Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1890-06-14

be generally known. The reminder that
this man, Charles Langheimer, was one of
the prisoners with whom Dickens con-
versed, and of whose condition he drew
such mournful picture, is scarcely neces-
sary. He compared the little garden
leading into the main cell to grave. "a
more detected, heart-brokep, wretched
creature it would be difficult to imagine.
never saw such picture of forlorn afflic-
ton and distress of mind wrote Dickens.
and later on he added: II never saw or
heard of any kind of misery that impressed
me more than the wretchedness of this
man." What spectacle! This poor
creature being driven into his grave by
the heartless regulations Of the system of
solitary confinement That was in 1S4l.
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 imprisonment in the penitentiary.
After that he served twelve more, or four
teen in all, in the same institution.
once saw him in the Quarter Sessions after
he had been sentenced to brief imprison-
ment in the county prison. With tears
pouring down his cheeks he begged to be
sen. back to the penItentiary, even though
his time had to be doubled. His request
was granted.
With Langheimer stealing was a dis
ease. Mr.. Vaux tell me that at one time
he could have trusted him to carry a
thousand 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 first thing he could lay
his hands on. After his last imprison-
ment, his daughter, who is married to a
very respectable man, refused to have any
thing more to do with him. He was then
80 years of age and without penny. He
was given an order of entrance to the
alms-house. With this in his hand he
entered Mr.. Vaux's Office and said; "See
| what l have come to. Please don't let me
go to the alms-house. Send me out to the
prison. 1t is the only good home l ever
had. Please send me back there"
IfDickens could have heard these words
l wonder what he would have said.
Charley" said Mr.. Vaux, 81 don't
know whether or not the Warden can take
you in, and then, too, you are dreadful
nuisance. But if you will promise to be-
! have yourself you can go out to the prison
/ and ask the Warden if he can find room
for you"
He presented himself and made his re.
quest, and pleaded earnestly that it might
be granted. Finally the good-hearted
Warden said: "Well, if you behave your.
self, l guess we can find room for you and
enough for you to eat" The old man
actually leaped for joy and tore his aims
house pass into bits, which Mr.. Cassidy
the Warden, afterward collected and
pasted together, and the card is now one
of the curiosities of the big building. The
next time Mr.. Vaux visited the prison he
met Langheimer, who began one of his
customary complaints-similar probably
to that which deceived Dickens-this
| time the trouble being of an alleged rheu-
matte character. Mr.. Vaux loosely seized
him by the shoulders and shook him until
he screamed. The next time they met
the old man said laughingly, "Mr. Vaux,
shake all the rheumatism out of me %
But in few days the pains of old age,
| whose meaning he did not understand, re-
| turned with renewed violence, and he sent
for the Warden. When Mr.. Cassidy saw
him in his cell he knew that poor Lang
! heimer's time had come, and two hours
later he quietly breathed his last in the
prison in which he had spent the greater
part of prolonged life. Solitary con-
finement had permitted him to die of old
age.