Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1880-10-18

the prisoner, told him he would suspend
the sentence in his case for a few days,
and remanded him to prison.
That evening his honor called at my
office to make inquiries about the pris-
oner. | told him his story, and assur-
ed him of my belief in his innocence of
the crime he was convicted. The court
finally sentenced him tosEo years i'm
prisonment in the Western penltentiary.
He seemed disappointed at this and
even censured me for my interference in
his behalf.
About year after the trial, a keeper
of bagnio, very beautiful woman,
was sent from our police court to the
work-house for the period of year.
Time passed on, and other scenes of
crime and sorrow had almost obliterated
from my memory the events narrated
The sheriff had moved West year af-
ter the trial, and | had almost forgotten
my interesting client and his sorrowful
story, or, if | remembered him at all, it
was as but one of my many hundreds of
victims of rum who had told me the tale
of their ruin. Ten years had gone by,
when one day l received the following
letter from Sheriff X.
KANSAS, July 10, 1880.
FRIEND RICHMOND have story to
tell that will interest you. You remem-
Der your old client S., the man you de-
Tended at my request for burglary, who
refused to plead in court, and who made
speech to the judge before being SEN
fenced that made even you cry. Well,
last week had some business at the lit
tie town of R., in western Kansas. left
the railroad station early in the morning,
and with horse and buggy started across
the prairie to the village where my bust
ness called me. The country is scarcely
settled. A few miles from the railroad
station l came to beautiful little cottage,
nestled in a clump of trees. 1t was a
very gem of agricultural beauty and
taste. A few cultivated fields inclosed
by hedge added to the beauty of its
surroundings. AS l passed along saw
man and woman among the shrubbery,
while two little children were playing on
the grass by their side. l stopped for a
moment to inquire the distance to R.,
when the man stepped forward, aud in
tones that seemed the echoes of past
memories gave the desired information.
For moment we consersed together,
when he asked me if my name was not
X, and if 1 had not been sheriff of c.
county, Pa. | answered that | was the
man-when he came forward grasped my
hand with the fervor of an old friend, and
your client stood before me. He intro
duced me to his wife, fine looking
matron, and invited me to stop in man.
uer not to be resisted. l stayed with
them few hours and learned the sequel
of the tale he told me when | was taking
him to prison.-You are familiar with it.
He served his time and left the prison the
same day his wife's time had expired in
the workhouse. They met by accident in
the street ''and'' said he, ''she had more
to forgive than l had; we came here un-
known, and here with the remnant of my
fortune | built this home. Most of the
work on the cottage was done with my
own hands, and we are happy. l have
not tasted Intoxicating liquor since the
night of the burglary. God has forgiven
us both our sins, and we have forgiven
each others.''
Now, is not truth stranger than fiction
| Your old friend, S. G. X.