The Ordway new era., 1907-07-12
WILLIE" SELL is Faee.
Aftsr 1852 Days imprisonment he
Sees Light Of Day.

oees Ls0ht Of Day.
Lansing Kas.-'I wish you would al.
low me to Occupy my old cell tonight.
n have no place to go. 1t is the only
homo have known for so long that |
would be lost should | venture out
tonight"
And William Sell. after twenty.one
years OF life In the Kansas penItentiary
was allowed to pass his first night OF
freedom In his old quarters.
Sell, convicted twenty-one years ago
OF the most atrocious murder in the
annals OF Kansas, was liberated on re-
ceipt by the warden OF pardon from
Governor Hoch.
This is about the happlest moment
OF my life." said Sell when the pa.
pers giving him freedom had passed
| into his possession, and Warden Has.
kell had addressed him as Mr." Sell
and given him permission to violate
the prison rule in regard to addressing
a visitor.
Before pardoning Sell-who, with
one exception. was the oldest prisoner
in the Kansas penitentiary in regard
to time of seryice-Goyernor Hoch ar
ranged for his immediate future. State
Senator Griffin. member of the pardon
board. had promised the governor that
Sell should be given employment in
his drug store at Nortonyille, Kansas.
An unforeseen circumstance, however,
prevented Mr.. Griffin from reaching
Lansing In time, and, realizing his ig-
norance OF the world. Sell did not care
to run the gauntlet OF the morbidly cur
ious by making the trip alone. so he
remained another night In prison.
John higgins, parole otiicer of the
penitentiary, accompanied Sell when
he escorted him to his new home at
NortonYille.
How II Feels.
''How does 1t feel. Mr.. Sell. TO be n
free mani" was asked as the party was
making their way to the railroad sta
ton.
"Feel?" was the quick reply.
"Why, man, II were 20 live thou.
sand years and had | commanded the
language OF the most eloquent orator
In the world l could not begin to out
line my feelings. | have looked for
ward to this moment for an age, 1t
seems TO me.
Now that II has come. don't ask me
to describe how IL feels. Let me feast
on the sunshine, the landscape, the
green foliage"
a carriage had been provided for the
trip from the prison 10 the railway sta
ton, but Sell preferred to walk
Your pardon. gentlemen. II seem
selfish. but II you realized what this
first voyage into your commonplace
old world meant to me I'm sure you
| would not blame me.
did any of you ever sit down and
figure up how many days 1t takes to
make twenty-one years? thought
not. With just one exception havn't
been outside those old walls for just
7.582 days. Think of it-7,532 days,
Yes, that's almost an eternity. And
every one OF those 1882 days had a
night. Years and years ago the days
ceased to worry me to any great ex
tent, but those nights-they were aw'
full.
with Just little touch of sunshine
have had in the last hour. l wonder
why I didn't go mad from being de
prived OF II. I know now that the be
lief that some day should be free was
the only thing that saved me. ! felt
that the time must surely come some
time when some governor would set
me free. No greater injustice was
ever done person than my imprison'
ment. That the loss Of father. mother
sister and brother should not be
enough affliction for a sixteen-year-old
boy seems increditable. Not so in my
case, however. Four months after the
murder of my fathers family / was
brought to Lansing, condemned to die
You know the rest. But, thank God
there are some people who think
am innocent of that crime or
wouldn't be here talking today"
The trip from the prison to the sta
tion was nearly as enjoyable to the
members of the Sell party as to Sell
himself.
As each object unfamiliar to per
son who has not even seen street car
for more than score Of years met the
eye of the recently liberated man II
brought forth some enthusiastic ex
preston. That a man thirty.seven
years Of age could get such infinite en-
joyment from watching the passage ol
a trolley car as was depicted upon the
face Of "Willie' Sell seems almost In
credible.