The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1884-09-09
LIVING FOR REVENGE.


E AlNASS TUX REVENGE.
How Man was Falsely fn,prisonpd nm
}} Kept There for Ten Years,
PnILADRLrIItA, Pa, September s.-rh
following story comes from Eric, Pa.
Three days ago u well dressed, Gncl
formed, self.possesscd gentleman knockc
at the doorof the humble cottage occnpic,
by the, Widow Gates, who lives In. III
back country, some twenty miles south o
this city, and inquired concerning th,
widows son, who Ind left home some tcl
years a.o. In short time the stranger,
identity was revealed, and the widow.
lonS.lo3t son was In her arms. The name
OF the gentleman Is Charles Stafford. Ter
years ago he was rough, uncultivateC
back woods lad. The whole OF his life
since then has been passed, until We'd
nesday last, in tho Pcnitcn,iary Mt Ale.
ghcny. and the story OF the transition from
boo:'sh TO refined condition discount.
the .iiciion which was the primary cause
OF the change. EtjI.{s' 80
Last Wednesday Governor puttisoo
signed .Statlo,tl's pardon aud liberated
him after serving ten OF The ti:lccn yc,,,,
to which he had been sentenced ior n
crime atshockcd The. whole oi this mr.;
OF the Sine, the details OF which it is nm.
ncceGSiry 10 relate he:c from the fact TINT
The, fearful Story has been tod in the trial
reports and that the victim Of The crime Is
nova youSg matron living in the vicinity
and mor!loly scnsitiye on tl,c subject.
STAFFORD, the ignorant, uncul:urctl wood.
cutler, YVES arrested and convicted upon
strong circumstanlial !, evidence. Tho
strongest link in the chain OF evidence was
the fact that when arre:itd he wore the
red vest which the victim OF ttc crime no.
ticcd upon her masked a.saiIapt in thc
woods. The lads assc, ion that lie Ind
been induced TO change vests with n man
named McGahm, who s.,id he was going
West, was uncOrroIorated, aud when II
number Of other links were supplicd by
some witnesses named Rockwell md
Hecder Moore there was no doubt in the
minds Q! the jury, end they convicted him
in less than ten minutes. ri
HIS INNOCENCE ESTABLISHED. III
Four years ago the man named by
Stafford as the person who snapped ycsts
with him.dicd in the charcoal woods Of
and before dying confessed TO
the truth of the prisoners story. lie de-
MED being the actual perpct.ator, but said
was aS innocent rs mi unborn babe.
Tho confession was duly aiiestcd and sent
on here, but was considered TOO Obscure
by the authorities. Two years later Rccder
Moore, ,{thc Wines who gave the most
damasin: testimony, committed suicide
and while in the throcs OF death he con-
fc;sed and exonerated Stafford, Public
ensued and the community
began to fear that IN innocent lad was
in prison. LAWYERS OF emf.
nenrc and citizens Of prominence profIcrcd
their services, and BY degrees q mas of
evidence was obtained that conc'usiyclv
established Stafford innocence. Through
The tedious p.oces5 OF tho State Pardon
Board his release was finally effected on
.I[5t Z :.
When he arrived at tho pcnitentiarv
and reelected upon tho fifteen yeats to be
passed there, Stafford says he almost went
mad. Ais Ignorance, he saw, was against
him. %The Judge who sentenced him had
adverted to bis unintelleciual condition as
being in harmony with the british nature
Of the, crime, and he had seer, the approy-
ing mods OF the jury. He fei, that he
could never hope ohclp himself or prove
his innocence without education, and SO
he resolved topossess the power which
knowleagc gives. Through The Kindness
of the officials he learned how to read and
write, and then he launched into the
study OF mankind as reflected in the daily
press. Tho newspapers furnished to the
eonvicts were devoured by him with
lvidity, and soon he knew more OF the
world and its doinss than thousands out.
side OF bis prison walls. One day he pro-
cured 3 novel from the pen OF Alexander
Qnmas-"Tne Count Of Monte ChristoH-
md upon that work OF fiction his future
iie was shaped. There was no learned
abbe in the Penitentiary to dir into his
,cil, rs in tho case Of Edmund Dantes, hut
[or cell companions he once Ind ii minister
who had gone wrong, and u lawyer who
had not done right. From these he OBJ
!ainetl much useful information. III
i 5zss2 LIVING FOR REVENGE.
He lived now for revenge. Upon his
knees he swore by the Eternal God that
each Of: the wretohes who Ind sworn away
bis liberty should he made to suffer as he
was sntteslng-yearf for year, tear for tear,
,foan forgroan. BY the force Of his new.
y acquired intelligence he reasoned out a
theory.Which plainly indicated the gully
party, and Laid hare tho cunning plot OF
:hc c0nsplrators. What was dark to him
when an isnonnt. lad was now clear MS
daylight. The perspicuity Of the letters
ne sent to his lawyers was remarkable,
md materially aided them in their search
or the. facts. United States Detective
Benson: followed up the clues thus furnish.
I'd: and succeeded in, arrcsting four Of tho
allesed perjurels. : 5.:9tt'' s
Stnitorl's plan for revenge is to make
he law his instrument In crushing them.
Some Of them have grown wealthy in the
meantime, ono being a rich banker, but
le proposes 10 devote tic remainder OF his
lie to the purpose OF establishing their
quilt. The vie OF the man whom he
:harses to be the actual perpet.ntor, of
he crime has made damaging admissions.
which Stafford was cnGn ;ed; in copvinr
yhen the reporter found hin. Wien he
end OF the death OF the man in NIichionn
md OF the suicide OF Reeder Moore he
ays he cried with passion and rallied
gainst the king OF terrors for robbinq him
i his prey. The death OF the Judge who
enteneed him was regarded by him as
he fulfillinent OF the curse which his old
mother hurled at the court after her sons
entence was pronounced. ;al,
Z A Word rrnm Pnrncll. l.s,' 3,
LINCOLN, NEn., September s.-Thc fol-
owing .cablcgram has been received by
Patrick. Egan, President Of the Irish M
ional League OF America: 's E
q q RArIIDRAM, September Q, 1881: