The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1907-08-15
Isolation.
IOriginaI.]

Dclug mace III TIC Cduoo VI PAASo ~
form. Among those who were to speak
was Julia Kennard, lady who had
been convicted of killing her uncle
with a Ratchet and had served twelve
years in prison. When the speakers
came on to the platform, picked her
ont at once by the lines of suffering on
her face. l watched her closely, ques-
noning myself as to her bearing if
guilty. If innocent, she gave no clew.
She did not assume braZen look or
wear either a guilty or penitent one.
She changed her position often. as
though it were an effort for her to
face so many upturned faces. CoC.a
she do so at all, especially on a NUM-
Der of occasions, if she were a muir
deress? | 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. aHi
what she said was of interest. He.
voice was feminine, melodiOus and G.l
not impress me unpleasantly, as tie
voices of women public speakers usuai +
Iy 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 Il
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.
l went home and to bed, but not to
sleep That sad face was before me-
/ heard the sympathetic voice. A pris-
ON has always been q horror to me, and
nv 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.
NV resolution was taken. / must see
Miss Kennard, must speak with her,
know her | found no trouble in max
ing her acquaintance. She knew
number of people prominent in the
work of prison reform, and l was in
troduced to her by. one of these.
made an effort to establish between her
and me such q friendship, intimacy
call it love, if you will-that might
have existed had it not been for her
conviction of crime, her Imprisonment.
I signally failed. She was a thing
apart All Of an ordinary life for her
had been lived before she had been
held I'D to the world as accused of
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 ia re!a-
ton to this object. / waited to hear
her mention some incident that tended
to show her innocence, but no refer
ence to the justice or injustice of her
conviction ever came from her lips
One day l said to her:
"Let me hear from your own lips
that a great mistake was made in your
case: that you were innocent of the
charge of which you were convicted
She looked at me with singular eX-
preston, an expression of negation.
There was no sorrow in it more than
the habitual sorrow that always chung
to her. And she said:
would you know any more than you
know now?'
'Not by reason; by confidence.
"a confidence dead as soon as born
No; were it possible for you to have
that confidence you would never nave
asked me to speak the words. 1t
could inspire you with confidence to-
day, tomorrow you would be consider
ing the pros and cons in my case.
whether this or that act of mine de-
noted guilt or innocence. There is but
one secret / cannot impart to an in0l-
yidual or to the world-the secret you
have asked of me-"
left her with, it seemed, an icy
hand gripping at my heart. l burned
to convince myself, the world, that she
was a wronged woman. If / could
not it seemed that / would go mad.
Then 1 would say, "Why, even could
do this l could not remove the STAIN
the notoriety. the brand of felony.
Then 1 made up my mind that !
must choose a path that should not
again cross hers. A lover debarred his
love may tell it and the reason why ne
must resign the object of 1t. What
was there for me to tell? Love? How
can there be love without perfect cen
.fidence? My reasons? What reason
that she did not know? I loved, yet
could not love her. / could love an
s,fi,ar mans wife and If necessary fight