Putnam patriot., 1910-06-10

. Copyright islo oy Americen fre&s . c Association Q S.o.oeosososOososOsosososo
 If 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. It would have been well for James Max son had he done the same The differ eute between Maxson and these men is that they are rogues putting them selves without the pale of the lsw. while Maxson was an honest mau put in. himself in d position where the law was obliged to punish him.
 Maxson was d banker. a young man not over thirty. with q lovely wife and two beautiful children. whom he adored. Without Knowing that he was doing so he violated the national bank in. law and 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 u completely and he would not live to rejoin them number of very strons frIeuds accompanied him to the prison doors aud al told him that if there was anything they could do for him to command them. Maxson begged them 10 assist him to escape. and they prom ised to do so.
 Two of them. Woodruff and Somers. net the same evening at Mrs. Max sons house 10 form plan on which to set the husband and father at liberty. It was agreed that Mrs. Maxson. who could easily gain access to the prison. should interest some of the officials there in her case and induce them either through sympathy or by bribery to assist her husband to get out of the penitentiary inciosure.
 The formation of plan of escape made wonderful difference both to the prisoner and his family. The easiest way 10 turn a child from dis appointment is to divert his mind with the promise of something to take the place of the object coveted The man is but the grown ehfld. It was cem- paratively easy for Maxson to endure his captivity 90 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 to study the officials there with a 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 himseif transferred to the hospital. There Mrs. Aaxson while visiting him made the AcQuaint- ance of Thomas Boyle. . hospital ward en. a man with . kind disposition. She took pains to tell aim the st0ry of her husbands hew If he had managed certain financial transac- tions iR q different way from what he did he would have been stin . respect ed banker instead of felon. TAen she told him of the wreck of fheir Aap- py home. how their two little children were constantly asking when papa was coming back to them. of her 0~A distress. In this way she won the mans sympathy. and finally by offer ing to make him independent in case he would co1trive 10 get ter husband beyond the prison walls she captured him 10 her purpose.
 Boyle thought the matter over and decided upon taking in an assistant A night watchman named Hunter had access to the main office room of the prison where WAS kept key that must be obtained or duplicated before fhere would be any hope of getting Aaxs0n out of the prison building. Boyle told Mrs. MaxsOn t0 endeayor to interest Hunter in the plan by offering him large sum of money. She succeeded. and after she had done so Boyle com municated with Hunter. and they formed plan together to get Aax- son out of the building and into the prison yard There they were to assist him to scale the walls. and he was fo be met by his friends on the other side
 The key required was to open Max sons cell IL bung on nail In the wardens safe. Hunter could get in there only when the garden was pres ent. To take the key from the nall ana not return it immediately would have revealed the fact that Maxson was to be permitted 10 escape Hunter oo- feet was to secure an impression of the key, from which a duplicate could be made. When he was ready to op- eraIe he rushed into the warden or lice and told him he had heard some thing like Il shot in the other end ef the prison. The warden went to the door and listened. Hunter while fhe mans back was turned slipped ihe Key he wanted from it's nail and hung an- other in its place Then Hunter left the office. saying that he would go and see if there was any trouble. Hhes he returned he had WAX lmpressloH of fEe key and. watching his opporfu uify. exchanged the real key for Its substitute
 Meanwhile Boyle bad procured a ladder. which he had coneeaied in convenient place to be used by Nsxs"u in eiimbiag the wall There was 6 second wall whisb the prisoner would nesd so climb. and Mrs Maxson had arranged wifh his two friends. Wa"d ruff and Soulees. to be outside this secoud vniI at the time of the escape to throw . rope eser for him to cfimo upoo. He was e make known nis preneuce by throWtng stone over the WaJ1