Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1880-04-14
lancaster fltelligencer.
WEDNESDAY EvEN'a. APRIL IA, 1880.
Humble kemble.

Humble Kemble.
Mr.. kemble was very humble before
Judge Pearson, and very solicitous to
show how abhorrent to his feelings was
the idea of an attempt to escape the law.
Detectives had been watching him at
Atlantic City, but he was prompted sole
ly by his own law-abiding impulses to
come to Harrisburg and surrender him
self. He declared that he did not know
that he was being Swallowed; but when
one of the detectives stepped up to his
carriage in Philadelphia, he seemed to be
well acquainted with his purpose before
he announced it, and informed him that
he was going to Harrisburg, and sup
posed that they were both bound on the
same journey; as it proved that they
were. 1t is a great pleasure to listen to
men, even criminals, protesting their
great respect for the law. 1t comes bet
ter late than never. 1t would have been
an improvement all around if Mr.. kem-
bic had conceived this reverence at an
earlier period of his career; he would not
then have written that nice letter re-
commenting his friend, because of his
knowledge of addition, division and
silence. Nor would he have taken that
contract to corrupt the PennsylvaniaLeg-
islature, ,and there are great many other
things he would not have done. He would
not have gone away to New Jersey,
but would have taken his little sentence
at Harrisburg and would now he learn
ing useful trade in the Dauphin
Jail. 1t does no doubt seem little
absurd to Mr.. Kemble that the state
should want his services, in shoe shop
perhaps, when he has, rs he tells us, as
much business of his own to conduct as
any young man in Philadelphia. 1t no
doubt occurs to him that the law ought
to make some provision in the cases OF
gentlemen of such large business en-
gagements by which they might furnish
a substitute for the Jail, while they re-
mained outside in charge of their more
important affairs. They could well
afford to provide such a one, and no
doubt the county would be gamer III
the manufacturing department of its
prison, since it would naturally require
the substitutes to be skilled workmsn
This may have been Mr.. kemble' s
thought while he breathed the fresh
Atlantic breezes, and we cannot be sur
prised that it took 4 week or two of re-
fiection to drive such nonsense out of his
head, and to bring him to realize the
cruel necessity for his own appearance in
proper person at the Harrisburg jail to
vindicate his respect for the law. The
ocean air seems to be an excellent tonic
for mind as well as body; for the general
idea is that Mr.. kemble is pretty
hard case to convert into law
abiding citizen. We cannot think of dis
putting his assertion that he sought Har-
risburg voluntarily and reverentially and
penitentia!ly, and that he would never
more think of running away from its jail
if he got this one little reprieve. lie
could not afford to do SO, he declared,
and he would be in Harrisburg on the
26th if he WAS alive. Judge Pearson
seemed to he duly impressed with his
present good intention. He intimated
that the court had been played upon be-
fore by Mr.. Kemble, who had secured a
postponement of sentence on plea of
urgent business to settle, when the real
purpose was to secure pardon. But
evidently the judge was in a charitable
mood and was ready to consider MIR.
Kemble repentant sinner who would
be sufficiently anchored to his good inten-
tions 10y $1,000 bail.
People naturally wonder wherefore is
all this urgency to secure two weeks of a
postponement of sentence. Clearly the
men, if they intend to accept their i'm
prisonment without further effort to
avoid it, would as lief begin it now as
any other time. There is purpose
manifestly to secure this further time
with intent to set some scheme in mo-
tion to keep these criminals out Of Jail.
There IS talk OF an effort being made to
reopen the cases and to secure trial. If
something can be done to keep these ras-
Gals out of Jail until the election is over
they will be safe, for they will then Sc
cure their pardons in the twinkling of an
eye.