The new era. (Walden, Colo.) 1906-19??, 1907-07-11
"WiLLiE" SELL is FREE.
After 1852 Days imprisonment no
Sees liuht Of Day.

sees 1iGnt OI LAY.
Lansing Kas-'I wish you would al
tow me to Occupy my old cell tonight.
home l have known for SO long that l
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 happiest 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 service-Governor Hoch ar
ranged for his immediate future. Sta,e
Senator Griffin, member of the pardon
board, had promised the governor that
Sell should be given employment in
his drug store at Nortonville, 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 officer of the
penitentiary, accompanied Sell when
he escorted him to his new home at.
NortoNYille.
How It Feels.
How does it feel. MIR. Sell, to be a
free MANI" was asked as the party was
making their way to the railroad sta
lion.
"Feel?" was the quick reply.
"Why, man, if l were - live a 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, it
seems to me.
Now that it has come, don't ask me
to describe how it feels. Let me feast
on the sunshine, the landscape, the
green foliage"
A carriage had been provided for the
trip from the prison to the railway sta
ton, but Sell preferred to walk.
Your pardon. gentlemen, if | seem
selfish, but if 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 it takes to
make twenty-one years? | thought
not. With just one exception / havn't
been outside those old walls for just
1882 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, | wonder
why l didn't go mad from being de-
prived of it. | 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 50 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 Syll
himself
As each object unfamiliar to per-
son who has not even seen street car
for more than a score of years met tie
eye of the recently liberated man it
brought forth some enthusiastic eX-
preston. That a man thirtyseven
years of age could get such infinite en-
joyment from watching the passage of
a trolley car as was depicted upon the
face of Willie Sell seems almost in
credible.