The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1911-03-10


was much worse than the unlawful
deeds performed by them.
l learned from the prisoner that he
had family. When this was men
toned he shuddered little Coming
to the conclusion that l could learn
nothing from him was ready to lock
him up. Before doing this l suggested
the idea of taking him to see his wife
and children. Early In the morning
l procured a carriage, and after
20 minutes drive we stopped In front
Of large tenement house which we
entered, ascending the stairs to the
second floor.
Knocking at a door to our right we
were after some delay admitted by
woman wearing calico wrapper, and
we entered the room which was dark
and dismal as tomb. Two or three
broken chairs, rickety table and a
mattress spread upon the floor and
covered with ragged quilts, consu-
tuted the furnishings Peeping from
beneath the tattered covering l saw
the bright eyes and curly heads Of
two young children.
Us this your home. Mr. Hartz?"
inquired.
This is where I stay" he replied.
l saw at once that I was up against
a species of affection for which l had
no ready-made speech of coincidence,
and l was just a little embarrassed.
There was a depth of seriousness in
the affair that had rarely met with
| was confronted with the genuine
woes OF humanity and at a loss for
the moment to know just what to do
or say After celebrating a short
time l came to the conclusion that 1t
was best to explain all to his wife.
She looked like an intelligent woman
and l proceeded to acquaint her with
the facts concerning her husbands ar
rest and the punishment that was sure
to follow. l likewise pointed out the
door through which he might escape.
| demanded q clean breast without
reserve. I was to know all the partic-
ulars in regard to the conspiracy and
he was to act in good faith and to as.
sist the detectives in plans to cap
ture the engraver and all others con-
nected with the affair; besides, he
was. If 1t became necessary, to go up
on the witness stand and testify
against his confederates. Counterfeit
ers as a general thing are treacherous
towards one another when In a tight
place; It is anything to save them
selves. With John Hartz it was diff
ferent; he preferred to sacrifice him
self rather than to give away his con-
federates
When the wife was made acquaint-
ed with the proposition that had been
made to her husband she appealed to
him in language that seemed irresist-
ible.
He hung his head. There was an
expression on his face that was In
def1nable. A fresh link in misery's
chain had now reached his heart
The scene was absolutely painful and
l soon saw that he was weakening.
A mans character varies in accord
ance with the position in which he Is
placed. Criminals are human. like
our selves, and If we would learn the
dangers lurking in our pathway, we
should know how they chance to
stumble and fall. Some men are
weaker and more prone to vice than
others. There Is a never-end1ng bat
| tie between right and wrong. l never
yet found man so bad that there
" - fz oh faP
upon which to base hope. l never
yet saw man that was SO good as to
be free from danger. There is a
thread of gold running through the
character of the worst of men: the
difficulty is to reach it
The prisoners eyes fell and were
| filed with tears. We have no pity for
the tears shed by criminals. They
are deserved, but they are tears just
the same, and sometimes come from
heart unjustly pierced. His wife now
approached him and said, Where Is
the money to come from to pay the
rent for this miserable room we are
living in? How am l to obtain food
and clothing for our children when
you are In the penitentiary?
Accustomed as l was to scenes OF
this kind my heart was deeply touched
and my hand went almost involuntari-
" to my pocket l pulled out roll OF
bills. 1t was the governments money.
Peeling OF five twenties, l handed
them to the woman Take this, my
good woman, l cannot save your hus-
band, but l will give you something
with which to supply your immediate
wants. Buy these children some
clothes"
handed her an additional twenty.
The counterfeiter and his wife stood
looking earnestly into each others
faces. Both seemed well nigh broken
hearted. He stepped towards me as
he said: You are the only decent
man | have ever seen in the detective
business and am going to tell you
all about 1t"
I have seen crime In its many phases
and have noted the effect Of long
term of Imprisonment upon men as
they received their sentence, but John
Hartz appeared as the most repentant
criminal | had ever met. He had
been caught red-handed and could have
been easily convicted, but the result
of his confession and assistance was
MANY times more important to the