Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1910-04-26

was sent to Charlestown to serve five
years.
While I was in Charlestown prison
Chief Page of the Brookline police told
me my brother had shot and killed hi
wife at their home and that he had ther
gone two miles distant, to the roof OF ar
apartment house. and committed suicide
On the margin of newspaper my
brother had written these lines:
This Is the result of a life OF crime
If / had needed by mothers warning
this would not have been my end. VIII
some one love her for me?'
THE words he wrote for my benent
were: Mother has done her duty as well
as she knew it. Let your love for her
strengthen your will to resist tempta-
ton
Il was the only one who knew why he
went to the roof of the apartment house
and killed himself. He went there to at
tract my attention to that particular spot
We had a secret hiding place there Tor
our plumber. He wanted me to know
that should go there"
Coburn explained that he was sent to
the Massachusetts, Reform School on two
occasions. The second time. about 1915.
he was transferred to the workhouse al
Bridgewater, where he escaped.
Two Years Of Intemperance.
During the next three years he served
two terms In the south Boston house OF
correction for larceny and burglary.
Then, after two years of intemperance.
he says, he was arrested one night and
complete set of burglar tools found on
him. He gave his name as George York
at that time and escaped with sentence
of thirty days.
But he says. drink was not the
cause Of my committing crime. I drank
because / was miserable. / stopped drink
ing because ! thought / would be more
miserable if 1 continued to drink.
Il stopped drinking because I came to
the conclusion. while in jail. that I would
be more miserable If 1 continued to drink.
l stopped at once. have never been
under the influence of drink since.
In August 1888, / was sentenced to
state prison. While serving this SEN
tence j made up my mind to leave Bos-
ton and start anew in a strange place, TO
say nothing Of my past and do right.
Visiting my mother In a nome 1oI
elderly women. 1 said farewell. and
promised / would never again do any
thing that would get me In prison. 20.
ing to Philadelphia, wandered abou.
the streets. hoping 1 would ind honest
employment.
in the street cried out in rebellion against
the course / was trying to follow. l
could stop drinking and even eating, put
/ might as we'll try to stop the current
of Niagara as to try TO stop 6teAihs4.
My fate was upon me and 1 abandoned
myself to the current.
Heavy Punishment Melted Out.
Coburn went on to tell OF how he COM
mitted robberies and Of how every men,
Der of the Philadelphia force was turned
loose to catch him. They had his de-
scription as a man supposed to be deaf.
dumb and blind.
Finally he was captured and sent to
prison to serve six years. In prison. he
says, he was looked upon as being an
He never talked and had
no callers, nor did he write or receive
letters.
within twenty-four hours Of my re.
lease from the Eastern penitentiary.'
he went OF, II began to operate with as
much vigor as before in the very district
In which I had been caught. Property
came faster than 1 could dispose Of it.
81 threw much of 1t away. wanting only
enough to supply the necessaries OF life.
At the end OF three months l was again
in the hands Of the police, and was given
a term Of fifteen years and six months"
In conclusion Coburn declared he never
studied or planned the robberies he COM
mitted and he never paid any particular
attention to policemen or detectives.
Names never make an impression upon
him and he is seldom able to remember
them.