Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1893-10-21
TO SHIELD HIS WIFE.
Rare Devotion Of an Indiana Man.

y INNi-ldA anu AltA ullLlktLNNllLiE SlNIN
Of the devotion of man to woman is
told in an application recent 3 filed in
the office Of the governor OF indiana
for the pardon of Jacob Noel, of Elk
hart county, now serving a life sentence
in the state prison north for murder.
On the morning of Aug. -, 1879, Noel
and his wife, an exceedingly attractive
woman, engaged in an alteration in
the rear of their home ia Ekhart and
Abraham Paulus, a neighbor, entered
the yard and took the part of the wife
ana was shot and instantly killed by
Noel. The murderer Immediately sur
rendered himself to the authorities.
but refused to make any statement
of the circumstances leading to his
crime except that Paulus entered his
yard and interfered in Il quarre. in
which he had no concern. The trial
was called in December following and
on the stand in Ills own behalf Noel
still adhered to his determination not
to tell anything more about the crime
than was already known to the public.
Further than the statement that he
and his wife were quarreling and that
PauluS interfercd he would say moth
ing. His Counse- showed his previous
good character, his quiet, inoffenslye
disposition and that the fatal encounter
with Paulus was the only trouble that
be had ever had. 1t was shown that
before going to EIlhart. he had lived
at Pullman, near Chicago, and had
there accumu ated some property and
that he had been employed for a num-
Der of years as a draper by Marshall
Field x Co, Of that city. Beyond this
nothing was offered in mitigation of
the crime and, while the jury believed
that something was lacking, it had to
be governed by the facts adduced
and Noel received Il life sentence.
When Noel reached the prison he
was placed at work in the cooper shop
ana for nearly ten years he performed
his daily tasks without a murmur,
never in this time referring to his
crime and, as far as known, never
making "a confident of anyone regard
ing it. The attention of the prison au-
thorities was attracted by his uniform
good behavior and some years ago he
was made a ''trusty' and placed in
charge Of the grounds surrounding the
warden'S residence. In this capacity
he has been always faithful and has
the nm limited confidence Of the prison
officials, taking full charge of the
grounds, going to and from the rail
way station with visitors and keeping
everything in the most perfect order
premises 10 see that everything is
secure and then reports at the prison,
goes into his cell ana is locked up
til morning, when he leaves it again
for His duties outside the prison walls.
DuriuE al his fourteen years of con
Iiuemont ne has never been known to
utter u complaint, and, though the
officers would glad y have seconded an
effort to gain a pardon for him, he
never suggested such Il step till within
the past few months. 1t was then
that the story Of the killing and the
events leading up 10 1t was first told
by the convict, who had kept 81 ent
FOR years in reference to a crime
that had many c~Xtcnuating circum-
stances and the punishment for which
he might have escaped entirely had he
shown as little regard for the fair
fame of his wife as she had shown
for her marriage vowS.
According to Noel's story, he had
discovered that his wife was unfaithful
to him and he was upbraidiug her on
account Of her inddclity on the morn
ing of the murder. He loved her with
a passion that dwarfed every other
sentiment In his breast and his feel
ing was that of commiseration rather
than Of anger, for he believed that
she had been subjected to Some ter
rib-e temptation and had fallen with
out being utterly bad. Just at that
moment Haulus appeared upon the
scene. 1t was he who had brought
ruin upon his house and when Paulus
appeared and sought to pose as his
wtCe's protector. 1t fired his brain
ana almost without knowing what he
did fired the shot that sent the soul
of the seducer into eternity. He re-
gUetted the act the moment il was
committed ana resolved tha,, how
ever unworthy the wife had been,
he would be true TO his vow to pro
tect and honor her, Under the magic
influence which she eXeEted over him,
he still believed her capable Of living
Il correct life and though he believed
that he might escape the vengeance
Of the law If he would show the great
p|rovocation under which he labored
and give the proofs upon which it
was based, he determined to suffer
rather than to send the woman he
loved out into the world with a repu-
tation forever Blasted. Acting in ac-
cordance with his resolution, he refus-
ed to produce in court any of the
proofs which might have saved him
from conviction and which certainly
would have mitgated his crime and
resulted i'm a lighter sentence, He said
that he had lived in the hope of being
some day "A free man, but he had pro
posed to die in prison rather than let
r..,.T .-,r.. Men +1,F ,4aarr1l g1 w