The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1902-09-13
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THE GOVERNORS CHOICE.


charging all expression from his face, al
unusual gift and valuable upon occasion
Now he was silent, while the men talked
gazing through the window of his office a
the grand circle of hills that curved abou
the little capital. Tbs had always beer
his favorite view, and today it was especial
ly so, with the slopes glowing in all the in
tense reds, yellows, and browns of Indiar
summers foliage, and the deep, beautiful
river flowing through the cut there tha
! looked like great sabre slash.
But the Governor, despite his look Of
inattention, was paying close heed to every
word, and his soul was full Of indignant re-
bellion. He was very young,-in fact,
many people thought him too young when,
at thirty two, he became the Governor Of
great State with more than two million
inhabitants. But he had done well; his
own conscience told him SO, and, more.
over, he had public approval. He felt SC
strong that he was candidate for reelec-
tion, and he bad hoped to secure an easy
nomination in the approaching convention
of his party.
His first nomination was lucky chance.
The strong candidates had worn each other
out in the convention, and, his name being
offered by his friends at an opportune mo-
ment, he was accepted as sort OF COM
promise and relief from the others. Now
he had hoped to be renominated on his
merits, and there was every prospect of it
until this troublesome affair came up.
He had known Bill Curtis well, and he
knew too that the man thoroughly deserved
his fate. Yet here we're Custis' friends
pleading in the most piaasible manner for
his pardon, and under everything that they
said was a threat too. He saw the threat
as we'll as if it had been spoken in plain
words, and they knew that he saw it; they
intended that he should
But the Governor, while the men talked,
silently reviewed Curtis whole story, his
wealth, his influence as a politician, his
powerful connections throughout the west
ern part of the State, the killing, and the
expectation of his friends through these
agencies to secure his acquittal. But the
tide of public Indignation was too strong,
and then followed his sentence to imprison-
ment for life, verdict reduced from hang
ing through the obstinacy of one juryman,
who was moved by the tears of his wife
and children in the courtroom.
Yes, Bill Curtis was man who deserved
his fate and more-he should have been
hanged. He had now served four years of
his term and had been good, tractable
prisoner His friends were making the
most of this, as they pleaded to the Gov
ernor for his pardon. Price, the State
Senator, Curtis's brother in law, was the
chief spokesman of the party, but Bush,
who was Judge of White County and Hart,
the Representative in the Legislature from
Wolf County, also took an active part.
All the men were prominent politicians,
some in office and some out, except the
Reverend Mr. Litlebury, the pastor of the
leading church in Breck6eld, whom they
had induced to come with them by pointing
out the complete reformation in Curtis 5
character and the beauty of forgiveness.
81 ask you, Mr.. Governor, to think of
poor Curtis's wife and children, said
Senator Price. ''They sit there in their
desolated home mourning night and day
for their natural protector, wrenched from
them by cruel law, and forced to pass his
life in that awful place
They could just see over the roofs of
some low houses the dark stone walls of the
penitentiary.
'Why did not Curtis think Of these
things when he killed Adair p asked the
Governor
Curtis sinned, and his friends knew it
now-he knows it himself, said the Rev
erend Mr. Littlebury in high, sing song
voice, "but he has repented-aye, he has
repented in sackcloth and ashes. The
William Curtis who went through that
awful gate is not the William Curtis whom
we seek to bring forth. No. he is re-
deemed man now Vengeance is mine,
saith the Lord. and we ask you to give him
back to his wife and children that by life
of good deeds he may expiate the great
fault he has committed.
The Governor made an impatient little
movement He had much knowledge of
men, and he had gone through the peni-
tentiary two weeks before. He saw Curtis
then, and he read at once his sly, sancti-
monious look Moreover, the recklessness
of his State in regard to human life always
weighed upon him, and it would i'll become
Governor to encourage this feeling.
Curtis should have been hanged, and moth
ing could change the fact.
'You ought to do this for us, Cover
nor, said Judge Bush; tand, besides,
man should not be above thinking of his
own interest when it goes with the right.
Such noble act of mercy would help you
greatly in the convention, Mr. Hastings. y
The significance of this speech was plain,
they were not dealing in yelled hints
now,-but the Governor seemed to take no
notice. He was looking through the win
dow at the splendid curve of hills, glowing
in the deep dyes of Indian summer and
the blue ribbon of the peaceful river.
His had been pleasant life in the cap
ital. He loved the picturesque little city.
He had come to it in the flush of youth,
with his young wife, then bride, the
Governor and the first lady of the State.
He had tried to do well, and the press and
the people said he had succeeded. He had
been happy there, and his wife too. He
wanted to stay another four years; he was
ambitious ambitious; he did not con-
ceal from himself that fact, nor did he wish
to do so; he believed ambition legitimate;
if he made good Governor for another
four years, he might have chance later on
for seat in the United States Senate.
Now everything was ruined by the
wretched Curtis case Why did not his
friends leave the man to the punishment
that he so richly deserved? But they
would not, and among them they would
control the entire delegation from the west
ern part of the State to the convention
And if he did not pardon Bill Curtis, they
would cast all that vote against him, thus
insuring the nomination of Westcott, his
opponent, and the nomination of his party
was equivalent to election
The Governor saw in glance his future,
his removal from the stage of real affairs,
the dull little country town, where he must