The Detroit times. [volume] (Detroit, Mich.) 1903-1920, 1909-06-12
e-sPENT as
:ItEE IN PRISON
1fur1ssvr's- Only Friend Is Philip
Coffin, Captain Of Industry
Played Wicket On Same Team.

rheslu,atic man Of seventy In the Con-
ncct1rat state prison at wethersfleld
whose only religion 10 gratitude Al
Ter - years In cell for murder. he
e(ill dreams and hopes. plots and
/. plane 30 do something before he dies
7 that Nill add to the fame and Tor
tune OF his only friend, the old cap
tain. Of his wicket club who goes 70
see him In his stripes twice a year.
Tha. convict was Charles Gilbert
before. his name was lost In prison
number, and the famous leader and
best batter OF The New Britain Wicket
club was Philip Corbin, now Connecti
cut'E foremost citizen and grand old
mancwho, at the age OF IS Is the. nc
tive mead or great Industrial interests
md controls the manufacture OF all
builders. used tAFess heat
the ecuntry.
It. Is this venerable, but powerful
captain of industry TO whose fame and
millions the old convict would add.
So year IN and year out Gilbert pot
ters, away In prison TO invent new
hinge or door lock or window fasten-
or, that his only friend may put II on
the market. He cannot realize that
the mechanical lines along which he
must work are those OF 45 years ago,
when ne was free and an artisan II
New Britain. He does not know that
the new devices for locks and fasten-
ings ne struggles TO invent are all OF
aHtiduated types that burglars laughed
at-ysafs-ago. And his friend, being 4
friend does not tell him --
- Convict Was Shiftless.
Why does Gilbert do this? Not be-
cause tho two old men were chums
before the murder. On the contrary.
they were not. Philip Corbin's way
a. living then gave promise OF what
Ne Is DOW. And the convict's early
Years. were equally prophetic. He
vas drunken and shiftless. AS they
9ay m -Cohnecticut OF ne'r-do-wells, be
came-cf poor stock. fn-1s6f he muir
derev- Capt. Henry Caldwell recruit
ihg oficer OF the United States army.
and rebbea his body of s699 he had to
ray men In the central part of Con-
necticut who were responding TO Lin.
coins urgent call for more troops.
There were no extenuating circum-
ttances. The crime was one of the
Blacklist in the history OF the state.
The courts said so then, and Philip
Corbin says SO now.
SO two such men as that could new
or have been chums. That explana-
tioa -wen,t do for the semi-annual Wis
its-of the foremost citizen and for the
gratitude of the murdered man who is
~ citizen.
:. Perhaps Mr.. Corbin has used his IT.
Inence In efforts TO have the convict
Ardoned? That is just what he has
1Bfused to do He has told the white
mired murderer ne deserved his SEN
tence, and that he should stay in pris
On until he died. And Gilbert always
ysplied: "All right, Philip, II you
wont help me, nobody will. Isn't
there something that l can make for
you that You really want before you
come AGAIN." He doesn't ask for a
oRrdon. any more, but always what he
can do or make for his old friend.
a Mr.. Corbin. your visits are all that
<ecp Gilbert alive and sane, but we
Wonder why you make them" said the
Warden recently. - = -
<"Bec0use he-wants me to- replied
TIE octogenarian. "He hasn't any 9TH
- friend or relative living. and ne
didn't have-.yhen convicted in 1854 !
Leaving aside the serious matter
q the murder, Mr.. Corbin has but one |
6Fievance, against Gilbert. The only |
0me the New Britain wicket team |
VAs ever beaten was In game with
0e Bristol club and that defeat was
me to the fact that the Bristol play
efs got Gilbert, the best bowler on the
Imposition team, so drunk the night
before the game he was useless when
TIC time came TO play.
NJ Best Bowler In State.
ka"He was the best bowler in all Con.
nocticut." added the old captain OF
the club. when he was sober, but we
Mad to watch him before a game TO
Keep him in shape. Wickets was the
Efeat game in those days. IL was an
american modification of cricket, in
mich the ball was rolled instead or
p1fched against the opponents wicket.
Baseball wasn't heard of around here
before Charlie went to prison We be-
gan TO play that game early In the sew
entiess n played first base and was
captain..s have tried to explain the
gasne TO Charlie but 1t is too compli-
Gated for. him. to understand without
eyer bayipg. seen a game. He always
wants to talk about wickets, and
sd5netim he tells 2he-iS-s Sorry
about making us lose that game TO
the Bristol club
"Reminiscences are Charities only
pleAssrrc' pcw, and guess am about
thu only man left who knows what a
6me' of wiokets- was like. II Is To
back more than hall OF my lifetime
q see him-back in 1S4S when came
" he xrybn I L.,
Test Hartford and started my manu-
6cturing business by making brass
cent them to New York and sold them
N over the country"