The Randall County news. (Canyon City, Tex.) 1908-1926, 1910-03-04
A Pardon
By HARRY Won AMBERG
Copyright. 1910. by American Press
Association.

"You. boy. Come out O. that and
help bring on the wood"
So called the mate Of steamboat
en the Mississippi to pale faced boy
lying in his bunk. 1t was at night.
and the weather was stormy.
Il can't; Pm SICK"
you hain't goiD' to work yer pas
sage on this yere boat sojern there.
Git up. say. and carry your load"
The boy made a feeble attempt to
rise. but failed. The mate seized q
stick Of wood and held It over the in
valid.
you git up or Ill brain you!"
Fear gave the boy additional
strength. and he managed to pull him
self out and stagger over the gang
plank to wood pile which the deck
hands were transferring to the boat.
He worked as best he could till the
task was finished. then crawled back
10 his bunk and fell falnting in it.
This boy. Robert Stewart, was so
poor that In order to get from New
Orleans to St Louis he was obliged
10 work his passage on steamboat.
The mate was a powerful man. and
the boy. who was Ill with a fever. was
completely at his mercy. What made
the act still more brutal was that
there were plenty Of deck hands to do
the work without calling out a sick
boy. There was something fiendish in
the mates nature that led him to this
net Of cruelty.
Years passed meanwhile That sick
boy was moving In one direction,
while the mate who had tyrannized
over him and had nearly cost him his
life was moving in another. The one
was rising. the other sinking Schooled
In adversely, Robert Stewart possessed
that within him which enabled him TO
triumph over obstacles. the hardships
he had endured furnishing Il spur to
send him onward and upward. Sue
cessful in his own affairs. the people
name became known TO every one in
Missouri. He rose to be governor
One day man was brought to the
governor from the penitentiary as an
applicant for pardon. He was a large.
powerful fellow. and the moment the
governor looked at him he started.
Then he scrutinized the criminal long
and closely. Without speaking he
turned to his desk. picked up the pa
per on which the mans pardon had
been made out aud wrote his name at
the bottom Of It Before handing it TO
the prisoner he said to him:
II fear II will be useless. perhaps
wrong. for me to grant you this par
don"
The man stood stOlidly waiting to
know the governors reason.
you will commit some other crime
and be sent to the penitentiary again.
mo. governor; | promise you that ]
will not"
The governor looked doubtful. He
was apparently turning something over
In his mind. Finally he said:
"You will go back on to the river-as
mate on a steamer. l suppose"
YES, governor; Ill 60 back to work
at any position can get"
"Well." the governor continued, BE
fore l pardon you wish you to make
me q promise"
The man looked interested and wait
I'd. The chief magistrate was in ne
hurry. The mass Of business awaiting
his attention was forgotten In this par
don case. There must be something II
II to move him so strangely. For
few minutes there was fara way loOl
In his eyes. He seemed to be pictur
ing something. That 1t was painful
scene was evident from his expression
Then he turned to the criminal ant
said impressively:
81 wish you to pledge your word tina
when you go back to the river as mat
ON steamboat you will never driv
a sick boy from his bunk to load you
boat on a stormy night"
The criminal looked at the governo
in a vain attempt to understand VIII.
lie lTUpOSeu upou SUN "a SAhSO'.-
condition. Then he made the requires
promise. asking at the same time 70
an explanation. Finally the governo
gave IT,
zone night many years ago you wer
mate of a steamboat running betwee
New Orleans and st. Louis. On tina
boat was a boy sick with fever. On
night when the wind blew cold an
the rain came down in torrents 70
drove that boy out Of his bunk an
forced him to carry wood.
"Now. there are two reasons why
don't wish you to do that again. Th
first is that desire any boy 20
might so treat to escape your cruelt!
Another time II might cost him hi
life. The second is that he might b
come governor Of his state and 20
might commit another crime and com
before him with an application fo
pardon"