The Wheeling daily register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1864-1878, 1876-01-10
STOKES In PRISON.
A Prematurely Old Man-W aiting
the Action OF Gov. Tilden.
Sing Sing Letter in Yesterdays N. Y. Her

the Action OF Gov. THden.
Sing Sing Letter in Yesterdays N. Y. Her
aid.
A smothered exclamation Of surprise
and gladness behind me, and l rose,
turned quickly, and Edward S. Stokes
stood before me, but so strange that hsd
I met him in crowded street l would
have passed him by as stranger. And
the elacticity and dash and nerve were
gone. and to me he looked broken man,
in every respect but one, and that was in
the eye. Stokes hair is perfect gray
not one black hair left, and 1t is
slowly turning from gray to white
His features are trimmed with black whis-
kers, and above bis upper lip is a heavy
black mustsche. This contradiction is
explained by the fact that no more few
erish and tormented brain has beaten IN
the world for four years past than that
which is located under the uniform prison
cap of Edward Stokes. His has been a
sad fate, indeed. HIS brother Clinton and
his father both died of broken hearts; his
wife divorced and living in foreign
land, and his beautiful daughter, now in
the very budding of maldenhood, also in
a strange land. All these things have
made wreck of the dashing Broadway
dandy of five years ago, who paid a
yearly sum OF $1,000 to Union square
fashionable tailor to keep him dress.
ed and to send him all the new
things in coats, vests and trowsers.
| walked up stairs into the hospital
wards at the invitation of Stokes, who
keeps the books of this department, and
who has already learned to write pre-
scriptions and doctor the prisoners II little
when business is crowding the regular
practitioner.
"Well,' answered Stokes, with weary
smile, "this isn't Delmonlco's by half a
mile. They say l have luxuries here
gorgeous as a Sultan" with laugh
quite metalic). / don't see any luxuries,
do you2 This is the bed sleep on and it is
nothing but straw" Here Stokes lifted
up the coverlid of coarse check stuff and
wanted me to sound the straw bed, which
l did. "The Doctor allows me an easy
chair when l have q fit OF the asthma and
by the courtesy of the prison authorities,
who have treated me as kindly US they
were allowed to, have the use of books.
You can see what they are. | do all the
reading can, for it is good company, and
l have read great deal of poetry. That
is q favorlte book of mine (taking up
Charles A. Dana's Household Book OF
Poetry; there are good things in it.
You should read it yourself. But am
losing my eyesIght. / have a cataract
in INV LETT eye, and can hardly see my
hand before my face, It's hard here. |
have lost so many Of my family, and
could not see them.
"Well, the District Attorney who Sc
cured my. capital conviction has been to
see the Governor, and Lyman Tremain,
John K. Dos Passos and the Rev. DR..
Armitsge, OF the Fifth Avenue Baptist
Church, to which my family belong, have
all been to see the Governor, and he has
promised several times to look into the
legal aspects of my case, which If he
would, lawyers of good standing believe
that should have been discharged ere
this. My poor father died Of broken
heart. He went to see the Governor
ten times at Albany and saw him
six times. and Governor Tiiden promised
last June to look into my case at once. |
suppose he is too busy to attend to such
matters. My mother also called on the
Governor three times and | asked my
father to cease going to Albany as IA
vor to me, because knew it was break
ing him down slowly but surely. Sena
tor Sprigss, OF Utica, also called on the
Governor in regard to my case, and l am
awaiting his action rs promised to the
Senator. When it comes it may be too
late"