The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1896-10-12
BOY CONVICT'S LOVER.
Train Wrecker Hildreth Courts Miss
Perryn in His Cell.
She Was His Sweetheart Before He
Committed the Crime.

There Is q young girl at Rome, N. T.,
who Is steadfastly showing what faithful
unto death really means
One Of the cells at Auburn prison houses
o curly headed boy who fondly realizes
that the shadow of his crime has not shut
him away from all the sunshine of the
world.
Imprisonment for life is a fearful fate
for boyish eyes to regard. Still there Is al
ways hope, and when there Ia sweetheart
the hope Is always stronger.
So Celia Perryn as she works over the
fishing tackle she helps make at Romo
hopes forche release Of John Watson Hill
dreth, the boy who helped wreck the New
York Central express near Rome last year.
So Jack Hildreth hopes as he works in
tlt4 upholstery shop at Auburn prison for
the day when he can have the sunshine he
Graves always-the sunshine brought by
his sweetheart
1t is a love story and q tragedy rolled in
to one, only tho tragedy has not ended the
love, which existed before there was any
tragedy, and today is stronger than 1t ever
was
When Jack Hildreth was living I'm Rome,
he. boy though he was, began to court
Celia Perryn, pretty, brown eyed girl,
Presently tho young people Of Rome and
some of the older ones knew that Jack Hill
dreth and Celia Perryn were sweethearts.
They made no secret Of 1t, and their little
world smiled on them indulgently just as
the big world itself always smiles upon
lovers.
One morning, just after breakfast,
young Hildreth called at his sweetheart 8
home on Cottage street In Rome and told
her of the event which has wrecked his life
and made hers one of waiting. Before
long every one else knew about 1t, and
then Hildreth, for the first time In his iife,
found himself In prison, in the little brick
Jail that nestles close to the side Of the pro-
tecting courthouse at Rome.
Everybody who resses the papers knows
what followed. First there WAS an in
quest, and then came the trial At both
Celia Perryn was forced TO testify for the
prosecution, and her evidence helped
nightly to put Hildreth and his two COM
panions in Auburn.
The shame of the convict's stripes has
never caused Celia Perryn to falter In her
allegiance to Hildreth for moment The
railroad employees at Syracuse and AL
bany and the prison officials all know her
now. Warden Stout Is one Of her best
friends
When reporter asked Miss Perryn IL
she thought young Hildreth would stay at
Auburn always, she sad:
VI don't see why Others have been
partioned. Why shouldn't he bef No,
don't think he'll serve any such sentence.
None of US has planned TO ask his pardon
yet. OF course we all hope. There is such
a thing as Communication of sentence, you
know. And, then, he's so young-only a
boyr'
"Only boyr' repeated Miss Perryn's
mother, who had been rocking silently be-
side her daughter, whose eyes were more
than moist as she looked out into the dark
ness
81 think the world of Jack" said Miss
Perryn, "and just as long as live he'll
never want for friend. I'll wait-bus
never mind about that I'll stick to him
as long as he lives, and I'll visit him as
often as can.
"Have his other friends deserted himY
No, indeed OF course his father goes to
see him often, and his aunt comes from
Upper Red Hook, n. Y, to see him. You
know she's the lady who entertained Mr..
and Mrs. William J. Bryan when they
were at Upper Red Hook. Then there are
the Bowmans, with whom Jack lived, you
know. They believe in him and are as
much his friends as they ever were.
"And II Well, l go to see him whenever
can. Oh, it's dreadful to be shut up the
way he is, and it's awful the way people
forget about a person when he's sent to
prison. It's shame. How do they know
they won't be sent there themselves some
day?
II shall continue to go and see him be-
cause-because feel toward him just as
always did, and 1 never will feel any diff
ferent as long as l live.
"Just think of him-shut up there, away
from the sunshine, cut off from almost
everybody he ever knew This is the time
to stand by him, not the time TO forget.
It's easy enough for people TO forget. 50
try to remember, and guess there's no
danger that won't"
While, as Miss Perryn says, no open
effort has been made to secure pardon or
communication Of sentence for young Hill
dreth, such an idea Is being quietly dis
cussed. The friends of Theodore Hibbard
are also hoping for executive clemency.
Still, there is small hope Of release for either
of the young convicts for half score of
years. When that time comes the official
heart may soften. Meantime Miss Perryn
says she "will wait for Jack. New York
Journal