The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1888-01-27
night the application for my pardon

~A~1
which subsequently, reached the Gov
ernor. copied it with infinite trouble,
sentence one day, two sentences to-
morrow, and so on until had it done.
The district-attorney's letter to the
Governor was in my own disguised
handwriting. but I closely copied the
district-attorney' signature, and wrote
over the top of the letter dictated.
The letter which / palmed off as COM
ing from the chaplain I wrote In what
| regarded as. a scholarly hand,
a little cramped, kind of back
hand, and not too easily read in places.
/ was going to have his letter sdictat-
ed like the district-attorney' but
it occurred to me on reflection that
the chaplain $ salary probably was not
large enough to admit of his keeping a
secretary. In the warden's letter,
which wrote in plain round hand,
L put one or two errors in spelling, for
the warden was not cultivated per-
son. / dictated the doctors letter
on a venture. Of course, l had no
difficulty in procuring the signature OF
the warden, for he had frequent occa-
sion to write his name in the office.
induced the chaplain to give me his
autograph one Sunday in my hymn
book; he aeceded to my request
willingly, being as kind hearted a man
as | ever met. had to sham sickness
for two or three days in order to get
the doctors autograph. 1t was a
matter of two months completing my.
task | breathed long sigh Of salts
faction as l placed the application
papers in an envelope-it took me
week to get hold of that long white
envelope-and wrote the name of His
Excellency, Governor -, Albany,
N. Y, on the back
"Where did you get your postage
stamps?' inquired the detective.
81 didn't get them--thats what
bothered me. But / concluded that the
chances were that a letter plainly di-
rected to the head of the State Govern
ment, a letter which looked as if it
might be an important document,
would reach him stamps or no stamps.
So one day I tossed my unstamped
letter into a pile ready for the post
man and awaited developments. Ten
days later the warden cs me to my
cell one evening with eyes bullying
out of his head with astonishment and
informed me that he had good news
for me. Have l been pardonedp' in
quired. Yes said the warden, you
have been pardoned. How in the
world, Jack, was it ever brought
aboutp'
Il bit my lip to keep from laugh
ing, and answered that I was aware
that several prominent and influential
persons had addressed letters to the
Governor asking for my pardon. ] felt
delicate about mentioning to the war;
den that he was one of the persons.
Next morning I shook the dust of the
prison off my feet. The rest you
know. If I'd made a break for the
West Tdsbeen all right. But lady
friend attracted me to Albany"
That was the substance of Flam's
story. When the detective got through
telling it, inquired what was the up
shot Of the escape. How many more
years did Flam get for his queer crime?
"All the rest 1 can tell you in few
words, said the detective. "Just be-
fore we reached Auburn Flam turned
and remarked to me, in earnest tones,
that he would like to have me do him
a single favor.
II should like, to have you, after
leaving me at the prison, proceed to
the law Office Of, in Auburn, and
inform him under what circumstances
you returned me to prison."
II saw no reason why | should not
grant the prisoner this favor and I did
grant it. The result was that he was
discharged from prison, on writ of
habeas corpus or something of that
sort. You see that the pardon was
genuine, although the application for
it was not IN Y Tribune.