Middletown transcript., 1897-02-27

kkM lis fallom'
MMEt f1JSA brosa. Its mum
| EHEHf YsSl efous neat and
i R Gs S brightly painted
s wellings are
ZS half concealed
amid leafy groves of oaks, NAPLES and
| cottonwood; the straight, quiet streets,
Epaved for the most part with brick,
are every where shaded by tall trees,
while the well-cared-for grass along
the sidewalks gives them the as
pect of city boulevard. In the, CEN
ter of the town stands the white sand
istone courthouse, of which the citizens
may well feel proud when they turn,
as they do twenty times day. to read
the time on the great clock face in its
tower.
i On a corner, not many squares from
the courthouse, stands the county jail.
1t is of brick, the front portion, which
is built like an ordinary dwelling house
with wide verands, being occupied
by the sheriff and his family, while the
/ rear, with it's ugly grated windows, is
in a sort OF court and partially hidden
from the gaze of the passing pedes-
trians by a high brick wall. The
whole institution has from the outside
such an air of retil ement. cleanliness
and, one might almost say, of respecta-
bility, that to a beholder wearied with
the turmoil of modern life, incarcera-,
tion within its walls might not at first
sight seem such an altogether terrible
thing.
James Lewes, the present sheriff,
who lives in the front part of the build
ing, where the wide windows are, and
and the shady veranda, has held his
Office for two terms, with great salts
faction, not only to the tow nspeopie
for his fidelity and good management,
but even to the prisoners themselves
by his kindness, and his liberality In
the matter of food. He has a wife re-
puted to be good cook and an excel
lent housekeeper, son at present
chashier of local bank, and daugh-
ter Clara, who is now married and
living in the east. At the time Of our
story, however, this daughter was q
schoolgirl of sixteen and The pet of the
family. On warm summer evenings
she often sat out of doors on the steps
with book in her lap, and many
passer by turned to look again at her
swte earnest face with its setting of
dark curly hair.
Clara gave little heed to the prison.
ers who came and went. To her they
were simply pafG of her fathers busi-
ness, and she thought no more of them
than merchants daughter does of
her fathers customers. But one day
a MN was brought there whom she
could scarcely help noticing, for the
whole town was talking about him.
Four armed men came with the prison.
er, and for several nights guard was
clsped about the Jail in anticipation of
an attempt at lynching. For the man
was accused ofs most dastardly MUIR
der.
On the corner of Main and Bells
streets. facing the courthouse square,
stands the First national bauk of Val
lombrosa. In common with the other
banks of this town, it does not close
at one or at twelve on Saturdays, as
do the city banks, but for the conven-
fence of farmers and railroad hands, it
keeps open ON that day until eight
O'Clock in the evening. On one of
these evenings, just before the time
for closing, the shades Of twilight hav-
ing already gathered on the summer
night, a roughly dressed man was seen
by those in the street to go up the
steps and enter the bank. He was
hardly inside when a pistol sshot was
heard and the man reappeared and
dashed Main down street out of
sight. A dozen men started in pursuit
and when they turned the corner they
saw what they supposed to be the
same person, running half square
ahead Of them. with revolver openly
exposed in his hand. Some of the feet
est soon overlook him, and as he did
not stop or attempt resistance, they
struck him from behind and he fel
senseless to the pavemes. On return
ing to the bank, they found the teller /
lying dead in a pool of blood, and the
cashier, who had been out at the time
of the shooting, declared that a pack
age of bills amounting to one thous-
and dollars had been taken. This was
the story Clara heard of the prisoner
her father and four men brought to the
county jail late one Saturday evening
In the summer time.
She did not see him then, for prison
ers were taken in and out through an
alley in the rear, but later, when the
time of his trial came, and be was es-
corted back and forth every day be-
tween the jail and the court house, she
saw him frequently. He was young
man, tall, broadshouldered and Of dark
complexion, with long. we'll formed
nose, bright hazel eyes and wide high
forhead. From the very first he pre-
judiced the judge and jury against him
by his naughty and uncomplisnt bear
ing. He gave his name as Hugh
Wentworth, but freely admitted that
the latter half was assumed. He asked
leave to plead his own case, and when
the court refused and appointed law
yer johnson, a big, pompoHs man with
q great reputation in criminal cases, to
conduct the defense, and the latter in