The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1911-10-17

brought about by the woman he loved,
she bearing her share of the punish
ment. He did not speak his love- 1t
seemed with him rather fever from
which he was suffering than love. He
would absent himself from her for
weeks at a time, only to return to a
companionship that he could not live
without. Patiently she waited for an
explanation that she felt assured must
come In time.
One evening after one of these abb
sences-a longer one than usual-the
lover appeared. 1t was at an hour be-
tween daylight and dusk. She had been
thinking Of him and was beginning to
| fear that this dreadful something that
was between them might, In this In
stance. separate them forever. Sud
denly he burst in upon her. and SO wild
looking, SO despairing, that for a mo-
ment she almost fancied that he was
his ghost
He had returned resolved to confess
to her, He began at once to unburden
himself of the frightful secret, and 1t
was not long before it was all in her
possession. She spoke no word. She
gave him one look of heartfelt sym
pathy, then, overpowered by his and
her misfortune, covered her face with
her hands and bowed her head. He
waited for her to speak, but she did
not, and he silently withdrew.
The next day she sent for him.
When he appeared great change had
come over her. She showed traces of
a terrible mental struggle.
81 have forgiven what In one sense
is crime. l win be anything to you.
but on one condition. Confess to the
world and take the consequences.
can bear with you your public shame;
cannot share your secret"
He turned without word, went to
the office of the superintendent Of po-
lice and confessed that he had muir
dered his TREND Edgar Thorpe The
| governor of the state IN which the
crime had been committed made a
reQuisition for him, and he was taken
there for trial
When the members of the societies
Of Spanish war veterans heard that
one of their number had given himself
up to be tried for murder they at once
became interested Gradually the
peculiar features of the case became
known to them. Between the murder
and the trial the accused had had an
opportunity seldom falling to the lot
of criminals to show that his act had
been rather q misfortune than a crime
and that he who committed it had be-
come good citizen as well as brave
soldier. Had he given himself up i'm.
mediately after the murder the case
would have been far different. A long
term Of confinement would have
wrecked him.
AS 1t was, while the. law was salts
fed Turner escaped the punishment OF
the law-at least, all except the deg
radiation of entering a prison His
sentence was but few months, and
long before the term had expired he
was pardoned by the governor Of the
state
large concourse assembled at tn,
prison door to welcome him upon his
| return to freedom First and fore
most was the woman who was the
cause Of his confession, next his com
rades, veterans Of the Spanish war
and lastly multitude of sympathiz
ers. AS he stepped beyond the prison
portal it seemed to MIN that he was
leaving the greater part of his atone.
ment behind him. True, the fact OF
having taken the life of his boy friend
would live so long as he himself. but
the secret would not be with him, no.
between him and the woman he loved
not between him and the world In
its place would be heartfelt sym
| pathy.
There is lesson in the case Of Johr
Turner to which the world is slowly
awakening, a lesson-it is rather a
problem respecting the treatment of
criminals. But it will not be easily
solved. Justice has not yet found q
way of giving one who perpetrates .
first crime an opportunity for redemp
ton before infiicting punishmers
that deprives him Of that opportunity
Nor has line yet been drawn between
the criminally insane and those offerd-
ers who attempt to elude justice Oh
false plea.