American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1873-12-20

Even that will not clear you from this
deception or free you from punishment
"What shall say to soften your hard
hearts?"
ASK that person. she said, pointing tC
the detective. "He will tell you l have
| only spoken the truth about my friend
he knew her. Do you think it was an
easy matter to place myself here? Did
not suffer indescribably? My strength
| failed me even at the prison gate; but
thought of my friend, of her kiss, as al
parting she wept and moaned in hel
anguish, and became strong again, and
| when my spirits failed me during this
time, that picture gave me courage"
"Well, well, tell your future judges
this, as you have told us. / have nothing
to do with it. Perhaps they will, in con
consideration of this, give you only two
years and 800 fine''
81 will do everything you tell me, sir
but you will let me go now, will you not
may return home this EVENING"" she
pleaded.
"Nor' he replied, shortly.
'Must l repeat it, sir? l shall go mad
awaits me; she numbers the moments
until see her again; she will die in heI
sorrow and fearr'
"Your friend receives with you the
same punishment"
what say you?" she screamed; "you
tell me she will suffer also? Why, she
does not even know that l am here; she
believes that l have gone to some one in
a distant place to intercede for her."
Examination may prove the truth OF
this assertion"
"My examination the girl repeated
"Oh, feel so strange; all is void in my
heart, and yet it seems as if it would
break from the fullness of its misery.
comprehend, and still do not realize. 1t
cannot be Oh, Mr.. Inspector, you will
let me go home this EVENING""
II dare not" / answered as firm as /
could.
"Not?"
That word enclosed my soul in so small
space | cannot understand it. The
heart rending cry uttered will never be
forgotten. All was silent; only the quick
breathing of the prisoner could be heard.
The judge thought she had become salts
fled further words were useless, and by
motion he babe me take her away.
led her out by the hand she uttered
not one word; arriving at the prison she
entered her cell in the same silence; her
eyes were hard and dry; she did not APP
pear to see me, but sat with folded hands
gazing into vacancy.
much for the spirit of the girl; six days
had she waited for the moment when she
could face her beloved friend and say,
''YOu are freer'
She had constantly kept before her
mind the sorrowing picture of their part
ing, and then fancied the happiness her
sacrifice would bring. Such visions had
kept her courageous and cheerful; now
with one fearful blow they were destroyed,
and only the prospect of life covered
with disgrace left her.
l appealed to the Judge in her behalf,
and explained my fears in regard to the
girls reason, but one can become hard
ened through familiarity to suffering in
every shape. He anticipated nothing Sc
riOus in consequence.
But her situation did not alter; she OBJ
served neither my coming nor going. 1
tried to draw her interest from her own
thoughts, without success. She neither
ate nor drank. Occasionally her eyes
would be raised from the floor to fit from
one object to another, as if in search of
something that could not be found. 1t
was the restless wandering of a suffering
soul-the language of a broken spirit. She
had exhibited the courage of man; she
had offered more than her life in the act
of entering the prison; that she could not
realize the unhappy result did not detract
one iota from the nobleness of the inten-
ton. She was not aware she was CON-
hitting something forbidden; she only
believed that self-sacrifice would bring
peace to her family and happiness to her
friend
My heart bled for her, and after eight
days the physician in charge pronounced
her incurable. He could not help her
condition, and two years later the sufferer
died in an insane asylum.
l after a time discovered that the crime
for which Adeline Won II. was sentenced
was nothing more than an unintentional
injury done this detective that also dis
covered the fraud. 1t seems A. Won r. re-
peated bit of information at social en-
tertainment that she had received from
her seamstress, and it was thus spread
until it reached the ears of his superiOrs.
1t was of such nature that he appeared
in contemplate character, and when
called upon for her authority she could
give none but the needlewoman but as
she was the original cause of the disgrace
he soon found healing remedy by hunt
ing her down to punishment and causing
her such harm as he knew would bring
the ignominy home to her and her position.
Thus, for careless repetition of a piece
of frivolity, she was sentenced to the dis
grace of arrest and a prison cell. The
discovery happened, unfortunately,
through one of the officers under him,
who had seen Adeline Won R., while he
supposed her to be in close confinement,
and shortly after the lady herself appear
ed before him to beg pardon for the trou-
BILE she had innocently caused him.
The unhappy girl that suffered so fear
fully for her kind act was the niece of Ad-
cline Won r., bore the same name, and
was the same age.
The lady herself l never met, but who
can doubt how fearful shadow this trial
cast over her whole future-Fr0m the
German Of Emily R. iSnander.