Butler citizen. [volume] (Butler, Pa.) 1877-1922, 1895-09-26


scratched on the paint:
Let the stricken deer go weep
And the hart ungalled play,
For some must watch, while some must sleep.
Thus runs the world away.
These lines were there through all
the agony of my incarceration and trial,
but when the thunderbolt fell and was
walking back to that little room with
the doom Of life" pronounced upon
me what thought do you suppose came
rushing into my mind?
Tl~~e was | walking through the
women came under that category; but,
if any, then it must mean those who
came around selling apples and oranges.
The reader viii see that when once
away from the shelter Of home, in
threading the worlds devious ways, |
would be crossing the roaring torrent
"on the perilous footing Of a spear, 4"
all but certain to fall into the flood be-
meath.
During my last year at school and for
a long time after leaving it my father
and mother We're never tired of talking
about my good education. Possibly they
We're not very good judges, but l am
confident that they, after all, did not
realize the Importance Of boy being
well equipped i'll that regard. Their
thoughts and minds We're so bent on the
other world and things unseen bulked
so hugely ON their mental vision that
there was small space left for things Of
this earth. They, good, simple souls,
l. fn
in the golden age, when all men We're
brave and all women true, where neigh
borly eyes reflected the love and faith
within, but in our utihtarian days they
were sadly out of place, and little Won
der if they had lest their way i'll this
world
In their intense longing for the life
beyond the grave, their passionate de-
sire to walk the streets of gold, they,
by their actions, seemed to forget we
We're on this earth, and that we were
here with many sharp reminders of the
fact.
The same guilelessness was manifest
ed in their choice of our home readings.
The books [ was allowed access to in
the house were 1.-The Life of King Da-
vid, 1.-The History Of Jerusalem, ="
"Baxter's Saints Rest, " "The Immor
tai Dreener's Pilgrim" and Fox S
"Book oe Martyrs. His first martyr is
Stephen, and such was my gross igno-
rance of his story that l always supposed
Stephen had been martyrcd by the
Church of Rome. Here was mental food
for boy who had his own way to make
in the world
Craving other mental food than 1.-The
Life Of David, L used to club pennies
with a chum and buy that delectable
sheet, "Ned Buntline's Own" then in
fear and trembling would creep to an
upper room and read "The Haunted
House" or "The Ghost Of Castle Ivy"
until my hair stood ON end in a sort of
+ oo-t..tis. I.,,..~,.,-,,. -tl..,-sutrT1nS adVeh-
lures of Jack the Rover" or pirate
Chief" until my brain took fire and a
mighty impulse stirred every fiber, i'm
pelling me to follow i'll their footsteps.
/ had remained idly at homo for some
six months after my happy release from
school, when one night my father re
turned from New York and said, my
son, / have found situation for you. -
That was delightful news, and when |
went to bed that night / was too excited
to sleep.
SO now at l6 | was about TO sail out
of harbor, and how equipped
Absolutely without education, void OF
worldly wisdom and i'll my boyish brain
dividing the world into two sections.
@. 10
Philistines or dancing before the ark.
In the other were Jack the Rover and
the Pirate Chief How easy to guess the
sequel Yet | was not bad boy-far
from it. l only needed wise guidance
and good companionship, and as the lS-
norance and crudity of my character
dropped off the innate yirtue-mine by
lawful heritage-would have been de
veloped. But pitchforked into the wild
whirl Of Wall street and its fast set of
gilded youth, the gates Of the Primrose
WAY to destruction were held wide open
to my eager feet.
The situation my father had obtained
for me was with a sugar broker Of the
name Of Waterbury. He was partner
in large refinery, his o!lice being in
South Water street. He was nice, con-
servative old man and let things run ON
easily. His chief clerk, Mr.. Amber,
was every inch gentleman, who,
quickly perceiving what an ignoramus
| was, out of the goodness of his heart
resolved to teach me something.
There were two sharp young men IN
our office They liked me well enough,
but used to guy me numerically for my
simplicity and clumsiness. One Of them,
Harry by name, was something Of a
scapegrace, and soon acquired quite "A
power over me- I stood in much fear of
| his ridicule and frequently did things
| for which my conscience reproached me
rather than stand the fire Of his rail
lcry. The greatest harm he did me was
in firing my imagination with stories
| Of Wall street, Of the fortunes that were
and could be made in the goldroom OF
ON change. He made tolerably clear the
modus operandi Of spectators, and !
secretly resolved that some day |, too,
would try my fortune.
My friend Mr.. Ambler's health was
bad, and frequent attacks Of illness
caused him TO be away from the office
| for weeks at time, and that meant
! much loss to me. When had been there
about year, he resigned his position
| and went as manager for factory III
/ New Haven. But before leaving he in
terested himself so far in my welfare rs
to secure me a position with firm OF
brokers in New street at salary OF
$40 a week My employers were good
fellows, lovers Of pleasure and men OF
the world, not scrupling TO talk freely
| with ms Of their various adventures ont
Of business hours | had lost much OF
my awilwardncss and gauche manners,
and under the $40 a week arrangement
began to dress fairly well My employ
underground stone corridor leading
from the Old Bailey courtroom TO my
cell, doomed to lifelong Imprisonment
and the uppermost thought in my mind
was Of the lines had scratched ON that
wall l said TO myself they were to'
gloomy and depressing; that it was {
cowardly thought and message TO leave
behind me for some other unfortunate
inmate, and | resolved, if it escaped th'
Philistines' paint pot, TO leave mes
sage of hope or high resolve. When thu
next morning came-Thursday 1t wa
and the first Of sentence-I scratched
these lines
In tho rcproof OF chance
Lies the true proof Of men.
An hour after was insane. My mint