Custer County Republican. (Broken Bow, Neb.) 1882-1921, 1904-01-07
is A PRISON CHILD
PATHETIC HISTORY OF LITTLE
ALMA cREASON.
Born In Jail at Reading, Pa, She 10
the Pet of All Who Know Her
Her Mother and Reputed Father
Under Sentence Of Death.

Alma Greason of Reading, Pa, is a
child with strange history. She has
never been outside of prison walls.
She is two and a half years old, and
her mother and her reputed father are'
in now the same Jail under sentence
of death.
Alma is dark skinned, bright and ate
tractive and she speaks two languages
English to the prison visitors and
the Pennsylvania German dialect to
her mother.
Being pet of the Jail, the child is
daintily dressed and has the run of
the prison. She spends an hour down
stairs with the wardens family and
the next hour up on the second tier OF
cells with the death watch in charge
of her convicted mother.
In all her Jail liberty she is never
permitted to see Samuel Greason, her
reputed father, in another part of the
Jail. Greason is q negro. Almas
Kother is white. The murder OF
lwhi,h the two were convicted was
that of the wQman's hyJband.
The story of this prison child's life
is unusual, even in criminal history.
Her complexion at birth was to deter
mine the life or death of her mother.
John Edwards, the husband of the
woman, was a white laborer In, the
quarries of Stouchburg. Being out OK,
| work and shiftless, he failed to sup
port his wife, Kate, and their chill
dren. Greason, also laborer, had
money. When he saw Mrs. Edwards
children going barefoot in winter he
provided money for their needs. In
this way their mother came to have
kindly feelings toward him.
Edwards suspicious were finally
| aroused. He accused his wife of hav-
| ny been unfaithful and declared that IL
the child soon to be born was black he
would murder her.
Now Mrs. Edwards is dark skinned
woman. 1t was evident, therefore,
that whether her husbands suspicious
were we'll founded or not, the COM
plexion of the child might coat her
her life.
Some time before the child was
born, in July, 1901, there was party
at the Edwards home. Edwards drank
great deal Of beer. The next day
his body was found in the cistern
near the house. He had been struck
On the head with some blunt instru-
nent while sleeping on the porch after
he party.
Mrs. Edwards told a variety Of
:tories about his death and finally she
accused Greason of being concerned in
t. Both were convicted of murder in
he first degree.
! The child was born in prison. AS
has been said, she has a dark skin,
Ind they christened her Alma Greason.,
Her reputed father has never seen her.
Thrice Greason has been reprieved.
| Churches, Sunday schools and cake
walks have raised money to pay his
awyers to save him from the gaIlows.
He declares that he was not at the,
Edwards home on the night of Ed
wards murder.
He says he does not know who
lilled him, but the theory of his friends
that the wife and her eldest daugh-
:er aIone know the true story of the
leath of Edwards. 1t is generally be-
ieved that Edwards was murdered be-
cause it was feared that the child
would be black and that he would
carry out his threat to kill his wife.
And while Greason and Mrs. Ed
wards are growing fat in the shadow
Of the scaffold the little child is joy
9usly prattling about the prison cor
:idors by day and sleeping in the
bosom of her mother by night iE a
cell. Some say the child will grow
up in the Jail and never leave it. If
lie love that is shown for Alma con-
'inues developing, it will be very hard
10 part with the child in the years to
2Cme, when her parents have paid the
IL