Rocky Ford enterprise., 1908-12-18
By "a. II. T."

ing years Of her life in Colorado, but the
whole of it was passed in that wide west
ern environment where individuality has
its free scope and has the opportunity to
display its best or its worst. unhampered
by conventionalities and unpropped by
family prestige and class caste. To be
forceful and helpful in such field counts
for much, for the tools are few and the
lab orsrs proportionatsly sparse; and in the
last analysis it is a mans or a woman's
limitations. not her opportunities. that
gives the real measure Of their moral
stamina. In the pioneer life Of the latest
generations in the western states Of In
diana, Kansas and Colorado there has
been large field for personal energy and
public usefulness. and in each community
in turn Mrs. Burr seems to have lived
and wrought with = vigor and impulse
that was efficient and generous. OF such
lives nothing but good can b said Hhsn
the snd is srsaehsd. whatever may have bssn
the criticisms that naturally asssil them
in life. The people who lead are always
accounted aggressive. They have to b.
It 10 the very essential Of lsadsrship. II
they get some -glorifieaton out Of
their public and social service. who should
b ehurlish about . compensation that
costs nothing but good to those who are
served. The criticisms too oftsn come
from those snsrvatsd souls who have
lived 90 utterly for self that no halo at
tsnds them either here or hereafter.
Among the large group Of friends and
aequaintaness who eirelsd through the
church past the easket that contained the
mortal remains Of Mrs. Burr | saw quite
= number o; tssr-dimmsd eyes. and do
not bslisvs that the tears were all Of the
purely emotional or the crocodile variety.
In the somewhat amplifisd tsxt Of the
preacher Of the occasion. II may bs truly
said Of this woman Of limited scholarship
and limited wealth: Blessed are the dead
who have lived and died in the confident
assurance that they wsrs workers to-
gsthsr with the Infinite. in the psrfseting
Of His human impsrfsetions and the re-
adjustment Of His bountiss: for they rest
from never finished job: and their works
are no disgrace to their progeny.
In conspicuous contrast with the pass
Ing Of this woman citizen 10 the passing
out Of our midst Of man whose eitizsn-
ship was once supposed to stand for %
much more than the average resident Of
the eommunity-l mean John e. Godding.
Who after much show OF the nerve that
is always essential to and would have
made for good in the right body. now sits
limp and spiritlsss in his cell In the state
psnitsntiary. consigned to At least eight
years Of the most iRnominious rest that
society can confer upon him. talked
with Sheriff Potter on the station plat
form shortly after he had delivered his
prisoner into the hands Of Warden Clsa-
horn. What he said was something like
this: "lt was one Of the hardest Jobs that
has fallen To me as sheriff. It 10 easy to
chuck notorious crook. who comes from
nowhere. into the pen at Canon City and
60 about your Official duties again. But
TO take there = man whom you have
known closely and personally for twenty
years. and always accounted him wor-
thy and honorable citizen; at least one
who has been looked up to as standing
for much in a community. is quite dif- |
ferent job. When we came in sight Of
the prison walls up there queer feeling
came over me, and must have come over
John. too: and don't know whether he
couldn't have got away from me easily at
that moment if he had tried. But he
kept his nerve we'll and walked into the
captains office with a good show of eour-
age. And I'm told by the keeper that it
kept up for a while after left him. All
the talk about special favors shown him
at the prison are not true. He was put
through the usual routine. and I'm told
that he Gida't wayer zach through the
searching and photographinG. the shaving
and the bathing process. 1t was not un-
til it came to ge;tIn! into the stripes that
be really collapsed. While he was .aking
his bath the keeper quietly removed Johns
own clothing and placed on the chair .
suit Of prison garb. 1t wasn't new suit
either. Some less distinguished felon had
probably been in j. oefore him; but it was
washed and we'll :nended. When it came
to dressing John !ooxed it over and hung
FIRE. It looked = If IA "Lra celebrating
whether or not % naked rather than
put those on. Perhaps he thought OF
calling Stark AMI telling him to bring up
his Sundays
And so we ma. ak about it all very
lightly. But TO Jo ! E. Gedding that was