Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-12-13
SERGEANT MASON.
HOW He Received the News of His
Pardon - The Diamond story De-
nounesd-A Talk AT the Prison
Globe Democrat.

Pardon - The Diamond story De-
nounesd-A Talk at the Prison.
Globe Democrat
ALBANY, N. Y, November pa
private message. from Washington
was handed Mason, Saturday after
noon by the Deputy Warden, telling
him Of his luck, and all statements to
the contrary are certainly wrong.
This afternoon about 3 O'Clock, after
the arrival Of the first Washington
mail your correspondent went to the
prison, and, going to the deputy's
office, asked Deputy Biglin if the par
don had arrived, and if any action had
been taken. A man considerably over
the medium height, with a face clean
ly shaven, aside from some fresh beard
on his upper lip, sat over III the cor
ner of the room eating hastily from
lot of dishes crowded on a tray, but
as the reporter spoke he laid his fork
down. and turning in his chair said
Il guess you're looking for me; | am
Mason He wore brand new toler
ably well-fitting suit, which had been
issued to him on the reception of has
pardon, and large soft hat, pulled
far down on his head concealed the
shaved scalp.
Sergeant was this pardon wholly
unexpected p asked the reporter, 'or
had your counsel made any recent
move looking to Executive interior
ence in your behalfl
THE NEWSPAPERS DID IT.
Counsel nothing the Sergeant
cried, as he got up from his only half
finished meal ''The lawyers have
never done me any good. They have
been experimenting on my case like
LOT of doctors at free hospital aud |
told Mrs. Mason not to pay them a
cent. That Philadelphia postal-card
scheme has done "A heap of good, bat
the newspapers have always been on
my side, and they have done the
most / hadn't LOST all hope, although
Betty, my wife. you know, gave up
the case long ago. l kind of thought
they would keep me in this place four
years, Just half of my term, and |
didn't lately hope to get out before
that thank the President and the
people for slow justice, but / don't feel
grateful for my liberty, for | always
deserved it.
"You wouldn't shoot at another
prisoner, / dare say, would you" the
reporter asked.
III never have chance again. If
they were to put me in the same place
again and the sight of such a mug as
! that of Guiteau's was to torment me
! like his did, | couldn't help blazing
away. It's learned them army OIL
GERS one thing any way, and that is
to never put brave enlisted man on
guard over a sneaking assassin of a
President. A jury never would have
sent me up. No set of fellows but
army officers would put man in prl-
son for doing what | did.
There is story printed to the eff
feet that you and Betty have fallen
out because she has been iniudicious
in handling the money subscribed foi
her relief
That's the first I've heard Of it.
Betty hasn't spent hardly anything OF
that money, for she's earned a little
money. On the place she had well
dug and some fencing done, but that
didn't cost much.
THE DIAMOND STORY.
"They say she has been buying dia
monds, the reporter then remarked.
/ The hint that Mrs. Mason had not
handled the money well stirred him
considerably, but the diamond story
enraged him.
"Who says she's got diamonds'' he
almost screamed.
ION, it is a newspaper story the
reporter soothingly put in.
We'll, / want you to nail the lie.
| haven't seen Betty for months, be
cause it cost so much1fo her to ira
vel, but she wouldn't be seen with a
diamond on. She hasn't any notion
about such things and if she had she
has got more sense than to throw her
money away on it. She hasn't done
anything for fifteen months but work
hard and pet Fred, the little boy.
Fred looks like me. He hasn't got a
mark on him, and when he is grown
he is going to look like a grenadier on
headquarter ratiOns. | hope the
newspapers will leave us alone now.
have done my work. | went to the
war and fought against 70 r uncles
and twenty-five cousins who were
rebels. and have always done hard
work IN the service since. | an going
to get home for Thanksgiving. Ny
place is at Locust Grove, in Virginia,
on the Blue Ridge"
One of the clerks winked at the re
porter, and said something about the
Sergeant being a good Malone man.
This the Sergeant was quick to deny
He was a Democrat, he said, bat
would vote for Grant because he was
the biggest man in the country, -
and he would vote for Blaine be
cause he was Garield's best friend
Mason then resumed his meal, the
first that he had had outside Of the
prisoners mess-room, in twenty
months and ten days. The reporter
interrupted him in his meal to ask
him if he was going to farm down in
Virginia.