The Irish standard., 1907-10-19
! STORY OF DEVOTION
Patrick Casey Freed From Sing
Sing After Spending
AsQuarter Of a Century Behind
IS, - the Prison Walls.

+ bf it's sort has Just been revealed
4 Through the release of Patrick Casey
who several days ago walked out OF
Sing Sing after twenty-five years inn
pfisonment for murder.
4 x Casey, now old. gray and bent, is
with his relatives in Long Island City
while in camp, up in the Adirondack
4 Mountains is Irene Irvine, sweet faced
4 and nineteen, the daughter of Prison
Physician Irvine. whose whole life is
entwined with sixteen years Of Caseys
period Of expiation.
s.She first saw him when she was two
years Of age, and 1t was a childish
promise forgotten by all but Casey and
the little girl that eventually brought
about the restoration of the old pris-
oner to his children and to the grand
children whom he had never seen until
Thursday night.
The strangest feature is that the girl,
row q beautiful young woman, has not
learned that her life work has been
auocessful. She was not present to
take. the hand Of the man who wept
fof her when he walked out from the
krtm walls to which he had been DOOM
ede for life.
Casey was sent as life prisoner to
Sing Sing twenty-five years ago, be-
cause, in a At Of intoxication. he had
walked into the Long Island City po-
lice station, where he was stationed
as q. patrolman. and killed Sergeant
Comiskey, one Of his friends.
His life was a blank for nine years,
the sort Of hopeless life to which every
life prisoner settles down in the hope
y that death may come quickly.
He was employed in the Sing Sing
hospital kitchen when DR.. F. Irvine was
& appointed prison physician sixteen
years ago. and although he did not
know it, that appointment was to bring
him his freedom in after years.
DR.. Irvine took his charming young
wife and their two-year-old girl baby
to ossing. One day he carried Irene
to the hospital. When she saw the
prisoners in their striped suits she
chung to her father and hid her head,
!. afraid.
=-Dr. Irvine took her into the kitchen,
and while she was toddling around
/ Casey surreptitiously handed her an
orange and smiled at her. From that
instant Casey and the child were
friends.
Dr.. Irvine took the little girl to the
I hospital with him frequently after that,
and almost invariably the child found
4 her way to the kitchen and into Casey's
arms. One of the first words she
learned to lisp was Paddy. and soon
MI her conversation was about Paddy.
\ Every day she wanted to go to see
him, but. DIR. Irvine, believing that too
frequent visits to such surroundings
would not be good for her. limited. the
visits to once week. Casey always
hurried through his work SO that he
could have a few minutes to spare for
her. Through cajolery, he got the hos
1 pital cook to make occasional dainties
Tor Irene, and she was Just as much
his prisoner as he was prisoner Of
the Empire state.
| Casey began to smile more frequently.
Il He looked upon the child's visits just
ariSnauch as for those of his faithful
Nlfs. and his own daughters. In some
| Ways little Irene came to be more to
him than anyone else in the world.
| He was ONE Of those who had taught
4 or six years old Casey loved her as
nych as IL she were his own child.
No would beg time from his superiors
ito sit down with her and help her learn
1 Ia read. The great Empire state never
lost one minute of its time out of
q Casey's life because he always worked
make up for the minute and hours he
!: Sbsnt with the child
Then one day, about fourteen years
III ago, Irene was sitting beside Casey.
who was beginning to age after nearly
sixteen years confinement. Casey was
n thinking deeply with his hands cover
\ I'm his face. The little girl heard him
VI Sgsan:
ss'Oh, God, when will ever get out
NJ tshere?"
n 4 When Irene had the center of the
4 door, you out them" she whispered
ali the confidence of childhood.
Casey turned to her and smile came
al pver his face. 1t seemed to him like
h the promise Of an angel. Moreover, it
" sa promise. that was to be kept to
s s3itAs letter.
Trapa hoa Tho caotor oe a. i.