The Birmingham age-herald., 1908-08-24

From the WaSnlnBtOn POSI
 A young man, with a face sallow and pale, walked up and down in front of the Tombs one day last week looking up at the windows. He didn't seem to be look ing at any window in particular, and after he had made circuit of the build ing he stopped in front of the Center street entrance and watched the crowd of monday visitors.
 Prison has a strange fascination for a man who has been in it." said an old prison keeper, who had kept an eye on the young man. You would think that that chap had seen enough of this place, and would be as far away from here as he could get. But he has been around here the last three days doing exactly just what you have seen.
 Around the Christmas holidays he was brought in here for murder. There had been a family quarrel and he had shot a relative, killing him. It looked like a pretty bad case against him. There were witnesses that the young man had shot his relative on very little provocation. He was scared badly then, but after awhile he began to cheer up. A few friends came to help him, and they got a lawyer. The trial came off few days ago. To the surprise of ev- erybody this young fellow was acquitted.
 "The jury brought in its verdict and
 
 l ting the first bit of freedom he had had for six months. He came over here got the few things he had and walked away. That's the last we'll see of him, guess said keeper, as the young man passed out. I didn't say anything, for I had seen his kind before, but I thought a whole lot.
 '"rhe first thing the next morning he was back. He had no right to get in, ! hut hn had nf d for six months, we accepted his state ment that he had forgotten something. I knew that nothing like that had hap pened; all he wanted to do was to look over the old place again. He hung around until it was suggested that the rules were being violated, and then he went away. I mean by that he walked out of the building He didn't go far He stepped across the street to a saloon and got a glass of beer. For two hours after that he wandered up and down in front of this building, occasionally stop ping at the door, but nearly all the time with his eyes on the windows on the , upper floors.
 Back Next Day.
 'Ie was back the next day and made a feeble bluff to get in, but as he had no pass we kept him out. We had been bothered by those chaps before. He
 
 day. Now he's back again. I wonder how long 1t will be before the fascination wears off, and his feet keep on the ground. l don't know what brings him here, because there is nobody in the place he cares for or cares for him.
 "I don't mean that all prisoners are the same way. It is not true of those who are here for a short time. But the long term fellows, most of them, get the In fhot to come back and look the old place over It's bit pathetic at times, too. There was a chap here the other day that always sympathized with, although he was one of the worst and most disagree able prisoners we ever had. I always had the idea that he was innocent, and he always protested that he was. He was in for larceny, and he said that couple of enemies were bounding him | and trying to have him put away. Evidently the jury believed his story, for he was acquitted. It didn't take him long to pack up his duds and get out We were glad of it. He was sour and surly and forever making complaints. He never did anything to violate the rules, so we had no comeback. His pro- tests and kicks of unfair treatment stirred up the other prisoners, and we were kept In hot water all the time. When the peo- pie here heard the verdict that he was innocent and going away from here he couldn't have been any happier than they were.
 'He was one of the kind that didn't hang around looking gloomily at the walls. He went away at once, but he came back the other day He was different looking man entirely. His sul- len and grouchy expression was gone, and he was as cheerful as could be, but a bit bashful. He wanted to apologize He had been mean to everybody in the place and he knew it.
 Keeper Believed in His Innocence.
 |" However, he said, with the manner of a man who has something to say on his side, I was innocent and in jail. It was a trumped up job against me, and I believed that everybody was pounding me- I wasn't that way at first, but after while 1t grew on me until 1t almost be- came a mania. I had nothing but ene- mies no friends, I thought, and in very short time I felt that way about the keepers and officials here. "'When I got out I began to feel bet ter I have prospered and I have come to the conclusion after thinking it over when I was here, and I want to let those who had anything to do with me know that I made a mistake
 "Wel, he made a hit with me- con tinued the keeper. ''I always believed him innocent, and I never lost faith in him even when he was making 1t so un- comfortable for us. Before he said good by to us that day he left nice little present for all the boys. He has never been back, and I don't expect to see him again.