The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1899-01-02
HIS SON.
The w arden's
Stern DUTY.
DRAMATIC SCENE.
Father Receives His Boy at
Wethersfield.
(From the New York HeraId.l

than that presented here last Wednes-
day, with the gloomy portals of the
Connecticut state prison for a setting.
At noon on that day, H. Kirk Wood
bridge was finally committed to serve
term of four years for forgery. Hand
cuffed to a negro burglar and fashion
ably dressed. the former gay and
thoughtless youth heard the massive
iron door clang behind him, while his
aged father, warden of the prison,
averted his face, leaving to other Off
Gals. who a short time before had been
subordinates Of the convict, the task
OF receiving the prisoner and consign-
ing him to cell. This done, Col. ia
bez l.. Woodbridge prepared to resign
the office he has SO long honorably
filled rather than be confronted daily
with his son in convict garb.
Few men have had greater opportu-
nifty than Fl. Kirk Woodbridge to
amount to something. His father has
ever stood ready to give his only son
Whatever he wanted. From the boys
earnest days, he has made a compan-
ION OF him and has sought to bring out
whatever of ability there was in him.
Inc father being a rough, clustering
sort OF man, his methods may not have
been OF the SmootheSt kind but thew
were from the heart.
Kirk was allowed to follow his own
bent to large extent, even when he
developed fondness for fast society.
lie was without the tender restraint of
mother since his father and mother
had separated when he was young and
his father had married again. A good
nome, with plenty to eat, he could al
ways have, but when he showed a dis
position to run with the boys" there
was no one to give him advice.
When Jabez Woodbridge was chief
or police in Hartford he made Kirk
MS clerk, at fair wages. When he be-
came warden of the state prison, Kirk
was installed as the warden's clerk.
Ills salary was $500 a year, which was
scarcely enough to support him in the
style ne. desired. 1t did not pay for
morse hire, trips to New York and wine
suppefs. Trying to exc it out at the
gaming table, he would be rich one
day, only to find himself penniless the
next
Meanwhile the elder Woodbridge was
having trouble of his own. At the time
ne was appointed warden there were
other candidates for the position, who
were more than ordinarily disgruntled,
they reviewed Woodbr1dges early his
tory, and could hardly contain them
selves to see a man like him holding
state office. Never have they ceased
their efforts to unseat him. The only
thlng ne could do was to go ahead and
give an administration that was above
reproach. In this he surprised both
friends and enemies.
Whatever might be said of his preyi
Gus undertakings, Woodbridge certain
ly appeared to have been cut out for
the position of warden. His first prin-
ciple was discipline and his next was
hard work. He inaugurated reforms Of
all kinds and became known to the
general public as the best warden Con-
necticut has ever had.
But the Warden's faults were not for
gotten by his enemies. They charged
gross acknowledgment of a nature that
would not appear TO the public at large
They formulated charges, which while
not directed at him personally, serious
ly reflected upon his administration.
Governor Coffin and the prison direc-
tors We're asked to investigate. They
complied, with the result that there
were some changes in the rules. Mrs.
Woodbridge was relieved Of the office
of matron and Kirk was required to
give more attention to business but the
warden himself was not molested
Soon after new governor Cookie
took office, together with new legisla-
ture, and there were changes in the
board of prison directors. The old
charges, which it was supposed by the
board were huShed up for all time, re-
appeared in the hands of a member of
| the House, and legislative investigation
was soon in full swing. The commit
tees decision as to the warden was the
same as that of the old board Of direc-
| tors.
! Warden Woodbridge was beginning to
| feel safe in his position again, when he
discovered that Kirk was making free
with the check book. Statements differ
as to what happened then One director,
Mr.. Frisbie, of Hartford, says the war
den did not notify the directors until
some months later, and that meanwhile
| he had a talk with Kirk, thus giving
the young man a chance to run away.
| Mr.. Frisbie represents the party that
has long been opposed to the warden re
| naming in office. Another statement
| is that the warden at once notified the
| board, did all he could to learn the ex-
| tent of the crime, and did not interfere
| with Justice or ask for mercy. He had
| previously been compelled by his own
discoveries to prohibit Kinks going to
| the safe, but the father did not consid-
er the son a blackleg because he had
once fallen from grace.
| When Kirk was arrested and the
check book was produced in court, II
presented a remarkable sight. Through
out and on the covers it was stained
with the acids the clerk had used in
altering checks. The amount Of the
embezzlement stated in the writ was
something less than $1,000 covering one
year of five. The investigation showed
| that the amount for the whole Of that
| period was almost 81, 600.
| Convicted of the charge to which he
| finally pleaded guilty, Kirk Woodbridge
was sentenced to four years in prison.
During the trial, the warden said the
| only time he spoke to his boy, my first
| duty is to the state
| Kirk was taken to the county Jail ito
remain till there was a vacancy in the
state prison" AS indicating his utter
failure to appreciate the situation, and,
no doubt as indicating his old desire
| 10 get back with his father, he said to
a friend that he preferred prison to
| Jail
Common opinion the day he was SEN
| fenced was that his father would at
once resign, thus saving himself the
pain of looking up his only child, and
do voluntarily what 1t was believed he
would otherwise be compelled to do.
| But he took no action. The reason
was that he considered himself under
| fire again, and resignation might be
construed as confession.
AS there were no vacancies in the
| prison, 1t was thought that the hour
| of state incarceration might be post
poned till such time as the warden's
resignation was brought about. There
were obstacles to this, however, and
the end was uncertain. The board of
prison directors met the day Kirk was
sentenced, when they decided to see
] if they could not influence the wa ride n