, 1891-10-25

Y She does not know where l am for since
e the day | ran away from home and school
L have never written one word. My
mother Is a widow with no one to comfort
her old age. 1t was to me she looked for
comfort, but Oh God what would she
say if she knew the truth. II | could be
free again | am still young enough to
o carve nv way in the world. Help me out
r and you shall never regret it or hear OF a
dishonest act of mine. l think my friends
will mako an effort in my behalf. If so
assist them all YOU can,
CHARLIE Ross"
TIL OTHER LETTERS.
The letter to the Cheyenne citizen re-
quested him to undertake to get Ross out
of prison. The plan suggested was to
have W. w. Corlett get up a petition
to the governor which he would do. Ross
said, for a reasonable consideration. This
of necessity would have to be paid for by
the Cheyenne man. 1t would be easy to
get signers, and when enough were secured
the governor would pardon Ross. Once
free he would begin life over again and on
q ClC pau, hC odlu uOuC1 u
pended in his behalf should be returned
and the benefactor should never have
cause to regret that he had snatched
from a horrible fate a young man who
would prove himself worthy of such kind
ness. Ross said that his health was fail
ing rapidly and tina he could never live
out his sentence.
The letter to the young lady was a
touching epistle. Ross asked her to IN
tercede with her father in his behalf. He
seemed to be thoroughly repentant, but
referred to his youth and said that he had
followed the lead OF older ones. Brown,
he said, had justice been done, would
have been in his place, or at least his
Prism life was worse than death, the
young man said. but while at work on the
handsome present for her the state of his
mind had been less miserable. 1t was
pleasant to remember the winter of IT
spent in Cheyenne before his fall. and to
think of the possibilities before him if by
aid of his old friends he could be again
set free and leave forever behind the ter
rible secret of his life. All of the letters
we're answered, but no steps were ever
taken to secure a pardon for Ross. Other
letters followed in which he said there
was no hope of ever seeing outside Of the
prison walls again. One thing, he wrote,
troubled him a great deal. 1t was, should
be write to his mother or die leaving her
in ignorance of her sons disgrace. To
write to her was something he could not
decide to do.
Almost a year passed without a word
from Ross and then letters were received
by Carr and also by the Cheyenne family
from the warden. That official told In
as few words as possible OF the sorrowful
end. For a long time Ross had been
failing in health. Consumption would
have done its work in time but death had
been hurried by an act of Ross himself.
A week before his death he had, by the
aid of a small piece of glass opened a
vein of one of his wrists and when dis
covered was weak from the loss of blood
and almost dead. After that he was
closely watched that he might not again
attempt his own life. 1t was unneces-
sary, however, for one morning when the
warden visited the cell Ross was found
stretched upon his cot cold in death. He
had died without writing to his mother.
The Cheyenne family, the warden wrote,
seemed to be the only friends and if they
desired it he would forward to them the
letters and effects of the dead convict.
Dan Finn, the man who refused to be
held up, was for years an old Union Pa
cific conductor and his father used to keep
the section house Just southeast of town.
Ross was from Illinois. 1t is supposed
that he adopted the name when
leaving home and that before
his arrival here and departure later
for the Black Hills his life had been an
honorable one. The Cheyenne family
read THE DAILY LEADER and they will
recognize the picture and the fatal hand.
Brown-well nothing will be said of him
at present but the sequel to this story will
appear iu a later issue.