Los Angeles daily herald. [volume] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1873-1876, 1874-03-18
Romance of a Convict Girl.


before yesterday, the same girl, now a
lovely woman of twenty-four, was con-
victed of theft, and sentenced to four
years hard lobor in the State Prison.
The story of this unfortunate woman
is most interesting one. Born in
Lexington avenue, of wealthy and re-
spectacle parents, she nevertheless in
herited that unfortunate temperament
known as hysterical and emotional.
When the young girl was convicted
the first time the mother pleaded hard
for the misguided daughter, but it was
hoped that the discipline of two years
would be of advantage to her, and so
the sentence was carried into eXecu-
ton. Thoughtless and gay as child
| she dOnned the convict's dress. She
utterly refused to work and consider
able liberty was given her. Every
body liked her, for she was pretty and
winning-more like spoiled child
| than dangerous woman. TO the son
of the Warden, a tall youth of eight
! teen, she seemed veritable angel
with her soft hands, deep blue eyes
and her volatile ways, 1t took him
| about three months to arrive at the
conclusion that she was the most adj
mirable being that this earth contained
| and six months more to decide that it
| was wrong for such refined little
lady to be kept in such a place. He
was serving an apprenticeship as gas
filter in New York. He began to neg
lect his work on the plea of illness,
and to stay upon the island instead of
going over to the city. 1t was aston
ishing what an interest he took in all
that related to the affairs of the prison.
Never was so grand chance offered
for q gallant hero to strike a grand
blow to captivate his lady. If Pauline
Deschappelles had been convict in
stead of a merchant princess, Claude
| Melnot would not have had to resort
to the subterfuge of personifying a
prince. "If l get you out, will you
marry me ~ says the Claude of Black
Wells Island; and his Pauline re-
sponded: Yes, you or anybody else;
only be quick about it," In broken
words, caught through gratings or be-
hind iron doors the fugitive lovers
planned it. She should get away and
leave the island alone, remain in New
| York three weeks and then he would
join her.
A proper opportunity was long in
presenting Itself, but 1t came at last.
The Warden had left for time his
son on guard alone. The sister of the
young man was in her room above;
she was called down on some preteXt
and sent to a neighboring building.
Quick as flash the pretty jailbird
dashed up stairs, tore off the convict
garb and donned the sisters best suit.
She did not forget the veil and parasol
with which to shield her features, and
she had the wit to sober down her
usual airy gait to the more staid mo-
ton of the one into whose shoes she
stepped. Our Claude was waiting.
Here, / want you to row my sister
over to New York." he said to the
men and they did so.
1t is not known how he fixed mat
tiers with the family, but certain it is
that three weeks later he promised to
cherish and protect for life that liber-
| ated jailbird, and she to love him, to
honor and to obey.
A couple aged respectively fourteen
and eighteen were too young to begin
housekeeping, so they lived in hotel.
| His love for her was real passion;
she was his angel no matter what she
did, and he worked hard all day and
every day in the week to support
her. AS for her, she certainly re-
spected her husband, she was grateful
to him, she had kept her pr mise, but
the stained, dark hands of the gastitter
were always a horror to her; it was
toward the light-fingered gentry that
she gravitated gracefully and natur-
ally.
Having the whole day to herself, in
the midst of the great metropolis, the
hereditary dormant passion was surely
| and speedily reused to life. Thieving
is a disease. With this poor girl it
assumed the chronic state. Before she
had been wife two years she was ar
rested for grand larceny, tried, con-
victed and sentenced to Sing Sing for
| three. When she came out she
thought herself cured; the husband,
like Douglas, ever tender and true,
took her home again. Unfortunately
for her she never loved him, and she
was incapable of keeping the promise
to be honest. Haf
At last she did fall in love. She
tried to pick the pocket of rich South
erner who caught her in the act, but
chivalrously forgave her. Again a
yearning for something nobler and
better took possession of her, and again
she promised never to yield to tempta-
: ION; but the new love awakened in her
h. art made her ashamed of her hus-
he, I'd. Soon she was again on trial for
10 w. eny, and the father of her husband
came forward and did not spare his
eWide, zee in full. She received another
term i, Sing Sing. In time the War
denis On n was divorced and married
again. .;ao a. .h;ud
time to st, MD beside the deathbed of
her mothe '. I" If you are again
temntad to- 'ield to the fatal passion.
NV child t, link how much your
m9Stbar InvoJ you,n said the dying
woman; and as am tne daGgnter LOOK K
the pledge of abb. N!nence. she wen u, 10
live with sister IN BrooKlyn. Az the
age of twenty-tl lre'e she was more OF a
child than she .ad been at fourteen.
II am going o my house" she said
Yesterday, aSil ig Sing-1 call 1t my
home. / have b cen here so much; l
believe like it bette than this New
York. suppose Us because I'm SO
hardened;' and the eyes idiea Wltn
tears. Her last plee lge is broxeni tne
panic came with it's great excitement
for all, and an excit ement espec!aily
calculated to aggrav lte malady me
hers. She for four / more years must
occupy a prison CELL [From the NY.
Graphic of Feb. 28th. ,EHz
On Wednesday afte rnoon last the
Orange Lodge of Cd l Fellows was ".
duly organized and the following OIL