The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1906-03-02

being captured The money was not
found on him, but there We're half a
dozen persons to swear to his identity
The prisoner, who gave his name as
James Drayton, decided that mis-
take had been made. At his trial he
of village fifty miles away. and half
a dozen of his fellow townsmen were
on hand to swear that he was an in
dustrious, honest man.
There are times when waves of crime
seem to sweep over a community, and
there are also times when waves of
justice follow, and in their zealousness
the courts seem determined to convict
at any cost. The two waves happened
to be sweeping over the western city
at the time, and the law made an ex-
ample of Drayton. He was sentenced
to state prison for five years, and the
judge read him a severe moral lecture
from the bench in addition. The pris-
oner protested to the last, and his whole
community felt that the law had made
a grievous mistake, but there was a
squirt of reform on. and the prosecution
would have it that justice had her
hands on the right man.
The deputy at X. prison had read a
full account of the trial, but he did not
let doubt creep into his mind. Who
ever came to his prison had been adj
Judged guilty by the courts and put
into his 1-nanipo and II yx-oc not fo, I'm
to doubt or criticise He looked for a
man who would whine and beg for
sympathy and carry himself as a mar
tyr but he was agreeably surprised to
discover quite the contrary.
Drayton was in the prime of life.
clear eyed and frank faced, and he had
nothing to say against his sentence
He seemed to realize that the time had
gone by for that. In the department
to which he was assigned he made
such a record that after a year he was
appointed a "trusty." He had served
almost two years of his time before the
deputy heard his story. 1t had the ring
Of truth, and the officer believed 1t, but
at the time he was going to leave the
prison and take another position, and
he felt helpless ia the matter In the
course of week he went to q distant
state and took up a new occupation,
and three months passed away.
Then one day the former deputy
made days journey by rail, and as
he sat down to dinner in the dining car
his amaZement was unbounded to OBJ.
serve Drayton at a nearby table The
convict looked up at him without rec
ignition and did not seem at all abash-
ed. Here was a man who had seen
Drayton every day for two years. talk
ed with him, noticed every popularity
about him and could swear to him
thousand times over
There was no more doubt in his mind
that the convict sat before him than
that he was living, and he was present
il absorbed in speculation. 1t was just
possible that the man had been par
doned. If so, why did he not recognize
and greet his old friend? The deputy
had been as friendly with him as the
regulations permitted. even more than
that.
If he had not been pardoned, then he
must have escaped, but that he could
sit there with such brazen assurance
was not like DraytOn. The deputy
found his position embarrassing in n
way, and yet it did not take him long
to make up his mind what to do. He
would have been glad to see Drayton
get pardon, but if he had escaped he
must go back and serve the rest of his
time
During the meal the eyes of the two
men met dozen times, and of the two
Drayton was the less confused. His
hair was yet short from the prison reg
ulations, and he had ON civilians dress
of good texture. His demeanor was
that of any traveller, careless and indif-
ferent to a certain degree, and 1t was
certain that If addressed he would
promptly deny bis identity and carry