The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1896-05-17
ACTORS In PRISONS
Few Representatives Of the Theater
Profession Behind the Bars.
IT'S A VERY GOOD SHOWING
The Sad Story of Stage Carpen-
ter Who Returned to his wife to
Find His Home Ruined BY an
Intruder Unjust Justice.

Missoula, May lido you know
that I'm all of the prisons of this coun-
try that there are only two men who
were actors or in any way connected
with the theatrical profession" This
was the queer question that was asked
a Standard man last night by w. W.
Bittner of the Captain 1mpudence'
company The reporter said that he
did not know IT, but that he had often
thought that there are many men on
the stage who ought TO be behind the
bars for their presumption in at
tempting to act. But Mr.. Bittner was
in earnest and he continued as follows;
"In whatever prison you visit you
will find representatives of nearly all
of the professions You Will find doc
tors, lawyers and some preachers. but
there are only two men confined in the
prisons of this country who are theat-
rical men, or were before they were
locked up. One of these has been some
times classed as an actor but he is not
recognized as a legitimate The other
was a stage carpenter and his case
was one of the saddest that have ever
known. / knew him well and better
man never lived and no man was ever
more severely tried than he was. Ii
was one of those cases where IL seems
that there ought to be some way of set
ting aside the law. But IL could not
be done and the poor fellow was locked
up In a western state he would have
been set free. That is one of the adj
vantages of the western way of looking
at things. The solution may not be ac-
cording to the letter of the law, but Vt
is dictated by a broader and more
COMMUNICATIVE law than the statutes.
This mani will not give his name
was as have said. a stage carpen-
ter. His home was in Cincinnati and
he had but recently been married when
he started on his last tour with the
company. / never have seen a man
who was 50 loyal to- his wife as he was.
His salary was $25 a week and to save
money for the little woman, he denied
himself all of the comforts and luxuries
of life He would not board with the
other members of the company, but
took his meals at the cheapest lunch
counter that he could find All through
that tour he ate but two of those cheap
meals a day. When he could, he would
sleep in the theater where we were
playing. All of these little economies
he practiced and in this way and by
doing extra work. he managed to send
to his wife SIS and $50 every week.
The money was to be saved for a sum-
rner outing that he and his wife had
planned. They had had no bridal tour
and this trip was to be their first out
ing The fellow thought of nothing
else and he would talk of the pleasure
that was in store for him with all of
the glee of a child that Is looking for
ward to some event that Is dear TO II.
He kept careful account OF the money
that he was sending home and Il was
delightful TO note his pleasure as the
hoard grew.
IAN went well that season and In
time we were in Ohio one SATURDAY
night we were TO play IN . ht1ls tgnrn
near Cincinnati and the man lad
planned TO leave ahead O AZ a. s1s11
as the piece was over and sgseD1 s-z-
day with his wife IL Wa a. u be Wa
a boy about to get out Of sCbool t1- =
vacation. He was happy over the proc
pect. To his disappOintrnsur D
learned when we reached ths tow
that the regular trains all lett too
early for him to go. 50 he sent Worc =
his wife that he could not come tll
Sunday. At the last minute he found
that there was an extra freight that
night that he could take and get 20 has
home at 4 o'clock in the morning. Thas
uhe did and the sequel of that trlp WA
a sad one.
ut was the old story. The serpent
had invaded the little home and when
ne reached there, he found that the
wife for whom he had shaved all tins
year and for whom he had denied him
THE wife who had been the embodiment
TO him of all that was good and true
that even she was false to him. HI
killed them both. That was the sequel
1t developed afterward that the woman
had been spending all of the none,
that had been sent to her upon TIN
intruder. The poor husband was heart
broken.
HE was arrested and the case cam
TO trial The man had no money but tn
actors all over the country sent in thei
mites to aid him in securing an attor
ney and the case was fought stubborn
Iy. The sentence was 20 years. 1t wac
TO my mind. one of the instances OF un
just justice.
That Is the story of one of the the
atrical men that is in prison. Tn
other man perhaps deserved his punish
ment He was not classed by the pro
fession as one of themselves. But tn
record Is, as / started out to say.
good one and one that shows that tn
show people are not as bad as they ar
sometimes painted"