The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1881-06-23
STRANGER THAN FICTION.
low 6e Lost His Wife ana Found Her
LEAVES FROM THE NOTEBOOK OF An ON
LAWYER
From the Chicago Tribune

Inc sheriff Of our county once callet
q al my office and said to me Il wisl
e you would 20 to the Jail and see a pri.
e oner IN cell No. ,. who has been com
Z united for burglary. | do not believe
he IS guilty; he is man Of education
! and has undoubtedly seen better DAYS
! but Is now druukard."
I asked what the evidence was against
him.
4 tie Informed me that an extensive
burglary and robbery had been commit.
ted, and the burglars had been traced
e low drinking house in the purIeu.
= 81 wee IN the city The officers had
broken into the house lust a. the thieves
were dividing the booty; but they had
p All escaped through back celar-wav
except this man, who was too drunk H.
do So.
I | Went to the cell, and saw there a
} mlddie-aged man seated on his cot. his
head resting on his hands. There wa,
: an expression Of heart-hroken misery
on his countenance that Is never seen on
the face ola hardened criminal. | told
INN | bad been requested by the sheriff
70 call and see him and asked him If +
) could render him any service.
lie said | could not that he did not
want an attorney; he had no money To
pay one, and did not care what became
Of himself
| soon discovered that he was a man
OF culture, that he was not common
thief. and became interested in him
For some time he was very reticcnt. but
sand he was entirely innocent of the
crime charged against him, vet the evi-
dence was SO strong he had no doubt
that he would be convicted; he hoped
he would be, so that hc might the sooner
get rid Of the world and the curse which
/ had followed him through life.
left him for the time, vet | could
not Danish him from my mind The
expression Of hopeless misery and deep
seated sorrow on his face haunted me
all that day. Somehow | was impressed
with the idea that he was really inno-i
| cent, but that, broken down in health
and fortune by the curse Of strong drink, |
| he desired 10 be imprisoned to be placed
out of the reach of temptation.
\ few days after | was again called /
to the prison to see a man who had I
been committed for manslaughtcr, which .
had occurred IN a drunken row al po- /.
litlcal meeting. As | passed the cell of
the prisoner who had SO much interested .
me, | saw him standing at the window .
looking through the grating at the out .
side world, smiling under the influence .
Of a June morning.
| spoke to him He turned, and,
with the manners of polish gentle
man, thanked me for my former words
of kindness and my offer to defend him.
| seated myself in his cell and by de
grees led him to talk of himself aud
his former life. At last he gave me his
confidence, and told me his story. He
had inherited wealth from his ancestors,
and with it, as is too often the case,
habits of idleness and dissipation. He
had been imam about town" with
money to spend freely, and no one to
control or guide him. AT the fashion
able parties and gatherings, where the
wine-cup circulated freely, he acquired
a taste for strong drink, which increased .
with indulgence until it became almost
irresistible For time he was able to
conceal his weakness, or to confine the
knowledge Of it TO the circle Of his .
equally dissipated associates. " And .
here" he said, my crime commenced
IA crime deeper and more wicked than
the one of which | am now accused.
Yet the law knows no such crime,
though none are blacker in the calendar
of human iniquity If a man perpe-
trates fraud on his fellow in "a business
transaction, the law will interpose to
right the wronged but if a man by
fraud wins the pure and innocent heart
h.. Ha bg
law does not punish the fraud. At one
Of the fashionable parties | attended |
became acquainted with Agnes { "a
beautiful orphan, who was or q visit To
some friends in the city. Young, mex
perienced and lovely, she attracted my
attention, won my love, and in few
weeks we were married. Our wedding
was the event Of the hour, for | was
wealthy and she possessed marvellous
beauty,
1--WE spent two years IN Europe
winter in Paris, that centre Of European
fashion and dissipation. BY the time
Of our return | had become confirmed .
drunkard and my wife almost heart
broken. My friends demonstrated with
ne liz vain. | was chained TO the rock
like the victim on Mount Caucasus. and .
the vulture intemperance was tearing at .
my vitals. One cold, stormy night |
came home from a drunken carOusal
Keeling and maddened with drink. My
poor wife frightened and in tears, fled
from me to another room. This enraged .
me. | followed her, and in my insane .
madness struck her blow that felled her
to the floor. then dragged her to the .
door, and threw her out into the street I
in the snow and storm, and went to my .
bed to sleep the sleep Of "A drunkard. I
In the morning Iawoke late, and missed /
her from my side. For some time l was .
so confused that could recollcct moth
ing, but soon ! remembered all. / hast
ened to the door. The steps were coy
eIed with new fallen snow, but l could /.
see no track or find any trace Of her. .
She was lost te me forever. Now thor
oughly sobered By my agony (for | loved I
yes, worshipped my beautiful wife / /
Immediately made every effort to re Z
cover her. \ policeman remembered 1
that a woman, thinly clad, passed him /.
on his beat. wringiBg her hands and
crying that a man also passed, overlook
her, and after q few words took off his
cloak, threw it over her and they passed
on ont Of sight.
That was ten years ago; / offered I
large rewards for any information that
would lead TO her recovery, but all in I
vain. Conscience-stricken and almost I
heart broken, ] sought forgetfulness in (
foreign travel / visited Baden Baden, F..
where, reckless and careless Of every 4
thing, lost nearly all of my fortune in .
pamhlinpaud destination 4 few months /
ago I returned to this country. On the /
night Of the burglary | was induced by
some of my dissipated companions to
visit one of these bells Of infamy that
poison the atmosphere Of your city We
entered a room where there were anum-
Der Of persons Of both sexes. and there,
on the lap of a drunken ruf6an, sat my
wife. while he with his polluted hand