Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1907-08-14
Isolation.
(Original.1

The meeting was to hear of efforts
being made in the cause Of prison re-
form. Among those who were to speak
was Julia Kennard, a lady who had
been convicted of killing her uncle
with Ratchet and had served twelve
years In prison. When the speakers
came on to the platform, picked her
out at once by the lines Of suffering on
her face l watched her closely, ques-
tioning myself as to her bearing If
guilty. If innocent, she gave no clew.
She did not assume brazen look or
wear either guilty or penitent one.
She changed her position often, as
though it were an effort for her to
face so many upturned faces. Could
she do so at all, especially on num-
Der of occasions, if she were MUIR
leress? did not believe she could.
When she rose to speak, she looked
out upon her audience much as any
other woman would who had spoken
before from the rostrum. Few women
and comparatively few men can make
an address, especially an extemporane-
GUS one. Miss Kennard spoke slowly,
distinctly, every word expressing that
which it was intended to express, and
what she said was Of interest. Her
voice was feminine, melodious and did
not impress me unpleasantly, as the
voices Of women public speakers usual
" do. On the contrary, it won me.
She was evidently a worker in the
cause Of prison reform and gave re-
suits of her labors interspersed with a
few brief experiences Of her own pris-
on career. She did not refer to her
guilt or innocence or blame any one
for what she had suffered. When she
came to the close of her address, she
said that she could not have faced US
had she not felt that we were her
friends. She had already won my
sympathy. This last statement appeal
ed to my reason. A guilty woman
could not have spoken those words as
she spoke them.
I went home and to bed, but not to
sleep. That sad face was before me.
l heard the sympathetic voice. A pris-
on has always been horror to me, and
my mind was filled with pictures of
this delicate woman stripped Of the
habiliments of refinement and clothed
in prison garb, her wealth Of hair cut,
and, thus degraded, thrust mercilessly
into cell.
My resolution was taken. must see
Miss Kennard, must speak with her,
know her. l found no trouble in max
ing her acquaintance. She knew a
number of people prominent in the
work of prison reform, and I was In
troduced to her by one of these.
made an effort to establish between he1
and me such friendship, intimacy
call it love, II you will-that might
have existed had it not been for he1
conviction of crime, her imprisonment
signally failed. She was a thing
apart. All Of an ordinary life for hel
| had been lived before she had been
held up to the world as accused of 8
criminal act. But one interest had
any hold upon her-the amelioration OF
the condition of prisoners. She never
spoke Of her own case except in rela
ton to this object. l waited to heal
her mention some incident that tended
to show her innocence, but no refer
ence to the justice or injustice of bel
conviction ever came from her lips
One day l said to her:
LET me hear from your own lip'
that a great mistake was made In you
case; that you were innocent Of thu
charge Of which you were convicted"
She looked at me with q singular ex