The midland journal. (Rising Sun, Md.) 1885-1947, 1897-07-23
oSo~9 9@ee@e 60 Q @0@c
THE COUNT De LONE. 5
BY SYDNEY REID. \
90 GO 1900 0@o o~6

hN ES," said the warden, women
are strange creatures. could
tell you many queer things that hap
pened through them right in this old
prison. You never heard of the duchess
who came every day to bring flowers to
Siechi, the Polish murderer? She would
sit and cry an hour with him each time.
He was little, dark man, with little
goat face and goat beard. He used to
spend an hour before the glass getting
ready for the duchess. Why did she
come? Oh, sympathy gone mad. Did
you never see an engaged young couple
lavishing maudlin sympathy on each
other. Well, there are women who are
in that state of mind all their lives. 1t
is necessary for them to have hyster-
les once day, and they go to see per-
son who is or ought to be, suffering,
to crafty their craving for emotional
intoxication.
But it was not about the duchess l
was going to tell you, though; but about
u young woman who sat in that very
chair where you are sitting now one
afternoon not more than ten years ago.
She was a handsome and very digni-
fed young woman, and she told as Cos
pei truth the oldest story ever heard.
"When she first entered she had asked
nfs if knew that I had under my care
Count De LONE, peer of France. l
looked at her a few minutes, but she
was earnest and calm. l replied that
L was not aware that we had any such
distinguished guest.
"'That is his sensitiveness and mod
esty,' she exclaimed. He would rather
die than expose his family
"'What is his offense?'
"'IIe is charged with burglary, but
it is all a dreadful, dreadful mistake, of
which only he and 1 know the eNplana-
ton
"'Describe his appearance
"'lIe is of medium height, has very
dark, curling hair, black eyes and heavy
black mustache.'
81 knew the man at once as Hand
some Charley who had come to New
York from Chicago, leaving streak of
crime stretching out behind him like
the tail of a comet. / told the young
woman that knew the man.
81 am afraid that you are rejudiced
against him. she caid; but, oh, War
den, if you could only hear his story
as l have heard it, your sympathy
would go out to him as the most unfor-
tunate of men. 1t is impossible for
anyone to look in his eyes and disbelieve
him.
"Yes?'. l asked, and then, after a
pause, May l inquire what is your
name, madam. and why you are so in
terestcd in the prisonerY
"The name she gave me was that
borne by one of the oldest and wealth.
lest families in the state. L am a wom-
an of property she said, living in Tar
rytown. ! am interested in this poor
young man, because l know his sad
story; how he has been victimized;
how he has struggled and how an ire
sistible power has dragged him down.
"'Do you know that he was caught in
the very commission of this last crime|
81 know that so appeared
"'But the circumstantial evidence
was positive. lie was caught in the
diuing-room of a mansion in Madison
avenue with a heap of plunder about
him and bag into which he was put
ting it,
THAT is the saddest part of his
trials. Even to fair, unbiased minds
he must always appear guilty. l my
self thought him guilty when I first
looked upon him two years ago in the
kitchen of my own house, where the
coachman and butler who had captured
him were holding him down. / had
been awakened by terrible commo-
ton and had FASTENED downstairs TO
find my servants holding the stranger,
who, they said, was Ii burglar. Every
thing seemed to indicate that their con-
clusion was correct. \ window had
been forced, and the stranger had be-
fore him a bag filled with plate and
jewelry gathered from all over the
house. When he saw me he Immediate
ly spoke:
Madam he said, Il appeal to you
not to decide too hastily. l am gen
tleman and not robber, but am the
victim of the strangest and most cruel
fatality that ever prosecuted mortal.
Gould but'engage your kind attention
for few minutes / would, am sure,
be able to persuade you that instead
of reprobation deserve the deepest and
sincerest sympathy and the pity of
every true Christian of whom l per-
ceive you are one.'
"I was greatly afraid of the man at
first. as a young lady naturally would