The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1904-06-08
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n DOOMED TO An 1A1xY
DEATH FROM CoNUu1UT1oX.

WILKESBARRE, June, 8.-The no.
nance of a modern Jean Vatican is
coming to a sad ending. Harry Rob-,
erts, the escaped convict, after living
an honest, upright life for four years,
being recaptured and torn from his
wife and friends and Jailed, has been
released, dying of consumption.
The story is a remarkable one.
Eight years ago Harry Roberts, the
son of q prominent and well-to-do
family of Binghamton, N. Y, got
into bad company and, reckless with
drink and temptation, committed bur.
glary. He was arrested, convicted and
sentenced to five years in the Elmira
reformatory. There, disgraced, free
from temptation and drink, and alone,
he had an opportunity to think of his
past life and he resolved when he was
again free to become q new man. He
was q model prisoner. He soon was
made a trusty and three years and
eight months of the irksome prison
life passed. Then one day he with
two others, was ordered to cut the
grass on the prison lawn outside the
walls. Roberts, although he had but
two weeks to serve to gain release on
parole, joined the other two in their
fight.
A week after, tall, good looking
young man arrived in the little town
of Berwick, near here, and was given
work. He said his name was Morris
McDale.
His bashfulness was at first nota-
ble He did not like to be seen on
the streets, he even for time avoid
ed his fellow workers. 1t was months
before he ventursd out and met some
of the young people.
Among them was Mary Souder, a
pretty dark-haired girl, to whom the
lonely young man was especially at
tracted. He gained courage to take
her about, to go walking with her, and
it was not long before he knew that
he loved her.
In the meantime his careful work
at the shops and won him advance
ment and he was making good wages.
He finally resolved to ask Mary Sou
der to marry him. In the end he
proposed, said nothing of his past, and
they were married.
In the little home he was able to
furnish, happiness, the first real hap
piness of his life, reigned. He was
devoted to his wife and she to him,
and when. year ago, baby came,
his cup of JOY was full.
There had been many hours, how
ever, in which he had striven to gain
to tell his wife, but each time
he failed. When the baby came, the
fear grew, for recapture would mean
SO much more.
But days and weeks and months
passed and there was no sign of search
for him. He grew easier except for
the occasional fits of black depression,
Of fear.
A couple of weeks ago he walked
from the shops along the main
street of the town. He was eager to
get home to his wife and baby. As
he hurried along, there flashed be-
fore his eyes a face he had not seen
for years and voice he knew cried:
Hello, Harry" with a marked note
of surprise.
1t was only for an instant. but he
had been unable to prevent the look
of recognition which came into his
own eyes. and, although he hurried
on unheeding. he knew that the hour
he dreaded had almost come. 1t was
now a question of whether the friend
of former days was still enough the
friend to remain silent. All that night
he lay awake thinking, and in the
morning by some pretext, he induced
his wife to agree to move to Nesco-
peck, a town across the river, where
the chance of discovery would be less.
But that did not save him. Sew
eral black days were followed by one
blacker than the rest. Again he heard
the old name and this time it was
Officer H. NJ. Rifle, of the reformatory
who said: "And so it is you, after all,
this time, Harry"
"Yes-and it's mighty hard luck,
after four years." the unfortunate
man hopelessly.
In the cell. he told his wife, and
hardly had he finished, when her arms
were about him and he was told that
she loved him more than ever for the
misfortune which he had to bear, and
when they parted she swore she would
use every effort to having him pardon
ed. His friends and the officials of
the works entered heartily into the