The evening world., 1890-06-07
BEGsED TO GO TO PRISON.
It Was the Only Good Home
Charles Langheimsr Ever Had.
A Historic Criminal Whom Dick
ems Made Famous.

The entrance of Richard Vaux into Con-
gress as the successor of Samuel ]. Ra ndall
will introduce into that body one of the
most picturesque men both in app earance
and in character. says the Philadelphia In
quirer, which 1t has known during the
present generation.
There are numerous interesting anec-
dotes Of his life which have already
found their way into public print. but It
is not generally known that he is the maj
who acted as the escort of Charles
Dickens upon the occasion OF the great
noyelist's visit TO the Eastern Peniten-
tiary of Pennsylvania: a visit the descrip-
ton of which was the cause of much Of
the denunciation in this country Of that
wonderfully inaccurate, If not mali
ciously incorrect, work. American
Notes"
For more than fifty years-not forty az
has leen generally reported-Mr. Vaux
has been an Inspector of the Eastern
Penitentiary. and is now. az Is well
known, the President of its Board.
1t is rather a trite subject to refer to
the prisoner whom the great novelist
made famous by his pity and who after
words became known M 'Dickens's
DutchmaA, +" and yet there are features Of
the marvellous manner in which he gave
Vaux told me, of which he is a part, and
which may not be generally known.
The reminder that this man, Charles
LAngh6imer, was one OF the prisoners
with whom Dickens converSed, and. Of
WHOSE condition he drew such n mourn
full picture, is scarcely necessary.
He compared the little garden leading
infn tha main cell tn n praya maya
detected. heart broken, wretched creature
it would be difficult TO imagine. l never
saw such u picture OF forlorn afiiction
and Distress of mind" wrote DickenA
and later on he added;
never Eaw or heard OF any kind OF
misery that impressed me more than the
wTetchedness Of this man."
What a, speotaciel This poor creature
being driven into his grave by the heart
less regulations OF the system OF solitary
confinement!
That was in ls4I. In 1870 Dickens died.
In 1885 Charles Langheimer was still
alive. But that is not all the tale.
When the novelist saw the German thief
he was serving his second term Of i'm
pIlkonment IN the p~enltentiaTy.
After that he served twelve more, OF
fourteen in all, in the same institution.
I once saw him in the Quarter Sessions
after he had been sentenced to q brief
- IA hAA1 ACahky BAAooAs
With tears pouring down his cheeks he
begged to be sent back TO the peniten-
tiary, even though his time had to be
doubted. His request was granted.
With Langheimer stealing was a disease.
Mr.. Hanx tells Inc that at one time he
conld have trusted him to carry a thoa-
sand dollars IN gold to bank, but upon
his return, If he saw a doorway open, he
could not resist the temptation TO enter
It and pick up the irst thing he could lay
hands on.
After his last imprisonment his
daughter, who il married 70 a very re-
spectacle man. refused TO have anything
more 70 do with him. He was then eighty
yeArs OF age. and without a Jenny.
He wa given an order Of entrance to
the almshouse. With this in his hand be
entered Mr.. Yaux's office and said
See what ] have come TO. Please don't
let me go to the Almshouse. Send me oas
to the prison. II is the only good homsI
ever bad. Please send me back thsFe.n
II Dickens could have heard those words
! wonder what be would have said