The Wahpeton times. [volume] (Wahpeton, Richland County, Dakota [N.D.]) 1879-1919, 1910-07-07
We'll P tanned
ESQ ape
5Liberty Cane 10 Oae Whom he
Law Imprisoned
By cARRlNo1os FORD
Copyright. 1910. BY American Press
Association.
By cARRN0TON FORD
1910. by American Press
Association

| 8
| & Copyright. 1910. by American Press 5
1 Association. q
eoosoeososososo
1t Is said Of men who make enor.
nous fortunes By wrecking large prop.
critics that they always have lawyer
at their elbows to advise them that
they shall keep within the law. II
would have been we'll for james Max.
son had he done the same. The differ.
ence between Maxson and these men
Is that they are rogues putting them.
selves without the pale of the law,
| while MaxSOn was an honest man put.
ting himself in position where the
law was obliged to punish him.
MaxsoD was a banker. young man
not over thirty. with u lovely wife and
two beautiful children, whom be
adored. Without knowing that he was
doing SO he violated the national bank.
Ing law aud was sent, to prison for ten
years. The parting with his wife and
children was narrowing beyond meas.
| ure. He felt that to serve the whole
of his term would break him down
completely and he would not live to
rejoin them. A number of very strong
friends accompanied him to the prison
doors. and all told him that If there
was. anything they could do for him to
command them. MaxSOn begged them
to assist him to escape. and they prom.
Used to do NO.
Two of them. Woodruff and Somers.
met the same evening at Mrs. Max
sons house to form a plan on which to
set the husband and father al liberty.
1t was agreed that Mrs. Maxson, who
could easily gain access to the prison.
should interest some of the officials
there In her case aud induce them
either through sympathy or by bribery
to assist her husband to get out of the
peniteDtiary Enclosure.
The formation ut a plan of escape
made wonderful difference both to
the prisoner aud his family. The
easiest way 10 turn a child from dis
appointment is 10 divert his mind with
the promise of something to take the
place of the object coveted. The man
Is but the grown child, 1t was com
paratively easy for Maxson to endure
his captivity SO long as his mind was
occupied with and his hopes were cen
tered on his escape.
| On her second visit to her husband
she began 10 study the officials there
with view To selecting one or more
of them to interest in her case Max
son. being much broken down in health
at his entrance into the prison, sue.
ceeded in getting himself transferred
to the hospital. There Mrs. Maxson
while visiting him made the acuuaint
ance of Thomas Boyle, a hospital ward
en-, mar with a kind disposition
She took pains to tell him the story OF
her husbands incarceration If be
bad managed certain financial transac.
tons In different way from what lie
did he would have been still u respect.
ed banker instead of feloh. Then
she told him Ut the wreck of their hap.
py home. how their two little children
We're constantly asking when papa
was coming back to them, of her own
distress. In this way she won the
mans sympathy. and finally by offer
ing to make him independent in case
he would contrive to get her husband
beyond the prison walls she captured
him to her purpose.
i Boyle thought the matter over and
decided upon taking In an assistant
A night Waterman named Hunter had
access to the main office room of the
prison where was kept key that must
be obtained or duplicated before there
would be any hope of getting Maxson
out of the prison building. Boyle told
Mrs. Maxs0n to endeavor to interest
Hunter in the plan by offering him a
large sum Of money. She succeeded,
and after she had done so Boyle com.
municated with Hunter, and they
formed plan together to get Max
son out Of the building and into the
prison yard There they were to assist
him to scale the walls. and he was to
be met by his friends on the other side.
The key required was to open Max
sons cell. 1t hung on nail In the
warden's safe. Hunter could get In
there only when the garden was pres.
ent. To take the key from the nail and
not return 1t Immediately would have
revealed the fact that Maxson was to
be permitted to escape. Hunters OBJ.
1ect was to secure an impression Of
the key. from which a duplicate could
be made. When he was ready to op-
crate he rushed into the warden's Of
ice and told him he had heard some.
thing like shot In the other end of
the prison. The warden went to the
door and listened. Hunter while the
mans back was turned slipped the key
he wanted from its nail and hung an
other In Its place. Then Hunter left
the Office. saying that be would 60 and
see II there was any trouble. When
he returned he had q wax impression
Of the key and. watching bis opportu-
nifty. exchanged the real key for ito
substitute.
MAanvhlia Rovla heA ,,noor.>A .