The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1908-02-01
FREE AFTER FoRTY.sEvEN YEARS,


FREE AFTER FORTY-sEvEN YEARS.
Two little old men, timidly cling
ing to each others arms and blink
ing in the unaccustomed glare of the
sun, emerged from the gray walls of
Sing Sing prison last week.
Were free, Frank do you know
what that means 7" spoke the younger
of the two as he gripped the hand of
his companion.
Eyes, Tom," replied the other,
''but I'm afraid. The world will all
be new to me and I'm an old man
now"
"Cheer up boys. This is no time
for that kind of talk. I'm going to
take you both to New York, where
you will be among friends. !"
The last speaker was Warden Jesse
Frost. He helped the aged men into
waiting sleigh, and as they dashed
off knot of prison officials and others
who had gathered at the door which
had just opened to freedom for the
two swung their hats and shouted
words of encouragement to them.
One of the men was Franz Hof-
mann, who had just been paroled
after serving forty seven years in
prison for murder and bears the doubt
full distinction of having been the
oldest convict In point of service in
the country. The other was Thomas
O'Shea, who has forfeited twenty
two years Of his life to the State tor a
deed committed In a moment of pas
sion. Holman is 81 years old /;
O'Shea 62. DIR. Irvine, the prison
physician, declared that he never saw
two men of their ages better preserv-
ed physically.
81 never remember having had
sleigh ride before" said Hoffman,,
on the ride to the railroad station.
"You see, / was only four months in
this country from Germany when that
thing (the murder of woman, for
which he was convicted and sentenced
to life imprisonment happened"
The two men took seats on the
river side in the train and sat in daz-
ed wonderment at what they saw.
Hofmann pointed at little white
steamboat ploughing down the river.
"Isn'tit beautifull" said he. "Just
think, / can ride on one of them now
if want to"
AS the train neared the city, Hof-
mann plainly grew uneasy. "I'm
afraid" he said. ''Why, it is just as
if had been born into new world.
was only 20 years old when they
took me to prison, and / don't re-
member much of my life before. They
say New York is so big and great,
and in all the millions of people there
have only one friend. That is Mrs.
Booth. God bless her."
To avoid the rush and hustle of the
Grand Central Station Warden Frost
decided to get off at One Hundred
and Twenty fifth street. Once in the
street Hofmann's wonder grew.
"The people, the people, " said he,
"wliere do they all come from 7"
The warden guided his charges to
restaurant and tried to get them to
eat. All that they would take was a
cup of coffee apiece. They declared
that all appetite had left him.
Hofmann has read great deal in
prison and he knew of much that he
was seeing for the first time. How
ever, he failed to recognize many OBJ
jects. When an automobile whizzed
by he started back in alarm.
"Where are the horses what makes
them gol" he exclaimed. "Oh,
know" answering his own question,
"they have engines like steamboats,. "
Trolley cars were source of con
tinual amazement to him. He asked
the warden to let him stand and
watch them.
'tHow will / ever get used to it
all 7" he said, half to himself, "every-
thing seems to go so fast"
"We'll now go downtown under
ground" said the warden to him,
and having explicit confidence in Mr..
Frost, the old man followed obedient-
ly. Not one word did he say from the
moment he got on the train until he
emerged at Fifty-ninth street.
"I'm no coward" was his first re-
mark, "but don't want to do that
again. I'd rather stay on the ground. .
INDIGNANT MoTHER-And so he
kissed you three timesl Now, what
did you say to him?
Artless Daughter-Why, / said
Don't Stop!'
She did, only it sounded like, "Don't
stop"
"DEAR me, Tom. you eat goot
deal for a little fellow" remarked
Uncle John to his nephew.
"I s'pect aren't so little inside a!
l look outside" was Toms ingeniou:
answer.
HOUSE painters and novelists arr
responsible for some highly-coloret