Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1912-03-06
of despair.


 He attempted to severe all marital ties through the court by filing a suit for divorce The wheels of the law turned slowly and the worry and nag. ging of the slowness of disposition of the ease further hardened his heart. The court could have settled it soon- CT, he thought. An order was issued permitting the wife to have the child ren two days out of every week, and for him to pay alimory and court costs. The money was paid to the attorneys he said, but the court costs were never paid. The lawyers re peatedly called his attention to his failure to pay almony. Several months had rolled by and he had only paid the amount ordered paid the first month. Action for contempt of the courts orders was brought against hln and he was taken before the judge. Then it was found, he said, that the records showed he had con- piled with the order and the action was dismissed or dropped A new order was issued for him to pay the wife a certain sum weekly and he complied with this, he said, except for about two weeks before the tragedy, during which time he was sick and only able to work part of the time. Previous to the courts ordering him to pay alimony the wife had sustain ed herslf by teaching music. Size had always called at the home for the children to keep them the two days in the week but he was always away at work. He was told that the lit.,s ones protested against going with her but that remained for him to see.
 The Hateful day came at last The day dawned upon him free man. but
 when night fell, he was murderer before the Almighty and humanity. He had been sick for several days and, being in weakened condition, remained at home that day. The wife came to claim her share of the chil to the house. Fk has forgotten whether it was morning or after noon) She rebuffed his kindly ap breaches and the manner in which she claimed the children awoke the demcnd within him. The fatal mo- ment came when she attempted to take the baby from his arms. The Little fellow protested and the siglt of the fearful babe clinging to him, pleading with it's eyes to stay, arous- ed all the ferocity of an animal be- ing robbed of its young.
 When reason again mounted the throne the deed was done and he was a fugitive from justice. He took a l shotgun and went to the woods. He ] intended to give up, he said. He fel,, that he had been justified. He thought they would put hounds upon his track and he didn't want to D.: torn to pieces because the babes must look to him for food, and he thought,
 when he had been given hearing g they would let him go home and take care of the little ones. He didn't know he had committed crime against society. He had just remov- l ed athorn from his side, that was all But they, the indefinite they, didn't
 agree With him, and new he must die
 to atore for his sim
 | This is his story and as the days l come and go, as dawn fellows night
 and darkness follows day, he sits
 apart from his fellow prisoners, and tries to realize what the inevitable 1 means. @.
 "If they knew the story as I do
 they wouldn't nave convicted me- he says, as he leans agaiLst the grating grasping one of the huge iron bars
 that prevents him from going into
 the sunlight, where the birds sing
 and all is life. But all that is lief;
 for him is hope.