The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1875-05-08
The uan without n Home.

At Fort Madison, Iowa, there may be seen
going about the streets with the utmost free
dom a gray-haircd old man, the only feature
of whose appearance distinguishes him from
the city fathers is the uniform dress of the
penltentiary. This costume is in strange con.
traSt with the rest Of a not unattractive eXte-
rior, and it brands its wearer as an object of
curiosity to corner iders and Of dread TO little
children. 1t is the mark Of Cain, indicating
that the hands which protrude from It are
stained with human blood; it is the badge of
II murderer who escaped hanging only
through technlcality of law.
The old man is known by the name of
Pleasant Fouts, and has the doubtful distirc.
ton of having been the first white man to
commit capital crime within the borders Of
Polk county, Iowa, When last he crossed
the county line, in August, 1854 he was an
immigrant in the prime of life, journeying
westward with his young wife Ruth, in search
of q home. They never found one. In an
evil hour jealousy thrust itself between them
and the husband, in moment OF madness,
struck a murderouS blow Of which he has
! never ceased to repent
| 4 trial in those days and in that sparsely
settled region, though fenced about with some
! formallties, was comparatively rapid and
positively decisive. Fouts, when brought 10
/ the bar, was confronted with an unimpeach-
able witness, who sworc that she saw him
! stab his wife again and again with knife,
despite the Opponents entreaties to desist;
and that, after his victim had once escaped
from him and taken refuge in the house Of a
neighbor, he obtained access to her there by
deliberate cunning and deceit. Neither the
deed nor the malice atorethought could be
cOntroverted by the Vaccinations of counsel
ta1 nt, ,r,lnr t,,t ret
degree and sentenced 10 be hanged. Less
than fortnight before the day appointed for
4 his execution, however, reversal Of judg.
ment was obtained and a new trial ordered
which resulted, in the then cooler state OF
= popular feeling in his condemnation to the
\ Penitentary tor life.
4 For the first ten or twelve years of his i'm.
= prisonment he lived like the other conyicts
! but little by little the warden came to haye
more confidence in him and to allow him
greater liberties, until now he is under no e.
= straint whatever, and transacts much of the
official business fthe institution both inside
? and outside its gates He really needs nc
watching, Tor he feels no temptation to abuse
:, his privileges. With his wiie's death the
last link Tat bound his desires 10 the world
= was severed The hali-score OF years thai
followed permitted the rest Of mankind tC
e intents and purposes, dead to social life; the
: hands of the century clock have been turned
4 so far back for him that they can in no man
: ner regain their wonted place. Persons who
5 know HIM say that he is so sensible of hi,
e isolation that nothing would induce him tC
5 forsake the penItentiary-not even full par
!. don; those gray, grim walls, so rcpugnant tC
c the very sight of men who have never forfeit
: ed their freedom, encompass the only HON,
G he cares for.
r We are not aware whether Governor Par
j. ker, in the documents relating to the prison
system of Iowa, which he Is preparing {,
send TO France, has included any account o
D this singular case. Ii would indeed scarcely
; come within the scope of a collection sucl
r rs We take this to be. a worthy biograph,
G OF Pleasant Fouts will probably remain I'm
G written until perhaps the author of the MAJ
!, Without Country seeks materials for
q similar romance.