Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-10-10
How Gov. Packard's Friend
ship Came to the Aid OF a
Woman In Distress
SON is RESCUED FROM PRISON
Long Search for Missing Boy Ends at
Fort Madison Penitentiary and
Friendship of Reconstructed Days in
the South Proves Valuable Aid IN
Securing Parole.
eial to Times Republican.

Special TO Times RepuDilcaL.
Des Moines. Oct. l0.-The story OF
how a friendship OF the long ago came
In an hour of deep distress and made II
possible for her to rescue her maynard
son from the penitentiary has been but
partially told in brief dispatches from
Fort Madison. The whole story is
worthy of a place IN the newspapers
About two months ago Warden Jones,
OF the state penitentiary at Fort Madi-
son, received call from pale faced,
sorrowing woman who said she lived
in New Orleans, and she asked for an
interview with one J. w. Sanders, a
young convict of Is confined in the
for the first time In six years mother
and son stood face to face and recog-
niZed each other 1t was a sad day for
the woman. She told her story pathet-
icany. She was of q fine southern fam
lily in which there had been Il number
OF professional men OF high standing
in New Orleans. The family was In
comfortable circumstances and lived al
ease with the world. Their son was a
promising youth III the high school,
when at the age OF 10 he suddenly dis
appeared. He left no clue to his plans
or purposes. The parents sought for
him long and vainly, and finally COM
menced to advertise in the newspapers.
They inserted advertisements all over
the country and spent much money in
this way. Then they formed connec-
ton with detectiveo agencies. They
sent out thousands of circulars con-
tanning a description of the boy and his
portrait and Offering a reward for in
formation concerning him. Many times
they thought they had a clue To the
boy, but each time they We're disap-
pointed They spent nearly all their
small fortune in this search. but had
resolved to prosecute it for all time.
One day a detective In the Pinkerton
office in Chicago scanned the portraits
al the men in the Fort Madison peni
and thought he detected the
face of the lost boy. Investiga ton Was
made which showed this TO be true and
the mother was Informed Of the fact
The New Orleans mother, while over
joyed at finding her son even tho he
was a convict, set about to secure his
release. Here IS where she was fortu-
nate in that she had enjoyed the ac-
quaintance of Governor Stephen r.
when he was n New Orleans
AZ the governor OF Louisiana in the re-
construction period. Size recalled that
Governor Packard is now a resident OF
Iowa. and has been for many years,
and she immedia teiy sought him out
and found him ready to assist her in
very legitimate way. She appealed to
him for direction and the appeal was
cot in vain. for he showed her the way
10 secure the release of the young man.
She obtained interviews with the judge
and the county attorney and the in
ured parties. The history of the crime
VAS brief. Young Sanders was caught
With two other men in possession of
certain stolen silks taken from the Gill
eut store In Atlantic, Iowa. They were
arrested and were indicted for conspir-
icy to commit larceny. Sanders imme
lately pleaded guilty to escape the dis
,losure of his identity and the others
TODD trial, but We're afterwards con- |
'icsed The evidence tended to show |
hat Sanders was guilty of little more |
han being in bad company. He had /
.ecsived a three-year sentence. This /
vas in December last Warden Jones |
exported that he was a model prisoner |
md worthy OF clemency. The judge |
igned a petition for his release The
county attorney at first refused to |