The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1884-01-09
SAVED FROM CRIME,
A Ysuug Man Chsoked At the Outset oil
a Career
which Usually Brings mp In tho Psni'
Tertiary.
An Old Pollssman's Narrative,

An Old Pollssman's Narrative.
81 was on the Cincinnati nolice force tor
n ne year aud bali" sad George Wtrsei,
tlo tT..isuttuaut ui police, last evening, 10
e Commercial Gazette reporter who bad
nais some Inquiries OF him regarding the
record " Paiatr, the murderer
Yes, had good many eNprrienees IN
The police business, which might b. u in-
tcrtst 20 Newspaper. / was Just telling
jim heru about n case OF fellow Who h2d
stole Loaf ID. bread several years ago sud
was arrested Tor IT,
What were tho circumstances OF the
case %
well, Il vas mau We will call Bernard.
~ was then Young fellow, scarcely OF
ace, Esd hr stole two l1fyes OF bread rom
Gihsllru's hsEoi-,hup. lie bad Just been
married % tile while before, ana was very
poor. lie was only a. apprentice learning
trade, aud, OF courgr, Wss not tu.ninE
enough 20 support, a vile, bu' he
was paylur attention TO this
young cir, Hud-vell he told me he married
her to save her from disgrace. One morn
ing he started out from the little room
where be was living with his little wife 10
ret cents worth OF milk for their little
baby. They were all starving for some
thing TO eat, and that was the last cent lac
had ana no prospect for any more until the
regular day for receiving his weekly pit
lance. While he was getting the milk he
saw an opportunity 90 put Two loayts OF
bread under his coat. He thought Of bis
vile ard baby starving ia the little garnet
room IN the tenement house. The tempta.
iiou was too great, and for the first timu IN
life he became thigl He olole eight cents
worth OF bread.
Tho baker had been much annoyed dur.
ing the past few weeks by having his bread
stolen, and he was watching 20 eaten the
thief. swearing that 10 he ever did catch
him he would prosecute him without mer.
cy. As luck would have it, or through the
awkwardness aud inexperienco OF Bernard,
he was detected aud arrested. When he
was brought 10 the Bremen street station,
whore / was in charge as lieutenant, he
told me his circumstances, and asked mo
TO 90 aud inform his wife.
II found miserable little room. There
sat the young wife anxious because OF the
long absence OF her husband | asked her
where he was and she said, He just went
out for CENTS worth of milk, and ! don't
know what has become Of him. IL is time
he wsa at his work, too When | told her
ne had been arrested for stealing bread for
her the poor woman burst right out cry
ing. / tried to console her, and / told her
/ would soc WhRt | could do fer her hus-
band Then | went In see Tom Campbell,
who was then prosecuting attorney, and got
him interested, and then wo told Judge
Merchant about IL. Old Judge Merchant,
you know used 10 be a regular terror when
he was on the bench as police judge. He
was especially hard on thieves ie didn't
care 20 much for DRINKS aud minor offences
but when he came TO thieves he was terribly
severe The morning of the trial Bernard
sat pale aud trembling IN the police court,
while Judge Merchant went thiough the
cases and listened % this fellow
getting 'Thirty.flty To- fighting,
and that one $40 and costs for
drunk, sc. He expected TO be sent TO tho
workhous Tor three months, and he was.
worried about hs poor wife and babyd
Finally the JUDGE reached mis- case, an
calling him up before him he raised h
spectncles and said Bernard, IN give
YOU 30 days and $50 fine, but I'D suspend
The sentence on condition that you never
steal any mOre.' The poor fellow was al
most overcome with emotion AS he thanked
the Judge. 0ldt Glfallcn fairly stormed
with rage, for he hau done some hard
swearing 10 convict him and he wanted 10
see him punished. He started out of the
court room swearing mad, and Judge
Merchant called him back and pointed 10
the two stolen oayeH of bread which were
living on the desk in tho court room, but
Giialen was 80 mad he wouldn't touch
iem. After he had gone Bernard SAID.
Judge. II he don't want the bread, may |
have it?' and the judge told him to take 1t
along. As he wrapped up the two loaves
aud started home with them the crowd in
the court room burst out in applause and
cheered him as he passed out.
"Wsll, sir that was over seven years
ago, and didn't see that man again until
about years ago. had than been
or the force TO- year, and one day as l
was waking up Central avenue. q man
stopped me and asked me If | wasn't Lieu
tenant Wersel, | said ! was, and ho thRn
asked: 'Do you remember Bernard. the
brean thief told him did, and he said;
VOL, ] am that man. Come IN here and
have q cigar and he TOOK mo into cigar
store and we had smoke together. He
had a little boy with him, about six or seven
years old, neatly dressed. This Is the lit
M Csllow you saw IN if0t one-horse cradle
when YOU vent up TO tell my wife. We
have another one now ne said as no laid
his hand upon the little chaps shoulder,
He sat down there then and told
ms how well he was getting. along in the
world and how happy he and his little FAM
ly wers, and he said:
''lf YOU hadn't tslked to the Judge that
time | would have gone to the workhouse
Tor three months; perhaps | should have |
become hardened and reckless and gone on
from bad 10 worse until | and ny family !
were ruined, but whom | left that court |
room 4 TfNDiNtu luhh 1 Nbuth u
Of myself and never again be brought TO
such degrading position as thief
~ tell on IL made me feel good 10 Gee
hat man and besr him talk In that way,
and | believe there are often just such |
cases wher. men might be saved from be.
coming hardened by being spared rom the |
workhouse on their fret oifense."
TIE above is true romance from life,
sithout artificial embellishment oil the real |
acts aud no changes except in the name |
of the bread thief, which was rot Bernard.
-[Cincinnai g azetie.