Saturday news. (Watertown, S.D.) 19??-19??, 1911-07-21
30 j A 4 r s,
In PRISON
72-Year-0 ld Conyicts Pardon cones
Too Late 10 Save Hin Hearing
and His Strength.
RECALLS NOTHING BUT CRIME
His Mind Hanks Back to Stabbing &
Of Hired Man Sees His First
Street Car.

That was thirty years ago. After
a terrible expiation. leaving him all
but totally deal. weaker even than
his 70 years can explain, His teeth
blackened and his body wasted, Fred
Nlingbeil walked out Of the stare
penitentiary att Saltwater at noon
yesterday, free man.
# He had been given condi tiOnai
pardon, and Archie NJ, Hayes, execu-
tive clerk to the governor brought
the papers.
Some First Sights.
Klingbeil looked on electric cara
he has never before seen 4 on rail-.
road trains, the like OF which he hays
never imagined, on the skyscra ss :;
seeming to top the clouds oslceerd
mobiles he has gazed of on ~
the grated windows ~ the pprinoi, hes.
listened to The sssund OK telephones
he has nevef used. He encountered
and war q stranger 70 all The tiiscov-
cries the activities Oh men have
wrought II the past thirty wears.
This Is the debit side Il, the recount q
OF the stare OF Minnesota against
Fred Klingbail murd er.
the state tsssa
on the credit side, the state put oia
hts back new suit with all neces-
sary furnishings. Into iiiS pockets 1T
put $4I4s1s the balance due him from
his labors at a maximum relnunera-s
ton of IA cents day before the
present law went into effect making
a daily earning capacity OF rs cents
possible. Also the state gave him s25
as a present. The warden, Henry
Wolfer, gave him CHEEKY grasp OF D
the hand and q friendly goodby And
Edward Soppel, husband Of bis only
Surviving daughter, came with Mr..
Hayes to take the aged convict TO al
real home in Chicago. rs 1 I 81 q Z
His Mind Harkss sack e That crime.
KiingbeH Stabbed his hired man In
| the stomach on his farm at Grant:
| City these long years back. After 80
years his mind and his memory wav-
cred back to that scene az Wardens
Wolfer told him yesterday Of HIS par<
don. To make his words heard Mr.
Wolfer had to draw the little old
mans head close to his bps. 3
| The News Makes Small Impression.
You are to be pardoned today.
kiingbeil," said the warden, with his
arm about his shoulder.
The little man shook his head as if
to jar the information farther in. and
peered up into the warden's face with
a half intelligent smile.
/ "Eh?"
The Story Of the stabblng.
The warden repeated the news. The
convict gave no verbal expression OF
his feelings. However, he went back
thirty years into his history and told.
as he probably has told hiself every
night in his cell, the story OF the stab
bling.
Killed His Hired Man.
Il found man in my home. he
said. When / reached for my wife
to draw her away he struck me over
the head and my stepson jumped on
ne. / never would have done it If
I hadn't been drinking, but pulled al
knife and stabbed my hired man In;
I the stomach. Sorry? Oh, very sor-
~, but they would not let me alone. n
! No More Trouble. VI
The convict was asked how it felt:
to be free. He showed his black
teeth in grin and pressed his hands
| to his heart. 'ItIl be good after q
leave he said. II will never do any
thing wrong. never got into trouble
before-had taken out my first paperss
and had always tried to be good
citizen.
Prisoned and Released on, the 1gtH.
1T was the 18th day of the month
when 7 came here in November, 1882.
land now it is the 18th day OF the
month when they let me go,bst + have;
been treated we'll Every guard has
been good to me and / have lots 81
friends here. 2
v