The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1912-06-27

OF the State prison mere opened anu
an old man, with face scanned, but
gaze buoyant, came out and glanced
right and left across the elm-shaded
lawn. No one was astir in the vii
lage except those on their way to
early church services.
From Hartford, across the rain
soaked countryside, came the mellow
notes of many church bells. The old
man listened to them for moment,
then glanced back at the door of the
prison which for 50 years had been
his home. He was straight and tall,
in spite of his 73 years, and his jaw
was square and forceful. He wore
the metal-buttoned uniform of gray
that denoted him a frst-class pris-
oner-a "lifer." He squared his
shoulders at the sound of the church
bells and inhaled a deep breath, like
one who feels that the free air is
his.
Went to His Loved Flowers.
Then instinctively he glanced up at
the house of Warden w. A. Garner at
the upper end of the reservation, and
at the rose garden close beside it. He
sighed.
Slowly at first, then more rapidly,
his feet picked their way over the
wet grass to the rose garden. Low
ingly the old figure bent over the
brilliant beds of American beauties
and the gnarled old hands picked up
a bush that the wind had leveled.
With tenderness he trained it again
to it's supporting stick and patted
the leaves into place. Then he look
ed back at the somber red brick pris-
on and a film of tears masked his fine
brown eyes.
Almost since boyhood this had
been his home, and for nancy years
the rose garden of the warden's wife
had been his one loved thing on
earth.
And now he was leaving it.
The man was John P. Warren, the
Oldest prisoner in the Connecticut
State prison, and perhaps the oldest
in point of years served in the coun-
try. He had murdered his girl wife
when he and she were almost chill
dren, had served 50 years and had
been pardoned Saturday by the State
board.
He was about 21 when the family
of a girl of II forced him to marry
her. From The first the marriage was
unhappy. There are old stories, now
almost forgotten, that he was in love
with another girl. Anyway, the neigh
borhood taunted him with the fact
that perhaps he wasn't the father of
the child of the girl he married.
Drowned Her in Brook.
He took his wife walking one day
and induced her to go in wading in
brook. There were taunting words
from her and he "saw red He threw
her down in the brook and held her
head under the water till she was
dead.
At the trial in Tolland the prisoner
ended proceedings by pleading guilty.
He was sentenced to life imprlson-
ment in December, 1859.
Twenty-eight times since he has
petitioned for pardon. Saturday, af-
ter he had given up hope, the board
suddenly released him. Of late years
the old man has been "trusty," and
his particular delight has been to
care for the rose garden of the war
den's wife. 1t was here that re-
porter found him, joyful at his sud-
den release, yet regretful at leaving
his rose bushes.
"Yes," he said, I'm a free man
q free old man. There's providence
in most things, and maybe there IS
in this. I'll leave here Thursday and
go to my brother, joel, in Aansae-a'
Conn, the old home town, where LII
rest. Perhaps I'll start a rose gar
den. In the few years that l have
to live that would give me most
pleasure-to tend a garden.
Tainted Into Crime.
'It's no good to talk about things
now. I've forgotten her long ago. She
was only girl and knew no better.
She couldn't understand how l felt
when l heard many times that l was
mot the only one
ssAfter they got me 1 escaped from
Tolland Jail, and was gone from July
to November. But sneak of neigh
Dor told on me, and the barn where
was hiding was surrounded and I
was captured. Then I was brought
- urbo fret yoar thOupht I'd go