, my dear mother, that caused
my ruin! but the man who swore falsely
against me will do it no more forever
He is gone from earth and he went with.
out my forgiveness.
My dear mother, this is the last letter
| shall ever write to any of my blood re-
lation. You ask me to say something
of my health. 1t is good, but I have a
presentiment that 1 shall soon die
Death has no terrors for me, for while
live am an outlaw, and why should
wish to continue in an existence so mis-,
erable, while l am denied even the priv.
ilege Of visiting my mother under pen
atty of Imprisonment or death. IF ]
could pray I would offer prayer thai
you mightbe comforted in forgetting me
But for me to pray would be sacrilege
indeedl
Farwell, my dear mother! Farewell
my dear brothers and sisters! Forgive
and forget your unworthy son and
brother. EDWARD BENNETT.