The Rice belt journal. (Welsh, Calcasieu Parish, La.) 1900-19??, 1911-03-10

tuted the furnishings. Keeping HUN
beneath the tattered covering | saw
the bright eyes and curly heads oil
two young children.
rs this your home, Mr. Hartz" ]
inquired.
This is where I stay" he replied.
saw at once that | was up against
species of affection for which | had
no ready-made speech Of coincidence,
and | 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 loss for
the moment to know just what to do
or say. After celebrating a short
time | came to the conclusion that 1t
was best to explain all to his wife.
She looked like an intelligent woman
and | proceeded TO aCquaint her with
the facts concerning her husbands ar
rest and the punishment that was sure
to follow. | likewise pointed out the
door through which he might escape.
| demanded a clean breast without
reserve. | was to know all the partlc.
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 general thing are treacheroua
| towards one another when in tight
place; 1t IS anything to saves 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
I 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-ending bat
tie between right and wrong. l never
vet found man so bad that there
was not something In his character
upon which to base hope. | never
yet saw a man that was so good as to
be free from danger. There is
thread of gold running through thu
character of the worst of men; the
difficulty is to reach It.
The prisoners eyes fell and were
filled with tears. We have no pity 10!
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 l:
the money to come from to pay the
rent for this miserable room we are
living in? How am | to obtain foot
and clothing for our children wher
you are in the penitentiary?'
Accustomed as l was to scenes o.
this kind my heart was deeply touched
and my hand went almost involuntari
" to my pocket. l pulled out roll o
bills. 1t was the governments money
Peeling off FIVE twenties, handet
them to the woman. Take this, m.
good woman, cannot save your hus
band, but I will give you something
with which to supply your immediate
wants. Buy these children SOM
clothes"
handed her an additional twenty
The counterfeiter and his wife stoo
looking earnestly into each other
, faces Both seemed well nigh broker
, hearted He stepped towards me a
, he said: you are the only decen
man have ever seen in the detectiv
business and | am going to tell 20
all about It,"
| have seen crime in its many phase
and have noted the effect of lon
term Of Imprisonment upon men a
they received their sentence, but job
y Hartz appeared as the most repentar
. criminal | had ever met. He ha
4 been caught red-handed and could hav
n been easily convicted, but the resu
A of his confession and assistance wa
q many times more important to tn
government. 1t led to the breakin
8 up, root and branch, OF an extensiv
Il group Of dangerous counterfeiter
d The engraver, procurer and six other
O were arrested with the evidenc
II Of their guilt In their hands. All WEI
v convicted and sentenced to serve "