The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1890-02-20

Die out MS story OF the occurrence. II
was not credited, ii understood. His
manner tended to show guilt, and even
those who were inclined to disbelieve
In it, supposed that he had allowed his
angry passions to arise and lead him te
extreme violence. The coroner.s jury
found verdict against him OF willful
murder. The trial jury subsequently de-
clared him guilty, with recommends
ton to mercy on account of his youth
and previous good character, and he was
sentenced to twenty years at hard labor
in the bloomsbury prison. where it was
supposed he would grow up. and become
q useful servant of the State as a stone
breaker. There was no interference on
his behalf by any one: his riends turned
from him for the reason that his natural
protector-his father-believed him
guilty; who. while he did not aid, GER
tainly did not ir.terpose any obstacle to
the due course of law Within a few
days after the trial, the sheriff of the
county, with q commitment under the
seal Of the court, appeared, and by him
the poor boy was placed in the Glooms-
bury Jail amongst some Of the most in
corrigible and criminal classes, With
whom he would have to associate and
grow up among, in the false hope that
he would be reformed.
1t so happened that one of the fore
men in the stone-breaking gang in which
the lad was placed in the reformatory
was distantly related to the deceased
woman. and this mans feelings were
decidedly hostile to the boy. This is
hardly to be wondered at; he believed
the boy. as the jury did. to be red
handed murderer. who had escaped the
gallows by technicality. No sooner
was the youthful prisoner within his
power, than he began course Of treat
ment towards him, both in regard to the
days task and infractions Of the prison
rules. that made Joe's life in the insti-
tuition seem like hideous nightmare.
The prisoner at this time seemed to have
recovered his senses, SO to speak. lie
could look back now at the horrid scene
in which he had been participant. and
for which he had suffered SO grieyously,
with reasonable composure. He began
to think that If the trial were to take
place again he could have convinced the
jury that he was entirely innocent. He
remembered now that the peddler had
seen the occurrence. and while he did
not know where the man could be found,
he felt that il the peddler could be pro-
duced his evidence would be sufficient
for an acquittal. Joe pondered over this.
day and night: declared his innocence
to the prison officials, and was laughed
at for his pains.
.Of course" said his keeper, "all the
prisoners here are innocent
He vainly attempted to communicate
with those who were, or should have
were allowed to be sent from prisoners
unless with the sanction and concur
renee Of the prison authorities. The
keeper watched the lad closely, and
seemed to take peculiar delight in max
ing the boys life miserable. Joe failed.
on one occasion. to turn out sufficient
quantity of stones to meet the require
ments Of the foreman-all the prisoners
being ''tasked,' as it is called. As q
result. he was put on diet of bread and
water. and received but one meal day
at that. On subsequent day he spoke
to one OF his fellow-prisoners: On being
chided by the keeper for this infraction
he answered disrespectfully. Again TIE
bread and water diet was resorted to,
with the addition of dark cell. The
poor food and severe treatment rendered
him unfit for the ses3-e work, and he
failed continually. Punishment. ..4ays
followed. Smarting under sense of
injustice, weak from lack of proper
food, worrying about the condition of
his brother and sister from whom he
was entirely isolated, coupled with
thoughts of his own forlorn and friend
less lot, made his condition any thing
but enviable. He became callous and
Indifferent. His repeated protests of
innocence and complaints about the
severity Of his labor, lack of food and
improper treatment were UNDECIDED.
His threats to report the keepers con-
slant insults and petty tyrannies to the
superior authorities simply made his own
condition worse. He wrote kind and
truthful letter to his father, in which
he spoke of his sad life in the prison,
asked his forgiveness and begged him,
..for Gods sake" to hunt up the one
witness to the dreadful occurrence,
whose truthful statement, he had no
doubt, would fully exonerate him; add
ing that he would die or 60 mad If his
affection in the prison continued. The
letter was intercepted in the main
Office by one of the officials, who in
formed the prisoner that they did not
allow such lying reports Of ill-treat-
ment to be made by prisoners who were
50 tenderly cared for by the merciful
authorities of the Jail.
The boy gradually became morose and
sullen, and soon got the reputation of a
hardened criminal, for whom no punish.
ment would be too great. So it went on
for many months, the boy becoming
more perverse, feeling that he was
shockingly ill-used and misunderstood,
and that the measure of justice melted
out to him was scant indeed. He was
without friends who cared to interest
themselves in his distressed condition,
and with enemies active enough to in
jure him in his defenseless position
Many weary, sleepless night the DO,
passed in the dark cell. tossing on thu
hard couch, weeping and benz gaming hi.
sad fate.
Again and again he strove to com
municate, through the charged pris
oners, with those he thought would be
friend him-his school-mates, his moth
er's relatives--but no one cared to inter
fere in his behalf.
Having been placed in the Jail undel
circumstances that seemed to justify it
his own father and neighbors being tn,
principal witnesses against him, thos
who might have interfered held aloof
fearing that it would be meddling il
family affairs which did not concern
them. The only letter it was permissi
BILE to send from the prison was one ex
pressing gratitude to those in charge Q
the institution, extolling the manage
ment, and praising the officials for thei
thoughtful consideration of those unde
their charge. All communications whic